'The Lego Batman Movie' is the prime example of a perfect sequel in that while it may or may not be a perfect film on its own, it does improve on what's come before and is an even more enjoyable and fun movie than its predecessor. It's not far off from calling it the 'T2' of the LEGO franchise and it's well worth your time. Will Arnett returns as Batman and even before a frame of footage is seen, he knocks the audience dead with a hilarious audio introduction over the film's logos and opening credits. It's a great indicator of what you're going to get in the short running time. We are then bombarded with visual gags, great one-liners, and some overall fun animation and music as we see Batman defeat some of his greatest villains. We also begin to see the film's main issues before we even realize it, however we'll discuss that in a moment.
The humor is some of the best in any comedy of the last few years, let alone a family film with some really great callbacks to Batman's 75 plus history including references to the Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher eras and even some great jokes about the '66 Adam West television show. This film is primarily for those folks who are already grown and grew up with the Caped Crusader all these years, but that's not to say your kids won't get a big kick out of it too as they throw in some of the usual pop culture references and some funny little nods (like Bane retaining his goofy accent from 'The Dark Knight Rises) that they can enjoy along with you. However, in reference to those jokes it's not only the movie's best aspect, it also causes some flaws starting with the second act.
The beginning of this film hits you with joke after joke after joke that hits so hard that when the slower act in the middle comes, it feels rather slow and lackluster when compared to that epic opening and the brilliant finale. Now, I still stand by my opinion that 'The Lego Batman Movie' is a better film than the original, but the original also had these issues however with this movie the slow down is much less severe than in that one but its still a noticeable problem that might have to do with the film being so short, even for a family film (The film only lasted from 7 to 8:30 at my local cinema). They could have paced it a little better, with the film being off ritalin quite often.
That really is a small sacrifice however for some of the most impressive animation with some smart writing and a great homage/spoof of the history of one of the world's best superheroes (with the man himself saying during the 'DC' logo "The House That Batman Built"). It's a love letter that all comic book fans will adore and enjoy for many years while the casual fan and their kids will love it for some Saturday morning fun.
GRADE: A-
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