Critics are raving about “The Lego Batman Movie,” the sequel to 2014’s “The Lego Movie.”
Currently holding a score of 97 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, the movie featuring the voices of Will Arnett, Zach Galifianakis, Michael Cera and Ralph Fiennes is being praised as “the best Batman film in years.”
“The opening five minutes of ‘The Lego Batman Movie’ are funnier and more original than most entire comedies I’ve seen over the last few months — and the superhero/supervillain dynamic explored in this film is more involving and insightful than many a comic-book movie plot of the past several years,” wrote Chicago Sun Times’ Richard Roeper.
TheWrap’s film critic Alonso Duralde wrote: ‘Less a sequel to ‘The Lego Movie’ than a big-screen, family-friendly version of Adult Swim’s blackout-sketch show ‘Robot Chicken,’ ‘The Lego Batman Movie’ gleefully parodies every mass-media iteration of its hero, from the serials to ‘Super Friends’ and from Adam West to Ben Affleck. While hard-core devotees will enjoy an overflowing basket of Easter eggs, you don’t have to be a super-fan to enjoy its crafty mix of outlandish verbal humor and outrageous visuals.”
The animated film hits theaters on Friday.
See 9 of the best reviews below.
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald:
“Like the trailers promised, ‘The Lego Batman Movie’ is a dazzling, knockabout, joke-a-second comedy set in the DC Comics universe that’s so overstuffed with gags that catching them all in one viewing is impossible. The pace is frantic but never exhausting. The humor ranges from ‘Mad’ magazine-silly to surprisingly sophisticated, and the antics are witty and inventive (the screenplay is credited to five writers, all of whom earned their keep). If the guys who made the ‘Airplane!’ and ‘The Naked Gun’ pictures had trained their sights on the superhero genre, the result might have looked a lot like this.”
Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun Times:
“Even though Arnett is voicing an animated, blocky, plastic toy, I’d rank his raspy, narcissistic, brave, vulnerable, alternately heroic and ridiculous version of the Dark Knight ahead of the big-budget, live-action performances of Ben Affleck, George Clooney and Val Kilmer, among others. The opening five minutes of ‘The Lego Batman Movie’ are funnier and more original than most entire comedies I’ve seen over the last few months — and the superhero/supervillain dynamic explored in this film is more involving and insightful than many a comic-book movie plot of the past several years.”
Clarisse Loughrey, Independent:
“There’s no doubt, ‘The LEGO Batman Movie’ delivers a deliriously fun ride that likely to stand up surprisingly well amongst the rest of this year’s superhero films.”
Rafer Guzman, Newsday:
“Welcome to ‘The Lego Batman Movie,’ the self-mocking follow-up to 2014’s animated hit ‘The Lego Movie.’ One of that marvelous movie’s best ideas was casting Batman as a brooding, self-absorbed dork who seemed less like a crime-fighter than an overgrown Goth. With the raspy voice of Will Arnett, who returns here for a major encore, Lego Batman is a spot-on spoof — but can he carry his own movie? The answer is yes, though Batman gets tremendous help from five screenwriters (including Rockville Centre native Seth Grahame-Smith, of ‘Pride and Prejudice and Zombies’) who supply an abundance of jokes, quips and physical comedy routines.”
Jonathan Pile, Empire Online:
“A highly quotable, visual treat that’s packed with in-jokes but is entertaining enough on its own terms to work for fans and non-fans alike. The best Batman film in years.”
Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle:
“‘The Lego Batman Movie’ is less awesome than its predecessor, but it’s a clever, well-paced, self-aware and completely satisfying kind of less awesome. It takes the most entertaining secondary character from the first film, then builds 104 minutes around him with little fatigue. All inferior sequels should be as fun as this one.”
Mara Reinstein, Us Weekly:
“Everything is still awesome in the Lego Movie universe!!! All right, maybe not everything. But enough things. And in a young movie year when the biggest box office hit showcases a deranged man mutilating teen girls for kicks (for shame, ‘Split,’ for shame), let’s cheer an ultra-accessible blockbuster that packs in clever laughs, not to mention fun pows! and bams! to please the Batman faithful. Indeed, if any character from the marvelous 2014 hit ‘The Lego Movie’ warranted a spinoff, it’s Will Arnett‘s why-so-serious Caped Crusader.”
Brian Truitt, USA Today:
“The not-so-Dark Knight returns in the joyously bonkers ‘The Lego Batman Movie,’ and he’s not only the hero we need right now but also the one we deserve.”
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic:
“‘The LEGO Batman Movie’ is terrific fun, with Will Arnett voicing the Caped Crusader as an arrogant jerk. It’s a sequel that holds up in every way … What a treat ‘The LEGO Batman Movie’ is. As they say in the first film (except this time for real): Everything is awesome.”