The Lego Batman Movie Review: This block-headed spoof is purely for adult Batman fans

If you love Batman, like every single version of him since the beginning of time, then you're in for a hoot and a half. The Lego Batman Movie is the full-blown, no holds barred spoof that the guys at DC Comics wanted to make, but never had the stones to.

There's no other way you can end up with a movie where Batman's password to the Batcave is 'Iron Man Sucks' and he's so narcissistic that he does victory laps around Gotham's crowds that would put Ronaldo to shame. But after seeing The Lego Movie and catching the rushes of the next few Lego films in the making, this is pretty much standard fare for them.

Statutory warning though: Your kids probably won't like it unless you raised them on a diet of Austin Powers and Batman Comics. 

Lego Batman (Will Arnett with a permanent growl), the self-acclaimed rockstar that he is, feeds off the fact that Gotham loves him and needs him and villains exist merely to get pummelled around while he flexes his pecs and washboard abs. All that is a show, we learn from Lego Alfred (voiced by the formidable Ralph Fiennes), to hide his commitment issues.

What commitments, you ask? Pretty much all of them. 

His love-hate-slightly gay thing with arch nemesis The Lego Joker, who's upset that Batman never tells him how much he hates him. 

His weird dad tendencies toward orphan-turned-geek-sidekick Robin.

His definitely OTT advances towards new police commissioner Barbara Gordon. 

So in the middle of his soul-searching to stay relevant after all of Gotham's villains turn themselves in, Batman decides to steal a projector from Superman's Fortress of Solitude to send the villains to the Phantom Zone. Except, that's what The Joker wanted all along. When he returns to Gotham with the Phantom Zone's biggest and baddest villains — everyone from the Wicked Witch of the West to Voldemort — Batman's battle begins, both inside and outside. He manages to grab a snack to settle the former though.

Irreverent, slapstick, full of Michael Jackson's music and loaded with enough sarcasm to warrant an hour on Comedy Central during Roast Hour, The Lego Batman Movie has its moments. But after an hour of gag after gag, it does get a wee bit tiring. Thankfully, at 142 minutes, it's not so long that you're compelled to tune out for a bit before the climax.