Batman is back in black with his brand new movie, The Lego Batman Movie. This PG film directed by Chris Mckay is bound to send the whole family into a fit of laughs. The movie begins with the usual credits as all movies do, but with a twist as our narrator, Batman himself (Will Arnett) walks us through each clip, adding in sarcastic comments that I’m sure everyone in the audience has said at least once in their lives. We move onto a typical set-up of trouble, a plane with an exaggerated amount of explosives and an attempted takeover by the Joker. But the makers of the movie took these Batman stereotypes and increased them for humorous effect, with the characters describing the scenes as they happen. Throughout the story there is a joke about Batman’s love life, between Batman and Bruce Wayne. Along with the love-hate relationship between Batman and the Joker, where the Joker is only trying to be Batman’s arch enemy, but Batman won’t say it, making it hard for the Joker to be in that relationship.

The story follows the lonely life of one egotistical billionaire, bachelor, vigilant and his practically non-existent life outside of the suit. But when the Joker (Zach Galifianakis) hatches a new scheme that stops all villainous activity and a new Commissioner (Rosario Dawson) that plans to bring the Bat into the light and work as a team, Wayne is left with nothing to fight, a feeling he has never experienced. This leads to a rash decision for “the good of Gotham” that leads to the accidental adoption of a young Richard “Dick” Grayson (Michael Cera) and falling right into the Joker’s plans.

Throughout the movie many inside jokes are delivered and set up very nicely, including jokes and references from the 1966 first batman movie to Batman vs. Superman. The director also found a way to incorporate characters from a variety of movies like the Eye of Sauron, King Kong and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, Lord Voldemort. Every villain ever created for the Dark Knight makes a small appearance, from the well-known Mr. Freeze to the hardly mentioned yet feared, Eraser. Yet all these villains are created in a way that desecrates their reputation, making them hardly anything else than a Lego that may get in the way, but can easily be picked up and put away.

Overall I would rate the movie a 7 out of 10, a must see for fans of Batman, Legos and sarcasm. The film has its ups and downs with engagement, but the story keeps people interested, even during some of the low action level scenes. The one thing to take away from the movie is Batman’s advice. “Remember kids, if you want to be like Batman, you have to focus on those abs.”