Plenty of heroic punchlines

TEEN Titans Go to the Movies gives me hope that the DC cinematic universe might actually be capable of pulling itself out of the superhero doldrums after all.

This feature-length animated flick, based on the popular TV series Teen Titans

Go, is not part of the DC Extended Universe ( Wonder

Woman still holds the title of being the only great flick in that sad and sorry bunch), but it at least shows that the people at Warner Bros are quite aware of their stable’s problems. Teen Titans Go to the

Movies is spectacularly funny, with humour operating on so many levels simultaneously that I’m not sure who had more fun watching it: me, the adult geek, or my five-year-old daughter.

The Teen Titans — Robin (Scott Menville), Starfire (Hynden Walch), Beast Boy (Greg Cipes), Cyborg (Khary Payton) and Raven (Tara Strong) — have a hell of a lot of fun together, but, let’s face it, they don’t really do much heroic stuff.

They spend more time chasing junk food and goofing off than they do actually saving the world. And this hasn’t gone unnoticed by the other superheroes, who decide not to invite the Titans to the premiere of Batman’s latest movie.

Sick of being forever regarded as a sidekick, Robin decides the only way the Titans will ever be taken seriously is if they get a movie of their own (or, more specifically, if Robin gets a movie of his own). All they need is an arch nemesis of their own to defeat, and when they cross paths with the evil Slade/Deathstroke (Will Arnett), they get their chance.

Now, if you’re paying attention, you will probably see straight through the plot and all of its twists almost from the very first act, but that’s OK. You’re meant to. It’s part of the joke.

The TV series’ stock in trade is lampooning the cliches and characters of the DC Universe and throwing the shredded remains of the parodied franchise around like confetti, and the movie takes this to a whole new level. Teen Titans Go to the Movies mercilessly attacks the DC Universe’s own movies: taking aim at the tragically bad Batman v Superman and its infamous “Martha” moment; making a point of how long Wonder Woman had to wait for HER movie; emphasising just how much Batman has been strip-mined for movie treatments over the years; and the inevitable gag about Green Lantern’s terrible cinematic attempt.

DC/Warner clearly do have a sense of humour about it all. Just as well.

And the movie goes a step further, invoking many references to the more successful Disney/Marvel superhero franchise: the flipping pages of a comic book at the beginning of the movie; accusing Deadpool of ripping off Deathstroke; a Guardians of the Galaxy gag; even a Stan Lee cameo.

There’s a Finding Dory gag slipped in there as well because, well, if you’re gonna drag Disney into it, you might as well go all in.

And if you really know your superheroes and geek culture, you can really go down the comedy rabbit hole here. Even the voice talent is a source of in-gags and references. Famous superhero nerd Nicolas Cage finally gets to live the dream and voice Superman, and his son, Kal-El Cage (yep, named after Superman) voices a young Bruce Wayne. Elsewhere Wil Wheaton voices the Flash and Michael Bolton (yes, THAT Michael Bolton) voices a white tiger and sings a musical number.

Yes, there are musical numbers. And they are magnificent.

The movie continues the TV series’ tradition of changing its animation style occasionally for comic effect, which is always great for a laugh. And pointless bad guys such as Rainbow Raider (yes, he was a real enemy of the Flash) are easy fodder for a cheap laugh.

Cheap laughs aren’t in short supply. The movie even stoops to the level of poop and fart jokes and they are still effortlessly funny. Sitting in a busy theatre, you can identify the different tiers of viewer based on where they laugh: the kids laugh at the prat-falls and poop jokes; the reluctant accompanying parents have a giggle at the slapstick and pop culture gags; and the comic book nerds are the ones howling with laughter at the sheer density of in-jokes.

Smartly written, fast-paced and gorgeously animated, Teen Titans Go to the Movies is probably something best enjoyed by those familiar with the TV series, but even if you just have a functional knowledge of the big superheroes, you could probably just wade on in and still have a great time.

Take the kids as an excuse if you want to, but you don’t need them. It’s a bit like watching four really good episodes of Teen Titans Go back to back, and I say that as a huge endorsement.

Teen Titans Go to the Movies (PG) is now showing at Village Cinemas and Cmax. Rating: