DVD/DOWNLOAD OF THE WEEK

The LEGO Batman Movie

Cert 15, 100 min Now available on Amazon Video/bt TV Store/itunes/ Sky Store/talktalk TV Store and other download and streaming services. From Monday, June 19 on DVD £9.99/Blu-ray £19.99

Featuring the voices of: Will Arnett, Zach Galifianakis, Michael Cera, Rosario Dawson, Ralph Fiennes, Jenny Slate and Hector Elizondo.

Batman (voiced by Will Arnett) wallows in loneliness at Wayne Manor where loyal butler Alfred (Ralph Fiennes) expertly pinpoints the source of his master’s malaise. “Your greatest fear is being part of a family again.” Soon after, Commissioner James Gordon (Hector Elizondo) hands over control to his daughter, Barbara (Rosario Dawson), who calls into question the effectiveness of Batman when all of his nemeses, including The Joker (Zach Galifianakis) and Harley Quinn (Jenny Slate), remain at large. Despite the stinging criticism, Batman is smitten and in the midst of this romantic fog, he inadvertently agrees to adopt plucky orphan Dick Grayson (Michael Cera), who infiltrates the Bat Cave and picks out a spandex outfit so he can join his new father on night-time escapades. The LEGO Batman Movie is a rollicking computeranimated comedy, which induces whoops of glee as familiar characters poke fun at their mythologies. “We’re going to punch these guys so hard, words are going to spontaneously materialise out of thin air,” confirms Batman as a familiar blitzkrieg of “KAPOWS” and “BLAMS” fill the screen during one epic showdown. Arnett’s hysterical vocal performance is heightened by a gushing bromance with Galifianakis’ giggling maniac. Set pieces are animated and edited with boundless energy, whetting appetites for future forays into the LEGO universe.

The opening five minutes of credits and droll voiceover – “All important movies start with a black screen...” – are sheer perfection.

The rest of Chris Mckay’s picture is a delight but doesn’t scale the same dizzy heights of razorsharp hilarity as the first LEGO film.