TEEN TITANS GO! TO THE MOVIES (PG)

THE long-running animated TV series Teen Titans Go!, a tongue-in-cheek spinoff from the DC Comics universe, makes its big screen debut with a grin-inducing flourish thanks to co-directors Peter Rida Michail and Aaron Horvath.

Teen Titans Go! To The Movies pokes gentle fun at the glut of superhero films, which clog up multiplexes and earnestly expand the mythologies of well-known characters torn from the pages of comic books.

A nimble script, co-written by the TV series’ creators Michael Jelenic and Horvath, takes aim at predictable targets: The avoidable tragedies in superheroes’ pasts, Stan Lee’s obligatory cameos, that instantly forgettable Green Lantern film starring Ryan Reynolds.

Most of the punchlines elicit knowing giggles as a perfunctory plot sermonises the importance of teamwork and selfsacrifice to younger audiences.

Fleeting verbal gags, including a spoof of the Marvel Comics flip book title sequence, are complemented by knowing, self-referential dialogue that gleefully draws attention to the film’s own shortcomings including a big reveal about the identity of the chief villain.