The LEGO Batman Movie

This inventive animated spin-off of 2014's The LEGO Movie cleverly pokes fun at the Caped Crusader, beginning with the title sequence, since “All important movies start with a black screen.” As it opens, self-centered Batman (Will Arnett) is busy protecting Gotham City from a series of desperados, led by the demented Joker (Zach Galifianakis), after which he regales citizens with tales of his heroics. When he's not crime-fighting, narcissistic Bruce Wayne lives in luxurious isolation with his loyal butler, Alfred (Ralph Fiennes), until he's joined by eager orphan Dick Grayson (Michael Cera). And then Gotham City's new Police Commissioner (Rosario Dawson) suggests that her department should work with the Caped Crusader, rather than just flashing the Bat-signal whenever his vigilante services are required, noting, “We don't need an unsupervised adult in a Halloween costume karate-chopping poor people.” So, brooding Batman must learn to cooperate with law enforcement and accept Dick's fervent desire to become his sidekick “Robin” after the Joker recruits a slew of supervillains. Filmmaker Chris McKay's awesome satire features a multitude of clever gags, pop culture references, and voice cameos, including Superman (Channing Tatum), The Riddler (Conan O'Brien), Two-Face (Billy Dee Williams), and Bane (Doug Benson), along with Mariah Carey as Gotham's mayor. Visually delightful, this is a silly, subversive, family-oriented adventure that is energetically played for laughs. Recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director Chris McKay and crew members, a “One Brick at a Time” making-of featurette (16 min.), four original animated shorts (8 min.), deleted scenes (7 min.), “The Master: A LEGO Ninjago Short” (5 min.), another “Brick by Brick” making-of featurette (4 min.), and the production segments “Behind the Brick” (4 min.), “Redbrick Contest Winners” (3 min.), “Inside Wayne Manor” (3 min.), and the brief “Me and My Minifig.” Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are bonus DVD, digital, and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a fun film.] (S. Granger)