---
title: "The Lego Batman Movie"
year: 2017
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-lego-batman-movie"
fi1m_score: 74
critics_score: 76
critics_reviews: 22
published: "2026-09-18T09:06:46.524337+00:00"
updated: "2026-09-18T09:06:46.894816+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# The Lego Batman Movie (2017)

Directed by Chris McKay · 1h 44m · MPA PG · Animation, Action, Comedy, Family

**Fi1m score: 74** · Critics 76 from 22 reviews

*In a sentence:* Batman heats a lobster in the microwave and eats it alone at a table for forty, and it explains him better than thirty years of brooding

> Chris McKay’s brick-built Batman is the funniest the character has been on screen, and the first half hour is close to perfect. After that the jokes keep the same pace, the lesson is repeated, and we tired before the end.

## Synopsis

Gotham City. Batman (Will Arnett) stops the Joker (Zach Galifianakis) from blowing up the city’s power plant, with Harley Quinn (Jenny Slate), Bane (Doug Benson), Two-Face (Billy Dee Williams) and the rest of the rogues’ gallery in tow, then refuses to tell the Joker he is his greatest enemy: Batman does not do relationships. He goes home to Wayne Manor, where his butler Alfred Pennyworth (Ralph Fiennes) worries about him eating lobster alone. At a winter gala, Barbara Gordon (Rosario Dawson) is sworn in as Gotham’s new police commissioner and asks why the city still relies on one man in a mask, while a distracted Bruce Wayne agrees, without noticing, to adopt an orphan called Dick Grayson (Michael Cera). Then the Joker surrenders, with every villain in the city, and Batman is the only person who does not believe him.

## Review

Batman was the best thing in [*The Lego Movie*](https://film.one/film/the-lego-movie): a vain, gravel-voiced bit-part who wrote his own songs and assumed everyone had come to see him. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, who directed that film, produce; Chris McKay directs a feature built on the question the joke raised. What is a man like that like when he gets home? *The Lego Batman Movie* is the funniest Batman has ever been on screen and, for half an hour, sharp about him too. Then it keeps going at the same pitch until we were worn out. We recommend it, with that warning attached.

It opens on a black screen, with Will Arnett explaining that all important films do, and does not let up for twenty minutes. The Joker (Zach Galifianakis) plans to blow up Gotham’s power plant and has brought the whole rogues’ gallery with him: Harley Quinn (Jenny Slate), Bane (Doug Benson), Two-Face (Billy Dee Williams) and a dozen more. Batman deals with all of them, then refuses to tell the Joker he is his greatest enemy; he does not do relationships. Galifianakis plays the Joker as a jilted suitor, lip trembling, and we laughed harder than at anything in a Batman film before it.

The best scene has no fight in it. Batman goes home to Wayne Manor, a plastic palace of Grant Freckelton’s design with corridors the length of runways, and heats a lobster thermidor in the microwave. He eats it at the end of a table built for forty and watches a romantic comedy on his own, laughing a beat too late. We felt sorry for a toy, which we did not expect to report. Ralph Fiennes’s Alfred observes, dryly, that he has seen phases like this before, and the film mines the character’s screen history, from the sixties television series to the growling brooders of recent years.

The plot arrives with Barbara Gordon (Rosario Dawson), sworn in as police commissioner at a winter gala, who asks why a city with a police force still needs one man in a mask, and with Dick Grayson (Michael Cera), an orphan so eager to be adopted that Bruce Wayne agrees without noticing. Cera’s Robin is the film’s second-best joke, a boy who cannot believe his luck. Then the Joker surrenders, with everybody, and only Batman finds that suspicious. The film is right about what Batman is: a rich man who has decided to be alone and calls it a code.

Lorne Balfe’s score does the big brass and low strings of the serious Batman films, then lets Arnett interrupt it with heavy-metal numbers about himself, which is the right joke. Three editors are credited, Matt Villa, David Burrows and John Venzon, and it needed them: gags are stacked in signage and the backs of crowds, and you will miss half of them. Freckelton’s Gotham is entirely bricks, explosions included: clusters of translucent orange pieces that fall apart like a dropped model. The water in the harbour is blue studs.

Five writers are credited on the screenplay, Erik Sommers, Jared Stern, Seth Grahame-Smith, John Whittington and Chris McKenna, and you can see the joins. The lesson, that Batman needs people, is stated by Alfred, then Barbara, then Robin, then Batman himself, and by the fourth time we had understood. The second half brings in opponents we will not describe and becomes the noisy, city-flattening action film it has spent an hour teasing. Around the hour mark we noticed we had stopped laughing, and were cross because the film had started so well. *The Lego Movie* had a reason for being made of bricks that we will not spoil; this one is made of bricks because that one was.

At a U certificate and 104 minutes, it will hold a small child with colour and noise while the jokes go over their head to the adult beside them. It is kinder and more honest about Batman than most of the films it mocks. Watch it with someone under ten, and forgive it the last half hour, which is louder than it is funny.

*Fi1m score 74, published 18 September 2026.*

### Reviews we read (22)

- **Radio Times**, Terry Staunton (5/5): The film is a riotous yarn full of laughs and heart in which Batman learns the joys of friendship and togetherness while battling the Joker and other villains. Director Chris McKay and his writers lovingly celebrate Batman while mocking his mythology and previous screen incarnations, with an exemplary voice cast, eye-popping design and a script full of verbal and sight gags. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-4xh8ny/the-lego-batman-movie/)
- **Empire**, Jonathan Pile (90/100, inferred): This comedic take on Batman succeeds with dense in-jokes riffing on the character’s history and a lesson about teamwork, making it the best Batman film in years. It works as both fan service and an entertaining kids’ movie with visual treats and quotable lines. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/lego-batman-movie-review/)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Justin Chang (85/100, inferred): The review hails it as the best Batman movie since The Dark Knight, an impish parody that grasps and calls out the character's narcissism. It praises the inventive brick-by-brick world-building and visual spectacle. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-lego-batman-review-20170203-story.html)
- **Variety**, Owen Gleiberman (85/100, inferred): The review deems it kicky, bedazzling and super-fun, a postmodern caper that mocks Batman's raging ego and superhero culture. It singles out the stylized satirical dreamscape and rapid-fire cleverness for praise. [Read](https://variety.com/2017/film/reviews/the-lego-batman-movie-review-1201977391/)
- **Slant Magazine**, Jake Cole (80/100, inferred): The film successfully adapts Deadpool-style self-reflexive humor to a kid-friendly Lego format with a high hit-to-miss ratio on gags and references. It builds to a critique of Batman's loner persona, showing he is defined by relationships and made more human through the block animation. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-lego-batman-movie/)
- **The New York Times**, Manohla Dargis (80/100, inferred): The review calls the film an irresistible, silly gateway drug that balances a PG superhero story with gentle mockery of the genre's seriousness. It singles out Will Arnett's sepulchral voice performance as the brightest comedic element. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/08/movies/the-lego-batman-movie-review.html)
- **The Telegraph**, Robbie Collin (4/5): The critic hails it as a thing of wonder that is more stylish, spectacular and delightful than recent live-action Batman films, with frantic humour and a fresh spin on the character as a narcissistic billionaire. It packs multiple films’ worth of action and jokes into a streamlined story. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2017/02/04/lego-batman-movie-thing-wonder-review/)
- **The AV Club**, Jesse Hassenger (B): The film uses irreverence toward Batman to explore his duality and need for family and relationships in a good-natured, often hilarious way that makes the character more human. It is less essential and joke-dense than The Lego Movie but still irresistible for fans and kids. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/the-lego-batman-movie-turns-bat-mythology-into-a-giant-1798190357)
- **The New Yorker**, Anthony Lane (75/100, inferred): The critic questions when knowingness becomes shtick but praises the film's crammed visual detail and its unexpected shift toward domestic innocence and family values. It notes the solid sequel status to the first Lego Movie. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/goings-on-about-town/movies/the-lego-batman-movie)
- **Evening Standard**, Charlotte O'Sullivan (70/100, inferred): The spin-off is not quite as good as The Lego Movie but remains scrumdiddlyumptious, fuelled by irreverence, suspenseful action and zany visuals. It celebrates Lego play while delivering a central conceit about teamwork and villains with genuine depth. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/the-lego-batman-movie-review-scrumdiddlyumptious-a3679951.html)
- **The Guardian** (70/100, inferred): The critic calls it a relentlessly funny superhero parody that has fun with Batman’s macho pathologies while also being expressive and cinematic. It lacks the heart and novelty of the first Lego Movie but consistently amuses with its gags and meta-references. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/feb/04/lego-batman-movie-review-superhero-parody-will-arnett-dark-knight-gotham)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Michael Rechtshaffen (70/100, inferred): The film is less satisfying than the original Lego Movie, with Arnett's Batman overexposed and the creative bar not cleared, though it remains enjoyable overall and will perform well commercially. The voice cast, led by Arnett, is praised. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/lego-batman-movie-972061/)
- **Total Film** (70/100, inferred): The film is an entertaining if frenetic vehicle for Will Arnett’s voice work as a Bale-inspired Batman, delivering plenty of laughs as a follow-up to The Lego Movie. It satirizes recent DC disappointments while highlighting the character’s lonely egotism and need for teamwork. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/the-lego-batman-movie-review/)
- **Vulture** (60/100, inferred): The opening 20 minutes are hilariously effective as an antidote to solemn Batman films, but the rest of the movie dips sharply as jokes falter and the story turns sincere and less gonzo. The Lego conceit works best in the early sequences. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2017/02/movie-review-the-lego-batman-movie.html)
- **RogerEbert.com**, Susan Wloszczyna (50/100, inferred): The critic finds the film less consistently entertaining than its predecessor due to superhero fatigue and an overload of inside jokes and action scenes. She singles out a quiet sequence of Batman dining alone for praise. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-lego-batman-movie-2017)
- **Film Comment**, Michael Sragow (40/100, inferred): The movie is a high-tech feather duster that quickly numbs the funny bone, descending into a disappointing formula despite moments of comic lunacy and sharp satire of superhero tropes and politics. It soars mainly when ribbing other films but otherwise feels formulaic. [Read](https://www.filmcomment.com/blog/deep-focus-lego-batman-movie/)
- **Collider**, Matt Goldberg (A-): The film is not the best Batman movie but the best movie about Batman, delightfully exploring the character's ego, fears, and desire for family while embracing a freewheeling satirical tone. [Read](https://collider.com/the-lego-batman-movie-review/)
- **/Film**, Jacob Hall (90/100, inferred): The critic calls the film an anarchic, delightful joy and a worthy successor to The LEGO Movie, noting it is also a damn good Batman movie and a guide to being a better fan. It singles out the rapid-fire jokes, Easter eggs, and treatment of every Batman story as canon for praise. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/549270/the-lego-batman-movie-fan/)
- **HeyUGuys**, Stefan Pape (90/100, inferred): The critic praises the film as a hilarious, irreverent yet affectionate take on Batman that balances absurd gags with an engaging story and an intimate character study of the lonely hero. It singles out the loving ridicule of the Batman franchise and its focus on Bruce Wayne's personal life for particular note. [Read](https://www.heyuguys.com/the-lego-batman-movie-review/)
- **Polygon**, Susana Polo (85/100, inferred): It is the best Batman movie since The Dark Knight, a joyful romp that critiques the brooding loner version of the character, answers fundamental questions about heroism, and serves as a love letter to Batman film history. [Read](https://www.polygon.com/2017/2/4/14476758/lego-batman-movie-review/)
- **Den of Geek**, Don Kaye (4/5): The film is a terrific, funny, and satiric entry that gets to the heart of Batman more insightfully than some live-action versions while paying homage to his screen history. It features nonstop gags and references but sags a bit under their weight and lacks the emotional impact of The Lego Movie. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-lego-batman-movie-review/)
- **The Wrap**, Alonso Duralde (80/100, inferred): The film uses Batman’s emotional growth from loner to family man as a structure that supports its barrage of gags and gives the story emotional stakes. It gleefully parodies every mass-media version of the hero while delivering crafty verbal humor and outrageous visuals. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/the-lego-batman-movie-review-will-arnett/)

## Details

- **Director:** Chris McKay
- **Director:** Chris McKay
- **Screenplay:** Chris McKenna, John Whittington, Seth Grahame-Smith, Erik Sommers, Jared Stern
- **Story:** Seth Grahame-Smith
- **Editor:** Matt Villa, David Burrows, John Venzon
- **Music:** Lorne Balfe
- **Production design:** Grant Freckelton
- **Producer:** Roy Lee, Christopher Miller, Phil Lord
- **Cast:** Will Arnett as Batman / Bruce Wayne (voice); Michael Cera as Robin / Dick Grayson (voice); Rosario Dawson as Batgirl / Barbara Gordon (voice); Ralph Fiennes as Alfred Pennyworth (voice); Zach Galifianakis as Joker (voice); Jenny Slate as Harley Quinn (voice); Jason Mantzoukas as Scarecrow (voice); Conan O'Brien as The Riddler (voice)
- **Runtime:** 1h 44m
- **Certificate (MPA):** PG
- **Release (the US):** 10 February 2017
- **Genres:** Animation, Action, Comedy, Family
- **Budget:** $80 million
- **Box office:** $312 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGQUKzSDhrg

## Where to watch in the US

- HBO Max: streaming, uhd
- The Roku Channel: add-on, hd
- Hulu: add-on, hd
- Amazon Prime Video: add-on, uhd
- Amazon Prime Video: rent $5.99, uhd
- Amazon Prime Video: buy $14.99, uhd

*Checked 2026-09-18.*

Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HU, ID, IE, IL, IN, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, TH, TR, UA, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Animated Movie 2018: Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Animated Movie (nominated)
- AACTA Award for Best Sound 2017: AACTA Award for Best Sound (nominated)
- Critics' Choice Awards 2017: Best Animated Feature (nominated)

## If you liked this

- *The Lego Movie* (2014), Fi1m 83: The one that started it, and the one with a reason to be plastic — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-lego-movie.md)
- *Batman: Mask of the Phantasm* (1993): Animated, seventy-six minutes, and still the saddest Batman has been on screen
- *Batman: The Movie* (1966): Adam West, a shark and a bomb; the source of half these jokes
- *Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse* (2018), Fi1m 87: A superhero cartoon that jokes about its own history and then means it — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/spider-man-into-the-spider-verse.md)
- *Paddington 2* (2017), Fi1m 91: A family film that is funny for the adults without winking at them — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/paddington-2.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/the-lego-batman-movie