★★★
PG, 104 minutes
I didn't expect to see The Lego Batman Movie as a parable for our times, but it is tempting. The film's self-obsessed hero, his gloomy mansion and the bite-size grabs which define his conversational style conjure up visions of Donald Trump and his late-night tweets from the White House.
![Batman discovers he may have to embrace teamwork.](/web/20170402143155im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/v/2/0/t/h/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gv78sf.png/1490767233484.jpg)
The mansion, Wayne Manor, was devised as a parody of the estates built by America's pioneering tycoons. And although there are no visual reminders of Trump Tower, there are certain parallels. The creators of the Batcave's overblown architecture and decor, for example, began with a single question. Aiming for something ludicrously excessive, they asked themselves what someone with billions of dollars and an ego to match would come up with. And best of all, there's the movie's message: Batman discovers he can save Gotham City only by renouncing his egocentric attitude and embracing teamwork.
Unfortunately, I can't go any further with this. The bouffant under the cowl is thick, glossy and black rather than blonde and thinning. Nor does Batman's alter ego, Bruce Wayne, duplicate Trump's pouting expressions of resentment. When it comes to facial expressions, the animators concentrate their efforts on the caped crusader's nemesis, The Joker. Most remarkably, they make him cry, the reason being that he wants a relationship with the unresponsive Batman – official acknowledgement of their long years of furious combat.
With painted lips quivering and button eyes bright with computer-generated tears, he begs Batman to anoint him as his greatest enemy.
The success of the first Lego movie in 2014 ensured a sequel, as well as cementing the international reputation of Animal Logic, the Australian animation company already celebrated for its work on George Miller's Happy Feet, Walking with Dinosaurs and Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole. It was the company's job to assemble thousands of Lego bricks and convert them via CGI into the stuff of animated comedy and they've done as well as the movies' hyperactive scripts will allow. There's a lot of wit and spectacle in the background designs and there are a few more pauses between explosions this time round. The pace, however, is still pretty relentless.
Much of the film was made in Sydney, although the director, Chris McKay – animation director on the first film – is an American. So, too, are the writers. There are five of them, which suggests that the script's disdain for understatement may be the result of having too many voices in the mix. And to return to the Trump connection, one of the film's producing partners is the James Packer-Brett Ratner company, Ratpac-Dune, which means that Steve Mnuchin, Trump's Treasury Secretary, features in the end credits. The film was made before he divested himself of his Hollywood interests.
And Mariah Carey is there, too – as the voice of Gotham City's mayor.
But the female lead is Batgirl's alter ego, Barbara Gordon (Rosario Dawson). Risking the disapproval of the fans, the writers have messed around with the DC Comics bible, changing her biography and having her succeed her father, Jim Gordon, as Gotham City's police commissioner. With Robin, voiced with puppyish enthusiasm by Michael Cera, she charms Batman into caring about somebody other than himself. Not that their relationship is anything but platonic. Her feminist credentials are not compromised.
McKay has rounded up a large team from the DC stable of super-heroes and villains and harnessed them into service as bit players. And there are lots of inside jokes for the fans, the tone being sly and gentle rather than razor-sharp. Typical is the scene which has Batman entertaining himself late at night by bingeing on chickflicks and playing heavy metal riffs on his electric guitar. For better Lego jokes, I recommend Eddie Izzard's Darth Vader spoof, Death Star Canteen, on YouTube.
The action sequences pass in a blur of colour and kinetics. They're fast and noisy but not exactly exciting. Pixar has proved that heroes don't have to be human or even animal to invite identification. Emotion can reside in the unlikeliest packages. But there's not a lot of it on show here. The animation, however, is terrific and fans of the original should love it.