While Hollywood only just released its LEGO Batman movie in 2017, DC made a direct-to-DVD LEGO Batman movie in 2013 and has been releasing LEGO Justice League films ever since. And while Hollywood’s live-action blockbuster Aquaman movie doesn’t come out until late December, DC has a LEGO Aquaman movie for you right now. Though I haven’t seen the live-action movie yet, I think I can guarantee that you will laugh much harder at this one than at the one with Jason Momoa.

This movie is silly and campy in all of the best ways and tons of fun from beginning to end. When space biker/mercenary Lobo shows up on Earth to steal some top-secret device, the Justice League rushes to stop him. Due to some miscommunication, Aquaman shows up, too, despite the heist being in the middle of the desert, nowhere near either of the things he has any sort of power over (water and fish). Undaunted, he tries his darnedest to thwart that rascally, old Lobo in the name of justice, good, and friendship with his awesome teammates. This should give you an idea of the kind of character Aquaman is in this film.

Once Lobo is gone, the Justice League must face a new threat. Aquaman’s half-brother Ocean Master has joined forces with Atrocitus of the Red Lanterns to dethrone Aquaman and take over Atlantis. Will Aquaman be able to swallow his defeat and take back his throne? Is the power of the Justice League any match for the all-consuming might of the Red Lantern’s rage?

All of the characters’ personalities have a rather exaggerated and silly vibe to them. Aquaman is hopelessly cheery and upbeat all of the time, despite the fact that his powers are regarded by almost everybody as pretty useless. Batman is constantly annoyed with everyone and everything and frequently calls attention to the fact that he’s brooding about something. Cyborg is like an overexcited teenager, and Green Lantern Jessica Cruz – brand new to both the Green Lantern Corps and the Justice League – is still getting used to her powers and can’t always get her ring to work right—or even to agree with her.

Though the characters may be exaggerated, they’re far from one-dimensional. Aquaman, in particular, has a pretty great character arc as he grapples with the fact that his powers might be pretty useless after all. Jessica Cruz, while having silly arguments with her ring, also learns how to face her fears and rise to the occasion when, as her teammates escape to a distant planet, the safety of Earth is left entirely in her hands.

The story and the writing in this film are both surprisingly good, and while the film is frequently laugh-out-loud funny and, at times, just ridiculous, it also manages to succeed on a deeper level.

The other major appeal of the film is the LEGO aesthetic. We get vivid CGI LEGO landscapes of Atlantis, a distant desert planet, a Star Wars-esque space bar, and more. The design team finds a number of creative ways to play with the visuals of LEGO blocks and LEGO figures for added humor and silliness.

This film is a lot of fun all the way through. It’s hilarious, it’s well written, it’s cool to look at… and the Blu-ray/DVD combo actually comes with a Jessica Cruz Green Lantern LEGO figure. It’s hard to beat that. I highly recommend this film.

Creative Team: Matt Peters (Director), Jim Krieg and Jeremy Adams (writers), Dee Bradley Baker (Aquaman), Cristina Milizia (Green Lantern Jessica Cruz), Troy Baker (Batman), Grey Griffin (Wonder Woman/Lois Lane/Ring), Khary Paton (Cyborg), Nolan North (Superman)
Distributor: Warner Bros. Animation
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