The Lego Batman Movie (Chris McKay, 2017)

Inbred and lacking even the first one's (groans) chickenhearted critique of Big Business, this hebephrenic followup is pure teaching moment for a media studies professor. It blends content and commercials almost as shamelessly as a Hallmark Christmas movie. Damn near every image and sound is a property of Warner Bros. (a division of Time Warner) such that the movie is nothing but a marketing hall of mirrors (quite literally at one point in yet another dreary ripoff of The Lady From Shanghai). And when Gotham is cleaved in two at the climax, the Lego characters bridge the two sections together by locking into one another to remind us how Legos work (and to get the toddlers up to speed). Were I not repulsed by untrammeled media conglomeration, I'd call it genius. But I might still have to append an "evil" to it. 

Oh and apparently it has some lessons to teach about the importance of family or not going it alone or whatever. But don't forget to ask your parents for some more Legos, kids.

Grade: C