If you ask the average comic book fan about their favorite Batman movie, you'll probably get a fairly predictable response. Nolan's "The Dark Knight" and 1989's "Batman" are the most common picks, and perhaps some recent preferences for Matt Reeves's "Batman"

One of the flicks I'm sure will be overlooked by many is "The Lego Batman Movie," but I don't think it's a good idea to join the conversation. I'm here to argue that the movie deserves a high-ranking spot in the list of the best Batman movies of all time. 

This 2017 animated effort may not have left a trace in the movie that Tim Burton's "Batman" did, or it may not contain as instantly iconic characters as Health Ledger's spin on The Joker, but it's far more valuable than being dismissed as a "children's movie." It is characteristic of a certain family. It's probably the most re-watched Batman movie I've ever seen, offering a fun and antics take on a superhero wearing a beloved cape. 

"The Lego Batman Movie" was just added to Netflix this week (Wednesday 6/19) and deserves to be at the top of your watchlist.

"The Lego Batman Movie" is a standalone spin-off from 2014's "The Lego Movie" (also added to Netflix this month), with Will Arnett reprising his role as the plastic brick version of Caped Crusader. Set in the Legoifed version of Gotham City, this interpretation of Batman works exclusively alone avoiding the help of others. 

But when Batman is reluctantly stuck in a young orphan named Dick Grayson (Michael Serra), he decides to take him under his wing. Grayson becomes Batman's new sidekick, Robin, forcing the lonely hero to work as part of the team. Along with getting help from the enthusiastic but somewhat incompetent Robin, the newly elected Police Commissioner Barbara Gordon (Rosario Dawson) also wears a batgirl cloak to help. 

It's good that Batman has some extra help because the Joker (Zach Galifianakis) is up to his usual intrigue and after being stung by Batman's insistence that he doesn't see the criminal Prince Clown as his arch enemy, the villain cooks up a sneaky plan that can reduce Gotham to pieces. It is a good job. To deter him, Batman needs to play nice with others and even learn some life lessons along the way. 

"The Lego Batman Movie" is a fairly common superhero story, and the morality of working together as a team is particularly bland, even in movies designed to appeal to younger viewers. But it is so clever that it succeeds despite the story of the cookie cutter.

The film is brimming with wink references and inventive gags that enjoy Batman's decades-long history. From "Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice" to the many ridiculous enemies that have appeared in comics like the Seasoning King (whose biggest threat is getting a ketchup stain on your new white t-shirt), there are spines aimed at everything.  

However, "The Lego Batman Movie" is aimed at all the silly things found in the character's past, but it's never cruel. Instead, this flick is a good-natured celebration of Batman and takes a playful swipe from the place of love. I especially love the playful jokes that refer to the characters in Adam West's 60s version. If you have an affection for Batman, you can make the whole game out of spotting all the references crammed into this movie in

Of course, "The Lego Batman Movie" is more than a 100-minute collection of Batman references and internal jokes, and is a really fun movie in itself. There is also. Yes, the story and morality are simple, but it is understandable given the desire for wide appeal, and its unique spin on loads of classic characters is excellent. Raise a loud cry to Ralph Fiennes as Alfred Pennyworth steals every scene he's in.  

The quality of the animation is also really great. Designed to look like a stop-motion movie, "The Lego Batman Movie" is fun to watch purely because of its visual appeal. It really looks like you're looking at the real Lego minifigures born into life. Its animation has a caliber so high that it rivals the recent "Spiderverse" movie.

"The Lego Batman Movie" is a consistently compelling film that will appeal to comic fans of all ages. It managed to celebrate one of the most iconic heroes in history, and its animation style is so remarkable that it impressed me even after multiple re-viewing "The Lego Batman Movie" deserves more credit. It's a complete explosion. 

As you can probably say, I have a great affection for "The Lego Batman Movie," but my statement that this is a new Netflix movie worth watching 2017's film review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes has 90 reviews and a 315% critical approval rating. 

RT's critic consensus is that "The 'Lego Batman movie' is dizzily funny- and beautifully animated- that blocks in another round of family-friendly mayhem" and that's a rating I firmly agree with. I'm not usually the one who waxes lyrical about family movies, but this is a rare exception. 

If you think you're even a fan of the Dark Knight, you should watch "The Lego Batman Movie", and if you've seen it before I can be sure it's definitely holding a second time and you can even see some references you missed the first time around.

"The Lego Batman Movie" is currently streaming on Netflix, and if you're looking for further inspiration, there's a list of all the new Netflix movies to watch this month.