Building off the Batman character (voiced by Will Arnett) from “The Lego Movie,” this film finds the caped crusader enjoying his status as the lone wolf vigilante. Those days may be a thing of the past, however, when new commissioner Barbara Gordon (voiced by Rosario Dawson) announces a plan to have Batman work with Gotham law enforcement.

The first truly memorable movie of 2017 has arrived in “The Lego Batman Movie,” the follow-up to the 2014 smash hit that is just as charming and delightful as its predecessor. It’s a film full of life, smart writing and clever visuals that is fun for the entire family.

Building off the Batman character (voiced by Will Arnett) from “The Lego Movie,” this film finds the caped crusader enjoying his status as the lone wolf vigilante. Those days may be a thing of the past, however, when new commissioner Barbara Gordon (voiced by Rosario Dawson) announces a plan to have Batman work with Gotham law enforcement.

This proclamation only makes Batman want to work alone even more. As pressure mounts to become less of a loner – and added pressure comes in the unwanted adoption of a young boy named Dick Grayson (voiced by Michael Cera) – Batman must find a way to stop the Joker’s latest plan that involves a group of new bad guys unlike anything Gotham has ever seen.

With apologies to Ben Affleck, this is the Batman that the world needs right now – a pompous hero that only makes things worse because of his arrogance. The screenplay (credited to five people) has a lot of fun playing with Batman’s history on film and television, with jokes that reference everything from Adam West to Prince to last year’s “Batman v Superman.”

The entire cast, which also includes Zach Galifianakis as the Joker, brings a life and energy that bounces gleefully off the screen. Director Chris McKay brings the same zeal that he did to his previous work with the TV series “Robot Chicken,” filling the screen with so many sight gags that it will take multiple viewings to see them all.

Parents probably won’t mind if this winds up in the family DVD rotation, because there is so much brought to the table. Even when the film’s central theme of family is hit home one too many times, it is easy to overlook, because the film is so utterly charming.

This is a world I wouldn’t mind visiting again … and again.

Also in theaters

Another sequel opening this week, “Rings” (D-), falls well short of its predecessors.

Is it a true sequel?

Is it a reboot?

Even after watching the film, it’s really hard to say – which is one of the reasons why this is hard to watch.

“Rings” starts with the same premise as the other two – a videotape that once someone views, they have seven days to live. The opening scene is a plane crash with one of the victims being someone who has seen the tape.

From there, the tape gets transferred to a college professor (Johnny Galecki), and then we jump ahead again to a young girl named Julia (Matilda Lutz), who

becomes worried about her boyfriend, Holt (Alex Roe), who is caught up in an experiment started by the professor. She sacrifices herself to save Holt, but in doing so makes a horrifying discovery, uncovering hidden messages that could help her end the chain forever.

The trailer suggests a new twist on the series, with the video being transformed via email instead of the standard VHS mode. It’s an idea that I found interesting but is never really explored as well as it should be.

Instead, “Rings” essentially abandons the mythology of the previous two films and goes in a direction that resembles the recent horror film “The Bye Bye Man” more than the films in this series.

It builds to a rather mundane finale, only to add a scene at the end that suggests there are more films left in the franchise.

The thought of that is scarier than anything in the actual movie.

“Rings” is rated PG-13 for violence/terror, thematic elements, some sexuality and brief drug material and is now playing at the Regal Greenwood Mall Stadium 10 and Highland Cinemas in Glasgow.

Starring: Will Arnett, Michael Cera (voices)

Directed by: Chris McKay

Rating: PG for rude humor and some action

Playing at: Regal Bowling Green Stadium 12, Highland Cinemas (Glasgow)

Grade: A-