The Lego Movie Review

There was no reason this movie was going to be good.  It was based on a toy in what could be considered a cynical move by a creatively bankrupt Hollywood.  To make it worse, it comes out in February, recently uncovered as the worst month for wide releases.  On top of that the last film based on a game, Battleship, was a huge bomb both critically and commercially.  Of course we often make these prejudgments because we only have so much time to watch movies, so why waste it with one that’s likely to be bad?  So it’s always nice to see a film defy those low expectations and completely surprise you, like The Lego Movie.  Not only is this film watchable, it is one of the most purely fun films I’ve seen recently.

The film centers on everyman Emmet (voiced perfectly by Parks and Rec’s Chris Pratt), who lives his life according the instructions in an idyllic Lego world.  Only problem is things aren’t as perfect as they seem: President Business (Will Ferrell) runs Legoland as a dictatorship, with lackey Bad Cop (Liam Neeson) making sure the piece of resistance—which would threaten Business’ master weapon the Kragle—isn’t uncovered.  Emmet finds the piece after encountering Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks), and Emmet’s by the books existence is shattered forever.  It is a classic hero’s journey story, but doesn’t at all feel stale.

The world of The Lego Movie covers several different types of worlds with incredible detail.  It’s this year’s Wreck-It Ralph as far as cameos from established properties are concerned.  However, the painstaking detail of the worlds, trying to represent everything on screen by its Lego equivalent, never ceases to impress.  Where stop motion ends and live action begins feels very blurry, another testament to how well made the film is.  This will likely be a really fun film to watch on bluray.

As mentioned in the opening paragraph, when this was announced it was easy to write it off as a cynical cash in, but it is far from cynical as they could be.  The film is continually inventive and clever, from the reveal of what Business’ weapon really is to something in the third act I won’t get into here that opens up a whole new world to the film.  Writer/Directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, of Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs and the beloved cult TV show Clone High fame, have developed a film with layers no one could’ve expected.  The film is certainly silly, but it embraces that silliness in a way that respects its audience.  Clearly you can tell this film was made by fans of Legos and no doubt played with them a lot as kids and/or with their kids today.  It makes sense a film about toys is all about celebrating fun, creativity and playing.  With growing criticism of kids spending too much time on smartphones, game consoles and tablets, it’s good to have The Lego Movie encourage kids of all ages to think outside of the toy box.

Grade: A-

Miscellaneous (Spoilers):

-It is pretty brilliant that they put this out in February.  It could easily be seen as someone put this in the dead zone by accident, but considering this time of year is bereft of worthwhile choices, I imagine The Lego Movie is just going to steam roll the next couple weeks of new releases.  It’s the new Frozen.

-This will probably be the better movie with Batman and Superman in it.

-I love the title cards that show up to denote the passage of time.  My favorite is when Emmet yells how he could sing the insanely catchy “Everything Is Awesome” all day, cut to a time card reading “5 ½ hours later” and it cuts back to them still singing.

-Really the real world twist could’ve sunk the movie, but luckily it just reinforces a lot of what the movie is about (nonconformity, playing).

-Lando!  C-3P0!

-Will Arnett’s performance as Batman is basically Gob from Arrested Development, but a bit smarter and more competent.

-If you really think this movie is anti-business, you’re dumb.  Or you really want businesses run by sociopaths.

-EVERYTHING IS AWESOME!