The LEGO Movie Review

There is only one word to describe this: Dang.

Released- February 7th, 2014

Just to get this clear: this movie is amazing. That’s not much to say there, I know. I had a hard time just trying to write this and NOT reveal everything that made this film fun and exciting, and flat-out ruin it for anybody who wasn’t able to see it in theatres. It came from a duo of directors, Phil Lord and Chris Miller, whose track record of films such as Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, have not yet seen failure. And this film is no exception to that record.

The movie follows an average construction worker minifigure named Emmet (Chris Pratt), whose whole life (among others) mostly consists of following instructions; at his job, what music to listen to, buying coffee, etc. Until he stumbles upon a mysterious object after work, and is put into the middle of something bigger, as he is brought to the Master Builders- which consists of numerous minifigures, including Vitruvius, a blind wizard (Morgan Freeman), and Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks), who can make almost ANYTHING out of the environment around them, without any instructional aid. To them: he is mistaken as The Special- from a prophecy about a Master Builder whose considered the most amazing and interesting person in the universe (and a few other nice compliments). With that on his head, he is also hunted by evil forces led by President Business (Will Ferrell), who plans on using a secret weapon known as the “kragle” to put the world in its place- LITERALLY. And the one who can stop it is The Special, with the mysterious object, otherwise known as the Piece of Resistance.

And guess who has no choice but to go through with it?

And that’s all I can say, as the plot, while good, takes the back seat for the rest of the movie- pure insanity upwards, downwards, and sideways. The film introduces colorful characters from black suited and full of himself Batman (Will Arnett), and the chair abusing, dual persona known as Badcop (Liam Neeson), all the way to an spaceship obsessed 80’s astronaut named Benny (Charlie Day), and a passive-aggressive unicorn/cat hybrid (Alison Brie). They were all very enjoyable to watch (although this is the first time I actually hated Batman.), as they all contributed to each their own in Emmet’s adventure, giving plenty of energy from a cast who seemed to have lots of fun playing these characters.

The humor in this film is completely never-ending, as it shoots out puns and jokes left and right like a rainbow colored LEGO machine gun. It brings out jokes from character based humor, running gags, to the amount of surprises that never ceases to amaze, including cameos from LEGO’s arsenal of licences. I couldn’t help but laugh at almost everything, probably the most I’ve ever laughed in a while watching a movie.

The CG animation used in this film, looks like something out of a stop motion brickfilm. It looked (in a real loose sense of the word) very realistic, and that somebody probably took the time, and went to Hell and back to make this entire film if they used the actual things. The environments themselves vary from a wild west setting, to a colorful hideaway full of various designs. They were all very creative and full of unique ideas, and I was in awe at more than one occasion on how amazing some of these locations or creations looked.

But what was the big surprise in this movie, were its themes concerning the identity of “The Special”, and the possibilities of creativity beyond the “by the book” instructional assistance. All through the film, Emmet, an uninteresting person in the first place, starts to develop more and more, and begins to break out of what he originally followed. This eventually leads to the final act, where the film takes a full 180, and sends the climax (and Emmet) into two dimensions, and into probably one of the most strong moments in the entire film. It doesn’t go into full-out humor like the rest of the film, but into something more sweet and genuine, giving its themes center stage into a different conflict outside of the LEGO world, yet mirroring it at the same time.      

In the end, do I have to say it? The LEGO movie is a perfectly built masterpiece. It’s a perfect use for a brand known for creativity and fun, and it clearly shines out in this picture with an insane amount of humor, imaginative creations and environments, and with themes that work not just for kids, but for anybody who had taken up these plastic bricks at one point in their lives. Even if you have missed it in theatres, I highly recommend checking it out on disc or digital download when it comes out. This film is just too awesome to miss.

Verdict: 10/10