Genre – Animation, Comedy
Director – Phil Lord and Chris Miller
Cast – Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Mike Offerman, Alison Brie and Charlie Day
Alluring element – It’s a LEGO movie.. what else do you need? Oh.. BATMAN!
Plot – 9 Acting – 10 Representation of Genre – 10 Cinematography – 9 Effects/Environment – 10 Captivity – 8 Logical consistency – 8 Originality/Creativity – 9 Soundtrack/Music – 8 Overall awesomeness – 10
LEGO has been in full reboot mode for the last few years, with several video-game titles, a handful of straight-to-DVD movies (check out our LEGO Batman movie review) and a full variety of high-profile brand name sets under their belts. It’s been on the cusp of over-whelming. So when we heard that Warner Bros. would be making a full-length film to be released in theaters, we were pretty skeptical. Nevertheless, we were excited to see Batman, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Shaquille O’Neal in the same movie. The main character, though, we weren’t too sure about. How could one LEGO figure make a difference when surrounded by all these other astonishing pieces?
As it turns out, one piece can make all the difference. In The LEGO Movie, we follow our main character, Emmet, as he enjoys a extraordinary life. This is not to be confused with the extraordinary adventure he finds himself wrapped in. Emmet is a construction worker who breezes through life thinking “everything is awesome.” He watches TV, follows all the directions at work and tries to make friends everywhere he goes. Little does he know that he, and many of the other LEGO people in the world are controlled by President Business and his super-weapon, the KrazyGlue. But, according to an ancient prophecy by Vitruvius, there is a “special” who is supposed to be so beyond creative, they are all saved from President Business and his Kragl. Emmet meets Wyldstyle, a woman who thinks she is supposed to be the “special” who is looking for the “piece of resistance” against the Kragl. They meet one late night on the construction site and Emmet inadvertently finds the “piece of resistance.” The rest of the film is the adventure Emmet has with his new found friends Wyldstyle, Vitruvius, Uni-Kitty, Metal Beard and Benny. They fight the good fight against President Business, his henchman Bad Cop/Good Cop and the Kragl.
And the journey along the way was some of the best animation, dialogue and story line that hasn’t come from Pixar in a really long time. The LEGO Movie was clever throughout, making an experience that was enjoyable for kids, but maybe even more so for adults because we actually “got” all the jokes. The props that came along with each scene added to the depth of storyline and animation. They also in most cases added humor to the movie. The different LEGO worlds were multi-layered and animated so well, sometimes it was difficult to discern if it was stop-motion or CGI, which for this film was a good thing.
And even greater than the stellar animation and the wittiness were all the morals in the story. Should we not always do what media tells us to do? Check. Should we defy the expectations others make for us? Check. Should we make room for others to change and forgive them? Check. It’s amazing how many large concepts were stuffed into a two-hour time period. And that they weren’t shallow morals either, but things that all children growing up should understand. And rather than our hero being any of the number of really famous heroes who are featured, we really do root for Emmet, the LEGO piece who is just a construction worker. By the end of the film, we know he is much more than his job title. Even if they aren’t Batman, normal LEGO’s can do just as much (and maybe even more) good for the world.
The LEGO Movie really connected all the bricks; simply put, EVERYTHING WAS AWESOME! Oh, and don’t forget to check out the The LEGO Movie exclusive figures and sets. And a word of advice, you don’t always have to follow the manual.
All photos belong to Warner Bros. and LEGO.
written by Adrian Puryear and Sherif Elkhatib
Hush Comics 