Many lifelong dreams are
being realized through The Lego Movie. When I saw the trailer
for this, I was more than excited. Combining stop motion animation, mulitple
universes and the imagination of a child make this a movie that could never be
mimicked. The cast list is long and impressive, and animation hasn't been tried
like this in years.
Emmett (Chris Pratt) is
your normal generic Lego construction worker. He has no defining features other
than the fact that there is no one else as ordinary as him. He meets Wyldstyle
(Elizabeth Banks) after stumbling upon “the resistance piece” which can be used
to stop the secret weapon of Lord Business (Will Ferrell), the Kragle. Emmett
is mistaken for “the special” who is prophesied to stop the end of the world,
and Bad Cop (Liam Neeson) is determined to bring him down.
I have to start with the
animation. Stop motion animation hasn’t been widely used lately, but this film
brings it back like it was never gone. This is the best stop-motion animation I
have ever seen. The level of difficulty the animators had would have Trey
Parker and Matt Stone eating each other alive. Explosions, fires, floods,
oceans, even smoke all made out of your ordinary Lego bricks. And if you’re not
thinking about how cool everything looks, you’re deeply invested in this
heartwarming story.
I’ve been kind of
disappointed with Legos when I walk down toy aisles. I see all these kits
specified to the things kids see on television or in movies, and I just think
about how they can’t create anything of their own if their mimicking someone
else’s designs. But this movie hit the nail right on the head as if it was
written specifically for me. The message should get through to everyone that
following the instructions isn’t completely necessary, because it’s about
making your own creations out of someone else’s.
There are even some dark
tones within the story as the Lego world is kind of a surveillance state with
one song that promotes optimism (called “Everything is Awesome”). While
creeping fascism is a reference we can all relate to nowadays, the film is also
packed with pop culture references, meta jokes, and things that kids won’t
understand that don’t even have to be dirty to enjoy. It's one of the most fun family films I have ever seen.
The story is kind of a
quick tell. Most of what you want to see is in the last half hour. You really
think you know where the story goes, some unexpected turns make the movie
exactly what you want it to be. We haven’t seen an original family film like
this in a very long time, and it's basically "review proof." Because every male who ever played with Legos will know that this is more than just the story.
I really want to talk
about the cast; because I recognized so many voices it was hilarious. Will
Arnett as Batman, Alison Brie as Unikitty, Anthony Daniels returns as C-3PO for
a moment, Charlie Day as an overexcited 80s’ astronaut, Will Forte as Abe
Lincoln? I loved Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum as The Green Lantern and
Superman, but nothing takes the cake like Morgan Freeman as Vitruvius. I mean,
damn. Freeman is hilarious without context. Chris Pratt has done no wrong in
his film career (save for Movie 43), and I will keep my eye on him, because he’s
really breaking into the game.
The movie takes itself just
seriously enough to get its message across, while still promoting and
displaying imagination and creativity. I was surprised at the amount of effort
that was put into making this film great, because Lego could have done this
with CGI for half the price, and they could have just had two hours of mindless
action, but they chose to do it right, and oh, did they do it right. When you
have a speech or sequence at the end of any movie that moves you in any way,
then you have truly empathized with those characters, and you know that they
did something right. Lego Movie has
heart, imagination, action, romance, and plenty of laugh-out-loud comedy for
you to stop reading this and head to the theater.
Rating: A
