The Lego Movie Review
Everyone who has ever played with LEGOs understands what makes them special. Sure, you can just follow the instructions to build whatever it is you're supposed to be building. Or you can make something of your own. You can decide to create something with your own imagination. The Lego Movie explores that aspect, not only of LEGOs themselves, but of real people.When I first heard there was going to be a feature film about LEGOs, I'll admit I wasn't expecting much. As a long-time fan of the brand, I was certainly hoping it would turn out to be something great, and there was a part of me that believed it would. However, there was also the cynical side of me that just expected an overlong advertisement for LEGOs. Luckily though, the latter is not what ultimately came from The Lego Movie.
The voice cast is quite impressive. Chris Pratt voices Emmet, who's just a regular LEGO guy who is chosen to ultimately save the world from the evil President Business, who is played by Will Ferrell. Joining them are names like Will Arnett, Elizabeth Banks, Charlie Day, Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Liam Neeson and Morgan Freeman. As I said, quite impressive. You can tell they were all trying their best as well. None of them phoned in their performances. They wanted to be there, which made being there all the more fun for the audience.
The film was very funny. I mean, laugh-out-loud hilarious at times. There were a few jokes that fell flat, but for the most part it was first-rate humor. The writers utilized the LEGOs themselves for the jokes as often as they could, and it worked.
The way The Lego Movie was animated was awesome. Technically, it's all computer generated, but they made it in such a way that it looks like they were using real LEGOs in stop motion. And everything is made of LEGOs. I mean everything. If there was an explosion, red studs and fire LEGO pieces were used to simulate it. If a boat was being flooded, the water was made of blue and white studs. I found myself smiling at a lot of the techniques that the animators employed using LEGOs. I think I was smiling because they did exactly what any kid would do if they were playing with LEGOs and wanted to blow something up.
There are a number of frenetic action sequences in the movie. All the action was fast-paced, and at times dizzying. I can't say I found the action in the film to be exciting, but I did admire the set pieces and stunts they were able to pull off using only LEGOs.
The list of characters is extensive. Just when you think the writers had introduced everyone, another clever cameo would pop up, and you can't help chuckle to yourself. It's quite amazing how many characters they were able to pack in to this one movie, but it didn't feel overcrowded at all. I found myself looking forward to the next character appearing.
When you start thinking to yourself that The Lego Movie is simply a colorful, energetic comedy for kids, think again. The message that came in the last act hit me hard. It was powerful stuff. Stuff I would not expect to come from a movie about LEGOs. I'll just let you be as surprised and emotionally affected as I was. I'm not exaggerating. We can all take what this movie has to say to heart. It applies to everyone, not just LEGO people. Anyway, I wasn't expecting such a thoughtful, almost poignant story.
There isn't much I can say against The Lego Movie. As I said before, there were a few jokes that I didn't find funny. Other than that, the only negative aspect of the movie was that it was just a little too manic at times for my liking. Like I said, there are a lot of frenetically-paced parts, and I found it difficult to keep up with at times. I thought there were a few things that were skipped over that I would have liked to explore with a little more depth. In all the frenzy, there were times I wanted to stop in a particular moment and think on something the film had brought up, but quickly forgot about.
Nonetheless, The Lego Movie is super imaginative and a ton of fun for all ages. I'd recommend it to anyone who has ever had a LEGO set, or just wants to experience an animated comedy with a true beating heart. And the fact that it has a heart is impressive, considering the plastic people that populate it.
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