The Lego Movie
Rated: PG For mild action and rude humor.
Runtime: 100 min
Expectations could not have been any lower for something like The Lego Movie to succeed.The execution could have simply been a matter of pumping out something that was serviceable enough to reasonably make back its minimal allocated budget and then some through the strength of putting a bunch of kids in a dark room for $10 a pop. To say nothing of the toy sales that are pretty much guaranteed to be massive even without considering the fact Lego already has the leg up over other film adaptations by already being a giant toy company. In a way that’s oddly meta, the company already has Lego Movie Lego sets out.
Instead, directors and writers Phil Lord and Chris Miller (Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs), along with Robot Chicken director Chris Mckay put their heads together to create something so much more than a simple kid fair. Rest assured. For those who are simply looking to take in a beautiful, delightfully charming adventure, you’ve got your movie and can leave the postmodernist analysis at the door. The script flows great with plenty of lighthearted moments and snappy dialogue (a super-extended cameo by Will Arnett’s Batman all but steals the show).
The creative team manages to create a unique world of Legos that’s all its own. But what begins as a simple adventure movie with a relatively run of the mill plot radically evolves into something so much more by the final half of the movie, turning everything on its head in the best way possible. The Lego Movie goes from being a simple story about the importance of creativity and believing in oneself to being something much meatier than the plot would suggest.
Emmet is a simple construction worker lego who lives in the simple, oblivious happiness that is Lego City, filled with citizens who are also perfectly content to follow their instructions for each day. These orders are handed down by the seemingly beloved, impossibly positive, “no, I’m totally not hiding something,” President Business (Will Ferrell). Emmet’s blissful existence comes crashing down around him when he accidentally stumbles upon the prophesied “Piece Of Resistance” and the mysterious girl Wildstyle. Before he knows it, he’s roped into the center of a conspiracy involving a bygone race called the Master Builders, revolutionaries, a doomsday weapon, the nefarious plot of President/Lord Buisness, and the coming of an event only known as “Taco Tuesday.”
On the surface, it’s a zany, seat-of-your-pants adventure helped by the stunning visuals. The addition of Chris Mckay to the directorial team shows as EVERY SINGLE THING, from water to smoke to explosions, is lovingly rendered in CGI-aided, pesdo-stop motion with actual lego pieces.
The frantic pace the film manages to keep and the way the characters interact with their world manages to fully capture the childhood (and occasionally expensive adult) experience of what it’s like to play with Legos. And that would be a victory enough. But, without wanting to spoiling anything, a twist by the middle of the movie to set up the final act goes for the unexpected victory lap by forcing you to temporarily yank your head out of the enjoyably mad world and ponder its heavy implications. Not in a dark way that brings down the enjoyment of the movie, but in way that only enhances it.
From a relatively simple place with a relatively simple premise, The Lego Movie decides to go above and beyond, managing to thread the line between enjoyable, uplifting, entertaining and thought provoking all once. The fact that it may also feature one of the catchiest songs ever written playing prominently throughout the course of the movie is just the icing on the cake.
Grade: A-
Verdict: Suck it Hasbro. THIS is how you do a toy franchise movie.
