The LEGO Movie
Directed by: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller
Written by: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Dan Hageman, Kevin Hageman
Voices by: Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, Morgan Freeman, Liam Neeson, Will Arnett, Alison Brie, Charlie Day, Nick Offerman, Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum
Animation/Action/Comedy/Family - 100 min
Written by: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Dan Hageman, Kevin Hageman
Voices by: Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, Morgan Freeman, Liam Neeson, Will Arnett, Alison Brie, Charlie Day, Nick Offerman, Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum
Animation/Action/Comedy/Family - 100 min
If you played with LEGO blocks as a kid, you either followed the picture instructions or discarded them and built whatever popped into your head. Did you strike out on your own or did you aim for aesthetics? This duality is the central conflict The LEGO Movie tackles. A movie that easily could have been a shill for corporate sponsors or just skated by with a nonsense story does nothing of the sort; The LEGO Movie is a truly remarkable film.
While The LEGO Movie is a mix of stop-motion and CGI animation and advertised to kids, I believe adults will appreciate the movie much more than the intended demographic. The lightning-fast jokes and pop culture one-liners will zing past children’s ears but the adults in the audience will readily catch them and laugh. These are throwback jokes from the ‘80s, a swipe at Starbucks, and countless homages and spoofs of beloved action, adventure, and sci-fi films.
Some very surprising cameos pop up throughout and I hope you do not learn who and what they are before you see the movie; spoilers in this case would truly lessen the shock value. The pacing moves so fast that anything and everything may happen in the next moment. Once you grasp the movement and settle into the rush, rush, rush style, it is easier to watch as the LEGO blocks are broken down and recreate themselves into a new feature. I admit that it took me a minute or two to latch on to what these LEGO creatures looked like and how to follow their nimble maneuvers.
Caught in between forces of good and evil, our hero protagonist starts the movie as just a normal guy, just like any other Luke Skywalker or Neo Anderson. Emmet Brikowski (Chris Pratt) is a construction worker thrilled to follow LEGO instructions on how to get out of bed in the morning, shower, greet the day, and sing the daily mantra of “Everything is Awesome!,” the catchy tune that will be stuck in your head when you leave the theater.
Unbeknownst to Emmet, larger forces are at work behind the scenes, Matrix style. President Business (Will Ferrell) loves instructions and order and despises wayward creative thinkers. He has evil plans in the works to superglue everyone in place with a secret weapon. Only the prophecy spoken by a wise old prophet, Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman), of a hero known as ‘The Special’ can threaten President Business’s scheme.
Noticeable homages to the Star Wars realm and the Matrix series are plentiful, and the spoofs are intentional. The LEGO Movie script frequently steps out of its own story to emphasize how silly these movie clichés are. There are also deeper levels of meaning underneath the surface of these plastic blocks. Theology, metaphysics, and philosophy are just some of the fields brought into play here.
If this sounds too heavy for a kid’s movie, trust me, they won’t even notice. I bet underground clubs will form and even a community college class will be taught discussing everything that is really bubbling and stirring around in the script. Brought to life by writers and directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the gentlemen responsible for the Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs movies and 21 Jump Street, The LEGO Movie is a wonder.
Shrug off the urge to skip it because a bunch of kids will be there. While the loud noises and explosive action scenes mesmerize them, you will be laughing out loud at some of the most amusing situations and likeable characters you have seen in a long time. Whether you are a LEGO instruction follower or a LEGO wizard creating buildings and vehicles out of thin air, I guarantee you that The LEGO Movie is just right for you.
While The LEGO Movie is a mix of stop-motion and CGI animation and advertised to kids, I believe adults will appreciate the movie much more than the intended demographic. The lightning-fast jokes and pop culture one-liners will zing past children’s ears but the adults in the audience will readily catch them and laugh. These are throwback jokes from the ‘80s, a swipe at Starbucks, and countless homages and spoofs of beloved action, adventure, and sci-fi films.
Some very surprising cameos pop up throughout and I hope you do not learn who and what they are before you see the movie; spoilers in this case would truly lessen the shock value. The pacing moves so fast that anything and everything may happen in the next moment. Once you grasp the movement and settle into the rush, rush, rush style, it is easier to watch as the LEGO blocks are broken down and recreate themselves into a new feature. I admit that it took me a minute or two to latch on to what these LEGO creatures looked like and how to follow their nimble maneuvers.
Caught in between forces of good and evil, our hero protagonist starts the movie as just a normal guy, just like any other Luke Skywalker or Neo Anderson. Emmet Brikowski (Chris Pratt) is a construction worker thrilled to follow LEGO instructions on how to get out of bed in the morning, shower, greet the day, and sing the daily mantra of “Everything is Awesome!,” the catchy tune that will be stuck in your head when you leave the theater.
Unbeknownst to Emmet, larger forces are at work behind the scenes, Matrix style. President Business (Will Ferrell) loves instructions and order and despises wayward creative thinkers. He has evil plans in the works to superglue everyone in place with a secret weapon. Only the prophecy spoken by a wise old prophet, Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman), of a hero known as ‘The Special’ can threaten President Business’s scheme.
Noticeable homages to the Star Wars realm and the Matrix series are plentiful, and the spoofs are intentional. The LEGO Movie script frequently steps out of its own story to emphasize how silly these movie clichés are. There are also deeper levels of meaning underneath the surface of these plastic blocks. Theology, metaphysics, and philosophy are just some of the fields brought into play here.
If this sounds too heavy for a kid’s movie, trust me, they won’t even notice. I bet underground clubs will form and even a community college class will be taught discussing everything that is really bubbling and stirring around in the script. Brought to life by writers and directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the gentlemen responsible for the Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs movies and 21 Jump Street, The LEGO Movie is a wonder.
Shrug off the urge to skip it because a bunch of kids will be there. While the loud noises and explosive action scenes mesmerize them, you will be laughing out loud at some of the most amusing situations and likeable characters you have seen in a long time. Whether you are a LEGO instruction follower or a LEGO wizard creating buildings and vehicles out of thin air, I guarantee you that The LEGO Movie is just right for you.
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