Review
‘The Lego Movie’ doles out big fun
February 13, 2014
The theaters this week are rife with building blocks, fastpaced jokes and a film that brings you back to the days you would combine toy after toy together as “The Lego Movie” makes a name for itself.
Emmet has never been anybody. He has woken up, greeted the day and done his job according to the book for every day of his life. He doesn’t realize it, but he is just another brick in the wall. However, he finds a missing piece to a puzzle that could save every Lego person from a life of mediocre TV and overpriced coffee. With the help of the wizard Vituvius, the sassy Wyldstyle and of course, Batman, Emmet will need to save the world from the one Lego piece that wants everything to stay where it is for all time.
Surprisingly, my expectations for “The Lego Movie” were not as low as some would expect. The animation looked bright and energetic from the trailers I saw and it seemed funny enough, so I figured it would be an all right watch. Boy, as far as expectations go, no movie in a while has gone past my expectations for me to say “The Lego Movie” is a film everyone out there should get a chance to see.
The story is one we have seen before, but is done in such a fresh way with its material that it holds up really well. The movie is an adventure film with an epic quest, action, romance, revelations and humor abound. But “The Lego Movie” manages to really present itself in all these things in a fresh and unique manner that makes it highly enjoyable.
This can partially be in thanks to its directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller who brought their usual unique brand of humor in past movies like “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs” and “21 Jump Street.”
The animation as I said is stellar. The film brings a mix of computer graphics and stop-motion that makes it seem almost all hand done by actual Lego builders, and the characters and action move in a way that brings back memories of playing with Lego toys with whatever you had back in the day. It is beautiful to look at and really manages to raise the bar for licensed toy animation.
The voice actors all play their parts very well, like Morgan Freeman as Vituvius the wizard and Will Arnett playing a very self-aware Batman that had me laughing every time he was on screen. Each actor is used so well and to the advantage of the film’s humor. As with the acting, the music helps reflect the chaotic and energetic nature of the movie and the whole movie wraps up with a surprisingly touching message that is sure to resonate with anyone who has ever wanted to let their imagination go wild.
There is not much more I can say about “The Lego Movie” other than that it is a genuinely good film that everyone, children and adults included, should go see. The film reminds everyone who sees it what it was like to put so much work into those zany little blocks and how much fun we had playing with our imagination.
Ryan Funes is a lover of all things movie, TV, video games and stories and wants to become a television writer someday. In his spare time he enjoys hanging with friends, tapping into his imagination, and watching cartoons of all kinds.