LEGO toys have been a popular item for a very, very long time. The Denmark-based building bricks chain started in 1949 and has grown in popularity ever since. LEGO sets have featured characters from acclaimed film sagas such as Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean and more. Television shows have even been based around LEGO characters, such as the Ninjago and Legends of Chima shows featured on Cartoon Network. There have been video games, direct-to-DVD movies, amusement parks and even more. So why hasn't there been a LEGO movie released in theaters? Warner Bros. must have asked that same question at some point because their LEGO movie was just released in theaters. Directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (21 Jump Street, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs), The LEGO Movie is a colorful mix of stop-motion and computer animation that features a voice cast led by Chris Pratt, Will Arnett and Liam Neeson. While some may have their doubts about a LEGO movie, I'm here to say that this is an absolutely fantastic film. The LEGO Movie is an instant classic and I'm sure that it will go down as one of the greatest of all animated films.
The LEGO Movie tells the story of Emmet (Chris Pratt), a generic, instructions-following LEGO minifigure. His home is Bricksburg, where the residents are presided over by the evil President Business (Will Ferrell) who encourages them all to follow his instructions manual and stay happy. One day, Emmet eventually trips into a hole while doing his job as a construction worker. Emmet finds an important relic and is immediately snatched up by President Business and Bad Cop (Liam Neeson). Eventually, Emmet is rescued by Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks) and they find their way to Vetruvius (Morgan Freeman). Those two are "Master Builders": basically, LEGO minifigures that President Business doesn't like. There are more Master Builders and they believe that Emmet is the special one who can save them all. The plot is pretty dense for an animated film, so it's hard to fully explain here, but that's the gist of it.
With Pixar on the decline, the animated world has seen a real decrease in quality over the last few years. 2012 had one good animated movie (Madagascar 3), 2013 had one great one (Frozen), and now, 2014 has come up with the first instant classic. Yes, Frozen is a great movie, but I would watch The LEGO Movie over Frozen any day. Honestly, this is more of a movie for adults then kids. Children will get a kick out of seeing their favorite LEGO characters on screen, but adults will probably get much more out of this. The LEGO Movie is another stroke of genius from directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. It's a smartly written, downright hilarious comedy that blows away their last animated effort. In fact, it blows away most recent animated movies. The LEGO Movie is truly awesome.
First off, the voice talent for this movie is so great. Chris Pratt plays Emmet well and he has a lot of funny scenes. Elizabeth Banks, Alison Brie and Nick Offerman also have their share of great moments. However, there are really four stand-outs. Morgan Freeman is really good as Vetruvius, the Gandalf/Dumbeldore/Ben Kenobi/Morpheus of The LEGO Movie. He plays the character so well and has some truly great lines. Charlie Day is also great as Benny. He probably has one of the funniest moments of the movie. He's truly fantastic in the role. Liam Neeson is also fantastic as Good Cop/Bad Cop. His character is essentially a parody of Neeson's recent film roles and there are some great running gags. Will Ferrell is great as President Business as well. He delivers his usual brand of humor mixed with a little bit of heart.
The script is also pitch-perfect. Everything about it is absolutely amazing. According to many outlets, a sequel to this movie is in production. If they're really going ahead with it, Lord and Miller better be on board. They have such a fantastic eye for witty dialogue and fast, funny pop culture references. I really haven't seen this funny of a movie since The World's End. And this is a kid's movie. Lord and Miller really put some sophistication into this film that most other animated films just don't have. However, Ratatouille and WALL-E are sophisticated movies too and I'm not a big fan of them. What Lord and Miller get right is the sense of fun. The LEGO Movie is a smart movie, but it's also a blast from start to finish. It has boundless energy and there are literally no slow parts. It just keeps going and going and you never want it to stop.
The LEGO Movie also provides plenty of eye candy. The animation in this film is unique, interesting, quirky and just flat-out cool. Literally everything looks like LEGO bricks, which adds another layer of awesome to the film. This is a flat-out spectacle and one of the most stunning animated films that I've ever seen. The level of detail put into the film is stunning. I can't sing the praises of Lord and Miller enough. They did just a fantastic job on this movie.
The theme song for the movie, "Everything is Awesome", is really awesome. It's so catchy, you won't be able to get it out of your head for days. It's smartly written, cool and it fits the movie really well. In some ways, I can't even describe this movie. It's the best true popcorn blockbuster since Gravity and it is so pitch perfect. The LEGO Movie really is a stroke of genius and everyone from the creative team should feel awesome.
There is a bit of a message behind this movie about creativity and everything, but I'm not going to go too deep into it. The message is there and if you want to look for it, you won't have to look to hard. It's another great element in a fantastic movie. It adds a little bit of emotion to the film. Not that it needs it or anything, but it adds another little something to the movie. It also adds a bit of satire which makes the movie even funnier at times.
How long can you sing the praises of a movie in a review before it gets boring? I've said pretty much all that I can about The LEGO Movie. It's a perfect movie. It never gets boring, it's smart, it looks beautiful and it is incredibly infectious. Chris Stuckmann said it best in his review when he said that this really is a summer movie released in February. This has all the elements of the perfect summer movie. My review probably sounds really geeky and it is. This is one of my rare opportunities to geek out and I'm going to take it because The LEGO Movie is awesome. It's perfect in pretty much every way. No matter who you are, go see this movie.
THE FINAL GRADE: A+ (10/10)
The LEGO Movie tells the story of Emmet (Chris Pratt), a generic, instructions-following LEGO minifigure. His home is Bricksburg, where the residents are presided over by the evil President Business (Will Ferrell) who encourages them all to follow his instructions manual and stay happy. One day, Emmet eventually trips into a hole while doing his job as a construction worker. Emmet finds an important relic and is immediately snatched up by President Business and Bad Cop (Liam Neeson). Eventually, Emmet is rescued by Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks) and they find their way to Vetruvius (Morgan Freeman). Those two are "Master Builders": basically, LEGO minifigures that President Business doesn't like. There are more Master Builders and they believe that Emmet is the special one who can save them all. The plot is pretty dense for an animated film, so it's hard to fully explain here, but that's the gist of it.
With Pixar on the decline, the animated world has seen a real decrease in quality over the last few years. 2012 had one good animated movie (Madagascar 3), 2013 had one great one (Frozen), and now, 2014 has come up with the first instant classic. Yes, Frozen is a great movie, but I would watch The LEGO Movie over Frozen any day. Honestly, this is more of a movie for adults then kids. Children will get a kick out of seeing their favorite LEGO characters on screen, but adults will probably get much more out of this. The LEGO Movie is another stroke of genius from directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. It's a smartly written, downright hilarious comedy that blows away their last animated effort. In fact, it blows away most recent animated movies. The LEGO Movie is truly awesome.
First off, the voice talent for this movie is so great. Chris Pratt plays Emmet well and he has a lot of funny scenes. Elizabeth Banks, Alison Brie and Nick Offerman also have their share of great moments. However, there are really four stand-outs. Morgan Freeman is really good as Vetruvius, the Gandalf/Dumbeldore/Ben Kenobi/Morpheus of The LEGO Movie. He plays the character so well and has some truly great lines. Charlie Day is also great as Benny. He probably has one of the funniest moments of the movie. He's truly fantastic in the role. Liam Neeson is also fantastic as Good Cop/Bad Cop. His character is essentially a parody of Neeson's recent film roles and there are some great running gags. Will Ferrell is great as President Business as well. He delivers his usual brand of humor mixed with a little bit of heart.
The script is also pitch-perfect. Everything about it is absolutely amazing. According to many outlets, a sequel to this movie is in production. If they're really going ahead with it, Lord and Miller better be on board. They have such a fantastic eye for witty dialogue and fast, funny pop culture references. I really haven't seen this funny of a movie since The World's End. And this is a kid's movie. Lord and Miller really put some sophistication into this film that most other animated films just don't have. However, Ratatouille and WALL-E are sophisticated movies too and I'm not a big fan of them. What Lord and Miller get right is the sense of fun. The LEGO Movie is a smart movie, but it's also a blast from start to finish. It has boundless energy and there are literally no slow parts. It just keeps going and going and you never want it to stop.
The LEGO Movie also provides plenty of eye candy. The animation in this film is unique, interesting, quirky and just flat-out cool. Literally everything looks like LEGO bricks, which adds another layer of awesome to the film. This is a flat-out spectacle and one of the most stunning animated films that I've ever seen. The level of detail put into the film is stunning. I can't sing the praises of Lord and Miller enough. They did just a fantastic job on this movie.
The theme song for the movie, "Everything is Awesome", is really awesome. It's so catchy, you won't be able to get it out of your head for days. It's smartly written, cool and it fits the movie really well. In some ways, I can't even describe this movie. It's the best true popcorn blockbuster since Gravity and it is so pitch perfect. The LEGO Movie really is a stroke of genius and everyone from the creative team should feel awesome.
There is a bit of a message behind this movie about creativity and everything, but I'm not going to go too deep into it. The message is there and if you want to look for it, you won't have to look to hard. It's another great element in a fantastic movie. It adds a little bit of emotion to the film. Not that it needs it or anything, but it adds another little something to the movie. It also adds a bit of satire which makes the movie even funnier at times.
How long can you sing the praises of a movie in a review before it gets boring? I've said pretty much all that I can about The LEGO Movie. It's a perfect movie. It never gets boring, it's smart, it looks beautiful and it is incredibly infectious. Chris Stuckmann said it best in his review when he said that this really is a summer movie released in February. This has all the elements of the perfect summer movie. My review probably sounds really geeky and it is. This is one of my rare opportunities to geek out and I'm going to take it because The LEGO Movie is awesome. It's perfect in pretty much every way. No matter who you are, go see this movie.
THE FINAL GRADE: A+ (10/10)
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