Review of The Lego Movie

Foiling expectations and breaking new ground. That's what The Lego Movie is about. Sometimes, a movie doesn't deliver what the ads promise, but instead something funnier, richer, and more creative. That's an especially good thing in this case because some of the trailers make The Lego Movie look like one of the worst excuses for a potential franchise (animated or otherwise) to come along in more than a decade. Couple that with a February release date and a lack of enthusiasm for all things LEGOs by yours truly (I never played with them much as a kid and I'm certainly not nuts about them today), and it's easy to see why I furrowed my brow so heavily at the mere thought of this movie. Fortunately, co-directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (who also helmed the big-screen adaptations of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and 21 Jump Street) have struck down my fears with the force of lightning. This is top-tier entertainment for viewers of all ages.

The Lego Movie transpires in, yes, you guessed it, a world made completely of Legos. After a quick prologue where Lord Business (voice of Will Ferrell) seizes a secret weapon of sorts for his master plan, we shift scenes and meet Emmett (voice of Chris Pratt), an ordinary construction worker with a constantly cheery disposition. He desperately wants to fit in with everyone else, and that includes jamming along to a (purposefully) inane radio hit called "Everything is Awesome." One day, Emmett accidentally uncovers a mystical red block that a prophecy deems "The Piece of Resistance." When he wakes up after being knocked out, he's being tortured by Lord Business' henchman, Bad Cop (voice of Liam Neeson.... yes, Liam Neeson) and later finds himself on the run with a member of a rebel faction named Wildstyle (voice of Elizabeth Banks). The rebels' plan to thwart Lord Business' megalomaniacal plans, but there's a problem: the "chosen one" must be a Master Builder (witness how they build virtually anything with any Lego pieces lying around), and Emmett doesn't have a creative thought in his brain.

The first thing any viewer will take note of with The Lego Movie is the film's look. This isn't like something out of Disney, Pixar, or Dreamworks, where the technological "ooh and aah" factor shoots through the roof. Instead, the film literally looks like computer animated Lego characters come to life. Even waves of water and fire are represented by blocky textures. This also allows action sequences, which are just as lively as any PG-13 superhero film, to let the movie get away with just a PG since the only "violence" involves blowing Lego pieces apart. There's a very, very important reason for The Lego Movie to look this way, and that will be made abundantly clear near the end of the story.

Ultimately, as is the case with any great animated film, The Lego Movie's greatest strength lies in scripting. The skin-and-bones of this story is a familiar trope, that of an unexpected "Chosen One" fulfilling a prophecy and stomping out the bad guys, but this movie transcends it with relentless satire and a surprisingly effective message. Kids will absolutely be entertained by the high energy and creative action set-pieces, but the best lines and flourishes (and there are dozens of them) will fly over their heads and straight to the funny bone of teenagers and adults. What 9-to-5 worker wouldn't laugh, for example, at some of Lord Business' orders? ("I demand perfection! Bring in the micro-manager!") What franchise-loving movie-goer wouldn't get a kick out of the hilarious ways the filmmakers satirize Batman (voice of Will Arnett), Superman, and Green Lantern (among others)? Some shots may even remind viewers of the animated segments from..... wait for it..... Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

It's hard to believe a movie about Legos could have thematic depth, but, well, here I am writing that a Lego movie brings just that. Emmett represents that guy I'm sure a lot of us know (or might even be), that person who wants so desperately to be liked by everyone and be "normal" that he loses all sense of uniqueness. Everyone in the audience knows he's going to unlock his true potential as a Master Builder and save the world, but the ultimate twist in how he achieves that is arguably the film's masterstroke (another animated movie tried something similar a few years ago, but I won't reveal the title since that may constitute a spoiler). Calling The Lego Movie a "family film" is accurate; this movie provides some genuinely wise, teachable moments about creativity and thinking outside the box, and parents will be thrilled to have their children experience them. None of this is preachy; the movie makes its point through wit and keeps sentimentality at a low ebb.

Adapting a line of toys into a movie is nothing new for Hollywood, but when filmmakers embark on such projects, I hope more of them use The Lego Movie as a template instead of the dumbed-down approach of Transformers, GI Joe, and Battleship. Yes, this movie leaves the door wide open for a sequel, but the means by which it does so is not only organic to this one's story, but yet another brilliant gag that will put a grin on even the most jaded viewer's face. Will this movie convert someone in my position into a Lego collector? No, but I doubt that's what Lord and Miller had in mind when they directed this. Put The Lego Movie alongside Disney's Wreck-it-Ralph as superior, subversive examples of big-name toys/games-turned feature films.

Rating: ***1/2 (out of ****)