In the 1930s, Ole Kirk Christiansen started a toy company he called “Lego” from the Danish phrase for “play well”. Originally making wooden toys, the company started making plastic toys in 1947, and introduced new interlocking brick toys in 1949. Known as the “Automatic Binding Bricks”, these simple toys would go on to become a worldwide sensation. Throughout the 20th century, Lego’s have become one of the most popular toy lines still to this day. There are all kinds of licensed Lego sets, there are theme parks, competitions, video games, and, of course, movies. Warner Bros. first became interested in the idea after purchasing Traveler’s Tales, the company responsible for many Lego video games. Writers Dan Lin and Kevin Hageman penned the script, and directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were onboard to direct. And so, in 2014, we were given what was simply called The LEGO Movie.
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Emmet Brickowski (Chris Pratt) is a simple LEGO construction worker who enjoys following the rules and fitting in with others. However, one night after work, he finds a mysterious woman searching in the construction site and follows her. After falling into a cave, Emmet finds an object known as the “Piece of Resistance”, giving him weird flashes. Upon waking up, he’s captured by Good Cop/Bad Cop (Liam Neeson) who starts asking him The Piece. Soon, Emmet is rescued by the mysterious woman, named Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks), who further elaborates on what’s going on. Years ago, the villainous Lord Business (Will Ferrell) stole a super-weapon known as “The Kragle” to take over the world. Only the Piece can stop the Kragle, and it’s prophesied that he who finds the Piece is “The Special.” Along with the old sage Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman), they must stop The Kragle before it’s too late.
Right off the bat, just the very idea of a movie based on LEGO’s seems like a bad idea. It’s based off something with no story, and it might come across as a shameless plug for the toys. However, thanks to the talented people working on it, this film exceeds all expectations and is actually very heartfelt. First off, the animation is stunning, at times almost seeming like stop-motion animation, but on a much bigger scale. Also adding to the charm, everything is made of LEGOs: the clouds, the water, fires, explosions, smoke, etc. What’s also surprising is how funny it is, both the more kid-friendly humor and the more subtle adult humor. There’s some very biting social satire, especially with all the rules Emmet goes through at the start. There’s rules like, “Root for your home sports team”, “Drink Over-Priced Coffee”, “Listen to Popular Music”, and plenty more.
As with any great animated movie, this one has really fun and loveable characters, all of them very well-acted. Chris Pratt is funny as always, Elizabeth Banks does a great job, and Morgan Freeman’s voice is perfect in anything. Will Ferrell makes for a surprisingly funny, charismatic, and sinister villain, and even has more emotional moments towards the end. There’s also Will Arnett as Batman, Nick Offerman as Metalbeard, Alison Brie as Unikitty, and Charlie Day as 80s spaceman. Each of these characters is given their moment to shine, and not one of them falls flat. If there are any problems, the action and humor sometimes move too fast without much room for breathing. Also, the movie can’t seem to stick to one plotline for more than a few minutes, always jumping forward. Despite that, The LEGO Movie has heart and creativity, and appeals to audiences young and old.
