“Everything is awesome!”
Swift shot: For the record, I love Lego – watching my son put a Lego set together makes me the proudest dad. And now at six, he doesn’t even need my help anymore. But the Lego brand isn’t for everyone, and watching little plastic toys dance around for almost two hours would be considered torture to some. Thankfully, the writers knew this and actually created a solid story with real drama and compelling characters. Wait, Rick, we are talking about toys here . . . right?
In Bricksburg, everything is easy, because your entire life is planned out for you. Everybody fits in. But not one very unremarkable character, Emmet (Chris Pratt) who follows all the rules, does everything the right way, and still manages to find himself an outcast in a Utopian society designed to accommodate everyone.
Naturally, the whole universe is led by a ruthless dictator, President (or Lord) Business voiced by the insanely popular Will Ferrell. On the surface, Bricksburg is perfect, but the truth is everything is held in place by brutal secret police that spy on the citizens and keep them lulled into complacency by always maintaining their need to be happy. The citizens repeatedly enjoy “Where Are My Pants?” – a sit-com that entertains the masses so they don’t ask questions. Those that do ask questions get to meet Bad Cop (Liam Neeson).
Of course, whenever there is a dictator, there is a resistance, and Elizabeth Banks voices the rebel leader, Wyldstyle – a pupil of one Master Builder Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman). There is an ancient prophecy that binds the characters together (getting sick of these puns yet?) and shatters the illusions of the people of Bricksburg.
Enlisting the help of Batman, who Will Arnett plays as a straight-up dick, they team up with just about every pop-culture Lego minifigure ever created to do battle with Lord Business and his secret army. Emmet is mistakenly labelled the chosen leader. But, he has a special skill that none of the other Master Builders possess. And it is his uniqueness that ultimately makes him special. Perhaps he is the chosen one.
The Lego Movie used “virtual bricks” but I thought they were actual Lego pieces, because it was flawless! Lighting effects were used to add a theatric element. But even the “bullets” were Lego bricks, the soap bubbles, just about everything in the film was made up of real Lego bricks of one variety or another.
While the conflict (and conclusion) is predictable, there are some plot twists that I dare not reveal, but it will mention that parents will get more out of this film than they bargained for. Ultimately,The Lego Movie, directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller is a film with lots of action, a sharp sense of humor, and a warm fuzzy hug towards the end – you’ll love it!
