Saturday, October 18, 2014

Film Review: The Lego Movie

Copyright: Warner Bros. Pictures
Lego bricks (and everything else in their cardboard boxes) are a brilliant toy. Apart from being very fun, it is also one of the truly unbound creative activities that kids can get into from a very early age. It’s only fitting that one of the finest toys in the world received one of the best children’s films probably since Wall-E.

The Lego Movie makes use of the fantastic opportunity to take advantage of the companies’ copyright rules, which make many characters from popular culture available and license free in the Lego universe. That is why this adventure includes characters like Superman, Han Solo, Green Lantern, Gandalf and Wonder Woman, while Batman fills one of the leading roles.

In its story, an ordinary Lego construction worker called Emmet, one day gets a call from destiny, and is placed in the situation where only he can stop an incredible danger from destroying his world, but also many other Lego worlds.

He teams up with a band of other Lego characters to put a stop to the plans conceived by an evil wizard Vitruvius, who plans to use his super weapon Kragle.

What comes after that is an awesome adventure, just like the movie’s theme song suggests. Because of that in this movie, yes, everything really is awesome. Emmet and his gang go through amazing scenery, including the Wild West and much stranger lands, while looking for a way to defeat Vitruvius. Here, the 3D tech presents in full glory all the Lego-based gimmicks used in the film. At the same time, all the A-list voice actors do an excellent job, complimenting the colorful characters perfectly.

The Lego Movie Batman is especially interesting as a character, because the script made him both a butt of many jokes and the real hero everyone needs in more than one moment. Will Arnett, who provided his voice, is a brilliant comic when it comes to delivery, even if it’s only in audio.

Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, who wrote and directed the film, did a really solid job of not just creating a kid’s movie that doesn’t try to rip off Pixar in some sense, but by also wrapping their story in a real life environment. Their comic talent, which they recently showed in their 22 Jump Street is undeniable, but with The Lego Movie, they also show a more sensitive side. This sensibility is perfectly capable of transmitting subtle emotions like a boy’s longing for his father’s affection and attention.

The Lego Movie DVD release (it was released on Digital HD in May and on Blu-ray in June this year, making it already available) will probably cement this film as one of those classics to which several generations of children will come back to, putting it in the same category as The Goonies

Kids around the world will know the entire movie by heart, but they will still probably enjoy watching it, because it will pick them up for a great adventure every time.