The Lego Movie

Welcome to another episode of Lights....Camera....Popcorn!

Today's review is The Lego Movie.

Written & Directed by Phil Lord & Christopher Miller.

Screen Story by Dan Hageman, Kevin Hageman, Phil Lord & Christopher Miller.

Review #245

MPAA Rating: Rated PG for mild action and rude humor.

Run Time: 100 min

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Cast

Chris Pratt...Emmet Brickowoski (voice) 


Will Arnett...Batman / Bruce Wayne (voice)

Elizabeth Banks...Wyldstyle / Lucy (voice)

Alison Brie...Unikitty (voice)

Charlie Day...Benny (voice)

Will Ferrell...Lord Business / President Business / The Man Upstairs (voice)

Morgan Freeman...Vitruvius (voice)

Liam Neeson...Bad Cop / Good Cop / Pa Cop (voice)

The Lego Movie. The thought of it was mind boggling to me when it was announced. It came around the time that a potential movie about Angry Birds was rumored. At that point I had jumped the shark. Then a funny thing happened. I did what I've been telling everyone else to do when Ben Affleck was cast to play Batman. Wait for a trailer. My opinions regarding the upcoming Batman vs Superman movie has changed DRAMATICALLY since then (and not in a good way) but my initial philosophy of trailer reaction was applied to this film and boy was I in there like swimwear.

Simply put....This film ROCKED!!!!

Plot

An ordinary LEGO minifigure, mistakenly thought to be the extraordinary MasterBuilder, is recruited to join a quest to stop an evil LEGO tyrant from gluing the universe together.

The funny thing about my reaction to this film when first announced was that I should have seen the premise coming a mile away and I didn't. It was so simple and right in my face and yet it took the trailer to convince me of it's potential. The LEGO world is so expansive with characters that the possibilities for stories are endless. What Lord and Miller accomplished was take the time honored story of the nobody and make him a somebody while surrounding him with characters that range everywhere from comics to movies to cartoons.

Simple yet BRILLIANT!
Of course this film would be nothing without the unbelievable roster characters that the LEGO toys has to offer. You name it there's a pretty good chance you saw it in this movie. There were a bunch of characters that played very small roles and some that were relegated to cameos. No matter how much screen time they had, they all played a role in the story and the plentiful amount of jokes this movie had. Now I'm sure by now that aside from our hero Emmet the Lego that steals the show is none other than the Dark Knight himself.....

Batman.

If Batman was your favorite character in the film I would not begrudge you one single bit. Will Arnett was amazing as the Caped Crusader. His comedic timing with the jokes was spot on and he did what any good comedian would do playing Batman. He parodied Christian Bale's ridiculous voice when he was man behind the cape and cowl. It was so much fun to watch Arnett channel Batman and apply the witty humor that Lord and Miller gave the character. All that being said. Batman was not my favorite character in this film. I know that might sound sacrilegious but for me the funniest character in The Lego Movie was unquestionably.....

Bad Cop.

Bad cop was nothing special in terms of his standing in the Lego character world but when channeled through the ferocious Irish brogue of Liam Neeson. Bad Cop was born and he stole the show for me. His demeanor was so over the top that you couldn't resist laughing at the mere sight of him. Bad Cop made me laugh so much that when the film wasn't going through any funny moments I was cracking up at a moments earlier in the film with Bad Cop and his exploits. I don't know why they chose to do this but every time Bad Cop threw a fit he took his anger out on a chair. Even if a chair was nowhere near him he would disappear off screen, find one and hurl it at one of his minions.

It was hysterical. Bad Cop for life baby!

No matter who you fancied in this film. The Lego Movie had something for everyone. Including the adults. Walking into this film I was expecting a fun light comedy that was aimed at kids. That was part of the appeal but this movie was NOT made for kids. I'm not suggesting that this film was dirty or unsuitable for kids. Far from it. I'm just saying that about 90-95% of the jokes are aimed at the adults in the room and to counter the balance they would include some funny animation or action moment to keep the little ones entertained. It was a nice way to give everyone they're cake and eat it too.

The bottom line is The Lego Movie was a triumph in animation, writing and most importantly story telling. With film's like this there's always a message that resonates throughout the narrative that eventually comes to a head in the conclusion. That happens here and it was a nice touch and twist to what you thought was a typical fantasy setting in the magical land of Lego's.

To put it quite simply. As far as The Lego Movie is concerned.

EVERYTHING IS AWESOME!

On the 5 star scale. The Lego Movie gets the full house 5 stars. With a "Worth Every Penny!" recommendation.

That's a wrap for today.

Until Next Episode...."I'll Save You A Seat!"

"D"