The Lego Movie Review

 

        Occasionally, you will have an animated film that is a total gamechanger in terms of how it shows its animation. The Lego Movie joins a few list of animated films in the 2010s that has changed animation such as Rango and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller helm this feature and manage to create another hilarious animated film about Legos without naming the product. It’s the best film of 2014 and the one of the duo’s best film. SPOILERS will appear in the review. 

1. Story

        The story begins where the Wizard Vitruvius played by Morgan Freeman finding a relic to stop something terrible from happening. Suddenly, Lord Business played by Will Ferrell stops the wizard and blinds him from getting the key to stop his weapon called the Kraggle. 

        Years later, we follow the main character Emmet played by Chris Pratt going about his regular day as a construction worker. He notices movement in the construction site and notices the object Vitruvius tried to get. Touching it, Emmet sees visions and is captured by Bad Cop played by Liam Neeson. He tells the worker that no one knows him or cares for him after Emmet says his friends are worried about him. 

        Emmet is rescued by Wyldstyle played by Elizabeth Banks. She believes that he is the “special”, someone who can stop Lord Business from freezing the entire Lego worlds. Along the way, they meet a motley crew of characters including Lego Batman. Emmet must realize that he doesn’t have to be special but someone that is creative to save the day. 

        It’s a fairly straightforward movie that doesn’t go too in depth with the world. The whole hero’s journey is the main basis of the film and is really refreshing. Since, we are told that Emmet isn’t the hero of the day but someone who can be inspired to be one. The best aspect of the film is the story since it’s inspiring to kids and adults to be creative in their own way.

2. Emmet 

        He is probably the best character to represent the every man. His design is mostly plain, since other minifigs have distinct eyes, beards, and wrinkles. He mostly follows the rules and is friendly to everyone around him. The only thing going against him is that he has no friends. The scene when he is interrogated by bad cop, most of the people have no clue who he is and say he is just a yes man. 

        What elevates him is when he attempts to be creative. When he, Wyldstyle, and the wizard are in the realm The Old West. Emmet literally uses his head to be wheel holder. Batman and the others question his methods such as the worker’s double decker couch as stupid. In the end, it saves the group from a sinking submarine. 

        The most redeeming aspect of Emmet is that he manages to take control of the situation. One would think it would be Vitruvius or Wyldstyle, but it’s Emmet that leads his group to stop Lord Business. By using basic instructions, which he’s accustomed to. By fooling the henchman into a sneak attack. 

        I found it odd that when he enters the real world, he thinks for himself. Since I thought what he was saying was coming from the boy Finn. Everything that the boy did could be interpreted that the entire film is from the boy’s perspective with the minifigure being the microphone.

3. Animation

        The animation is simply the best part of the film. One would think it’s meticulous stop motion with Legos, but it’s entirely computer generated. Just the tiny details such as the scuffs that the figures have is just amazing. Warner Animation Group manage to make the figures so life like that anyone can fool anyone that’s gullible enough to think that the whole film is stop motion. 

        Even the explosions are Lego-ized. Just the attention to detail with the animation is just stunning. For anyone that has handled a minifig notices that they’re stationary and can’t articulate their limbs beside moving them up or down. No one would notice but when a character like Unikitty sits down, the character has a Lego piece to appear to sit down. It’s just smart how they work around the limitations of the minifig and other Lego characters. 

4. Snubbed

        When the list of animated features that were announced for award season, The Lego Movie was not on the list. Many people were mad or upset that the film was not even for consideration. I think it had to do with the final half being live-action. Since it’s technically an animated film, the last half subverts it by being meta. Nothing entirely wrong with it but, might have costed its chance to be nominated and maybe win.

        One more was that it was entirely different plot-wise. Looking at the magazine Variety it explained that traditionally animated films had a very basic plot that manages to get nominated and win. The Lego Movie was probably too irreverent that some award voters decided that it was a bit too much of itself. Although, a successfully great film doesn’t have to be nominated and I think that’s why it worked. 

5. Overall

        Nobody expected The Lego Movie to come out of nowhere and make an impact than it did. Warner added a future gem that will probably be included with the beloved animated films. I know that there are sequels and spin-offs, but I believe that none of them can ever quite capture just how much of a fresh of breath air this one was. Directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller knocked this one out of the park and would be producing the next beloved animated film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. 

        The Lego Movie gets a four out of five.