It’s been too long since a movie has brought me closer to my child at heart and provided that wonderful feel-good experience. The Lego Movie is a completely original animated film in which the tiny bricks that you would play with as a child come to life into their own worlds, recollective of the creativity that can only be portrayed with Lego bricks.
The plot revolves Emmett (voiced by Chris Pratt), an adorably dense, rule-following, and completely average Lego construction mini-figure that accidentally gets flung into a prophecy foretold by a blind wizard (who is voiced by the deep molasses that is Morgan Freeman) and inexplicably becomes the most important and special person ever to be in the universe. He stumbles upon Wildstyle (Elizabeth Banks) a mysterious and hard-core anarchist capable of building creatively on a whim. Emmett discovers that the prophecy states that he is the ‘special’, destined to go against the evil Lord Business (surprisingly well-voiced by Will Ferrell) and his ever subservient henchman Bad Cop (Liam Neeson, amazingly) who plan to demolish creativity from every section of the Lego universe. With the help of Wildstyle and the Morgan Freeman-Wizard, along with Batman (Will Arnett) and a huge array of Lego characters from Han Solo to Dumbledore to Superman, Emmett must foil Lord Business’s evil plans before it’s too late.
This movie is not only actually funny, but it has that whimsically rare Toy Story-essence in the way it brought to life Legos and the world we as kids created around them, each piece being important and each Lego character being more than just a toy. Now I know what you’re thinking: if you have little siblings you may or may not have seen some of Lego’s previous childrens’ shorts and movies in which the Legos aren’t true to their pieces in the way in which they move, etc, and usually those movies are rather banal, even for children. Take what you think of Lego movies from those previous and toss them out of the window because this film is far from banal.
Yes, everything was made out of Legos in this movie and it’s easy to be under the initial impression that the animation would be limited for a movie revolved around block toys, but its aesthetically pleasing animation is what actually won me over. The amount of intricacy required in this movie was intense, because literally everything was Legos, from the explosions to the waves of the ocean every Lego creation in this movie is capable of being reproduced in reality, adding to the hyper-realism used in this film. And these were not simple, basic computer-graphic Legos, but meticulously detailed. Every piece was rendered to be ridiculously realistic; you could see placement of stickers on bricks and dirt and aging on the older mini-figures. Every nail indent, scratch mark, and fingerprint is clearly visible on each and every piece to the point where it was astonishing that this was computer animated and not a tediously made stop-motion movie. If, like myself, Legos were something you used to enjoy fooling around with, there’s a likelihood that it will bring up a sense of nostalgia considering how the animation resembled the old Lego stop motion movies that were fun to do as a kid. Its clear that the creators had this aspect in mind when forming the movie, making it easier to really pull on viewers’ heartstrings.
One thing I’ve heard people who are iffy to see the movie worry about is the humor. This movie is indeed meant for a younger age group, but the humor for this movie isn’t necessarily distinctive to any age and is, in fact, actually really funny. Yes, this film is a computer animated movie about Legos, however, much like old Spongebob episodes, for example, the film’s comedy is so well written that it is hilarious for all age groups; it would be ornery to not enjoy. Unless your heart is a brick (pun intended) and your brain has been so dragged through society’s garbage bin to the point where you only laugh at boob jokes, then there is no way you wouldn’t laugh or at least smile while experiencing this movie.
High Schoolers drowning in exams, AP classes, and homework will find that their inner child has been pummeled to death, but the Lego movie resurrects it. I came in to the theater expecting nothing more than a 100 minute, mundane advertisement for Lego. An effortlessly tagged ‘kids movie’ to watch with my younger siblings. The Lego Movie delivered more than I could have hoped for; capable of putting a much-needed smile on the faces of every demographic. It provided with a well-selected cast, incredible animation, and a positive experience. What I would recommend to do is to go see it with an open mind and an active knowledge that the target demographic is indeed intended for children, which shouldn’t be a problem considering how swiftly this movie drags your inner-child out in the open anyway. Score: 10/10
Becca Pizano/Graphics Department
