The Lego Movie
3.5/4
Starring (voices): Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Morgan Freeman, Will Ferrell, Allison Brie
Rated PG for Mild Action and Rude Humor
"The Lego Movie" appears to be like "Battleship," a movie that was made solely because it's a brand name. While that may be the case, this is a project where the cast and the crew worked hard and tried to make a truly good movie. And they did.
This is one of those movies that never stops re-inventing itself. The film constantly moves in unexpected directions, and while I suppose it sticks to a formula, it does so in endlessly creative ways. It's also not above poking fun at itself. The film, in addition to containing so many references and in-jokes (everything from Abraham Lincoln to "Air Force One") that it's impossible to list them all, goes a step beyond self-aware. While much of the film's humor is more of a "wit" variety, there are more than a few laugh-out-loud moments.
Emmett (Pratt) is a happy-go-lucky everyman in a world created by Legos. He follows life's instructions to the letter, and as such, is the world's most invisible individual. One day, he falls down a pit and touches a magic Lego block. Apparently, he is "The Special," a Master Builder who will take down Lord Business (Ferrell), who seeks to use the "Kragle" in order to stop everything from changing. With the help of the smart aleck Wyldstyle (Banks) and the wizard Vitruvius, Emmett may end up saving the world.
This movie is filled with many great moments. From Morgan Freeman doing slapstick (his character screams after he gets kicked off a ledge) and cracking jokes to watching an innocent and happy unicorn (think "Hello Kitty") named Unikitty (Brie) trying not to go loco, there's never a moment when something amusing isn't happening. There's also a pirate who has rebuilt himself into a Transformer, and Lord Business's building rivals The Tower of Babel for the tallest building ever conceived.
The cast does great work. Chris Pratt is effective, but he's not recognizable, which helps us only see Emmett. No one does any showboating (except Morgan Freeman, since that's part of the joke). Special mention has to go to Liam Neeson, who is clearly enjoying himself playing Lord Business's henchman Bad Cop.
"The Lego Movie" was directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, who made "21 Jump Street" two years ago (it's sequel comes out this summer...and in another reference, both Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum have cameos). This isn't as gut-busting hilarious as the raunch-fest that made my Top 10 list, but their skill in poking fun at just about everything still applies.
In the end, I enjoyed the movie more for where it would go next rather than what would happen next, but it's still a lot of fun for the whole family. If they can keep coming up with new ideas, I hope there is a sequel.
Starring (voices): Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Morgan Freeman, Will Ferrell, Allison Brie
Rated PG for Mild Action and Rude Humor
"The Lego Movie" appears to be like "Battleship," a movie that was made solely because it's a brand name. While that may be the case, this is a project where the cast and the crew worked hard and tried to make a truly good movie. And they did.
This is one of those movies that never stops re-inventing itself. The film constantly moves in unexpected directions, and while I suppose it sticks to a formula, it does so in endlessly creative ways. It's also not above poking fun at itself. The film, in addition to containing so many references and in-jokes (everything from Abraham Lincoln to "Air Force One") that it's impossible to list them all, goes a step beyond self-aware. While much of the film's humor is more of a "wit" variety, there are more than a few laugh-out-loud moments.
Emmett (Pratt) is a happy-go-lucky everyman in a world created by Legos. He follows life's instructions to the letter, and as such, is the world's most invisible individual. One day, he falls down a pit and touches a magic Lego block. Apparently, he is "The Special," a Master Builder who will take down Lord Business (Ferrell), who seeks to use the "Kragle" in order to stop everything from changing. With the help of the smart aleck Wyldstyle (Banks) and the wizard Vitruvius, Emmett may end up saving the world.
This movie is filled with many great moments. From Morgan Freeman doing slapstick (his character screams after he gets kicked off a ledge) and cracking jokes to watching an innocent and happy unicorn (think "Hello Kitty") named Unikitty (Brie) trying not to go loco, there's never a moment when something amusing isn't happening. There's also a pirate who has rebuilt himself into a Transformer, and Lord Business's building rivals The Tower of Babel for the tallest building ever conceived.
The cast does great work. Chris Pratt is effective, but he's not recognizable, which helps us only see Emmett. No one does any showboating (except Morgan Freeman, since that's part of the joke). Special mention has to go to Liam Neeson, who is clearly enjoying himself playing Lord Business's henchman Bad Cop.
"The Lego Movie" was directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, who made "21 Jump Street" two years ago (it's sequel comes out this summer...and in another reference, both Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum have cameos). This isn't as gut-busting hilarious as the raunch-fest that made my Top 10 list, but their skill in poking fun at just about everything still applies.
In the end, I enjoyed the movie more for where it would go next rather than what would happen next, but it's still a lot of fun for the whole family. If they can keep coming up with new ideas, I hope there is a sequel.
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