MYST POST #5: The Lego Movie

I've realized that my last three reviews have been of indie films. So, I saw it fitting that my last one should end with a huge blockbuster (THE ENEMY!). My expectations were fairly high, merely because the movie was released a few months ago, and I know it got good pretty good reviews, while also destroying the box-office on a somewhat small budget for a blockbuster ($60 million).

The movie is about an average-Joe, named Emmet (Chris Pratt), who discovers that he has fulfilled some prophecy and must save the Lego Universe from being permanently Krazy-Glued by President Business (Will Ferrell). That's the main plot, which while ridiculous, was relatively easy to follow. Alongside, Pratt and Ferrell are like 15 other big Hollywood stars. Some have big parts, but some rather annoyingly say like two lines (collect their check) and then we never hear from them again. These bit roles are mainly famous heroes and superheroes that the Lego brand has the rights to and has released. For example, in the film are familiar names like Superman, Dumbeldore, Gandalf, Abraham Lincoln, Green Lantern, and Batman, who are known as "Master Builders". Of those mentioned, Batman had the biggest part in the movie, voiced by Will Arnett, and I thought supplied the funniest lines in the movie.

The entire movie is very self-aware and doesn't take itself too seriously. The film follows the trend started by Shrek (2001), filled with many pop-culture references that for the most part are right on and don't fall flat. Also, the movie's animation is extremely good. I had to ask my brother if it was stop-motion, because the characters looked so real. The whole universe is made of legos, so if you look closely, even water and fire are made of tiny little pieces put together. This was a nice little detail, and it is another example that shows that they weren't just throwing a kids movie together so they could make some money.

In fact, I think that there were probably many scenes or lines designed for an older audience, that probably flew right over the younger kids' heads. For example, there is a reference to sharks with lasers on their heads (Austin Powers) and at one point a character says, "Come with me if you want to not die," (Terminator). I kind of expected the film to have this tone though, as the animated films that are most successful have this key component. 

Chris Pratt does a great job in this movie as Emmet. Being funny merely through merely voice-acting takes skill. Will Ferrell, who plays the main bad guy I thought was even overshadowed by Pratt excellent voice-acting, and Ferrell I thought did a great job in Megamind, so Pratt really demonstrated some voice-acting potential. 

One thing, I didn't really like about the film was the pacing. Typically with a film like this there is a lot of action, but I was actually overwhelmed by how much there was. I really like movies that are in a different type of universe to start kind of slow so we really get a good glimpse of what this world is like, before jumping into the action. Yet, in this film, there is little exploration of this entirely new world, but after only like five minutes we are thrown into the action and conflict. 

This clip above shows the double-decker couch. This was one of the gags of the film and later it is used again in a scene that was my favorite of the movie. In this other scene now more characters like Batman, chime in, giving numerous reasons why it is such a dumb idea. It almost reminded me of a stand-up bit, deconstructing how dumb it really was, which I thought was something many animated movies don't do. While this movie wasn't short on jokes, usually they tell a joke and then just move on to the next fifteen, yet they take their time on this one, and really make it a funny scene. My favorite line was, "If you're sitting on the bottom, and you're watching TV, are you gonna have to watch through a bunch of dangling legs? Who's gonna want to sit on the bottom?" 

While this was in no way a perfect movie, it was very entertaining. I was laughing throughout the film, and was absolutely at no point bored. What more can you ask for in a movie based on a toy? It is a great movie to watch if you just wanna relax and not have to get to involved or confused, but just have a good time. Overall, I give this a 8/10.