LEGO bricks have been a staple of children’s toys since their inception in 1949. After years of playsets, video games, theme parks, board games, retail locations, robotics competitions and direct-to-video movies, LEGO has finally released a full-length blockbuster, “The LEGO Movie.” Directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, “The LEGO Movie” brings together cast of all-stars. Fan favorites voice act in place of LEGO minifigures as they, of course, attempt to save the world. After finally building a marvelous computer animated world that has needed to exist for ages, “The LEGO Movie” exceeds all expectations.
The movie leads with Parks and Recreation star Chris Pratt. He voices Emmett Brickowski, an extremely ordinary LEGO minifigure working as a construction worker. Emmett is mistaken as “The Special,” a minifigure who is prophesied to be able to save the world from a super-weapon known as the “Kragle.” He is joined by Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks) and the wizard Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman) as they attempt to work with other famous LEGO minifigures in stopping the antagonistic Lord Business (Will Ferrell) from freezing the world in place with the Kragle. As cliché as the plot seems at first glance, the comedy and progression works so well together that the final result is one of the best movies that has been released in the last year.
“The LEGO Movie” attempts to imitate the visuals found in “Brickfilms,” a category of stop motion animation involving the building of LEGO projects. The movie manages to seamlessly accustom the viewer to seeing sudden changes in the scene in order to imitate movement, while still incorporating basic computer animation. As can be seen especially well in the scenes with water, the animation is done so crisply it makes the viewer forget all about the different effects and simply feel immersed in the new world.
Accompanying the beauty of the environment, “The LEGO Movie” has an incredibly memorable soundtrack. Aside from the leading single, the movie is scattered with well placed humor mingled in with the songs. Specifically noteworthy is Batman, voiced by Will Arnett of Arrested Development, singing about darkness and his lack of parents in “Untitled Self Portrait.” Along with the well produced score that accents the scenes, the main single “Everything Is AWESOME!!!” makes sure that the movie is, in fact, awesome. Performed by twin indie-pop duo Tegan and Sara, the track also features an appearance by comedy hip hop group The Lonely Island. The catchy beat could stand as a pop record on its own, but the completely self-aware sardonic view on idealism in a police state is not missed in what was expected to be a children’s movie.
Of course, while LEGO blocks are often associated with children through their marketing and general stigma of being a “kid’s toy,” “The LEGO Movie” does another great job at expressing how small the gap between adults and children can be. The great mixture of humor that can be enjoyed by viewers of any age conveys how LEGO as a brand is truly a brand for all ages. Whether it is with bricks, video games or a movie, the movie even has a definite theme addressing how important it is for fans to understand that LEGO is not just for their age group. The message presented along with the otherwise light plot makes an impressive stand at proving its point.
Ultimately, everything “The LEGO Movie” tries to do, it does right. The comedy and references appeal to an absolutely massive group of people. Every voice actor makes sure to fully embrace their character, even if they have not had many voice roles in their life. Every element of music, visuals, plot and theme work together to form one of the most unforgettable movies of the past decade.