That moment when you're standard blockbuster formula is ripped apart by an innovative, smart, and fresh flick that's completely for all ages, you know that everything is awesome! While I'm uncertain that was really the best introductory line of all time, cheesy as it was, I do believe such can be said for an unexpected success like The Lego Movie. It's just about everything everyone who grew up with LEGOs wanted and more and is enough to also entertain newcomers and get them up and active with ideas. General as it sounds, maybe you're wondering why all this is being said by a 21-year-old who's watched the movie multiple times and still feels excited watching it? Because, believe it or not, this movie has many reasons why it's so much more than mindless fun.
So, without further adieu, in the voice of Metal Beard (voiced by Nick Offerman) I'll say...
***ARGH! HERE BE SPOILERS FOR THE LEGO MOVIE AHOY!!***
The film is a mostly animated comedy adventure set in a world of LEGOs about an average construction worker named Emmett (voiced by Chris Pratt) living a normal life following "the instructions" very closely like everyone else. That all changes when he touches an important artifact known as the "piece of resistance" thereby labeling him of importance amongst the evil forces of President Business (a tyrannical businessman who rules over the land voiced by Will Farrell) and a team of legends known as the "Master Builders". Believing himself to be special -- having been dubbed "the special" by others -- Emmett eventually finds that he's incapable of living up to the prophecy foretold of him saving the world. With the help of his fellow comrades, Wyldstyle (voiced by Elizabeth Banks), and mentor figure, Virtruvius (voiced by Morgan Freeman), Emmett will soon come to realize that being special isn't all it's made out to be in legends. Rather, it's all about one's ability to stand out and be their own person.
First and foremost, it seems as though the first and best thing to note about the movie is its presentation. The look and feel of the character movements, at first glance, may appear to be stop-motion photography, but is actually CGI made to look like stop-motion. Admittedly, I was initially baffled at the thought that stop-motion had come far enough to where everything looked and played out as sleek and fluidly as any other animated movie, but, boy was I wrong! Many of the fast action scenes and environments where a lot happens on screen at a time (i.e.: the chase scenes with multiple blaster bolts and explosions, the ocean waves midway through the film, etc.) would have been next to impossible to perfect in stop-motion -- even the filmmakers must have be relieved that they didn't go that route because, surely, the film might even be in production still to this day if that were the case. All that said, the only stop-motion sequence is during the credits, showing they at least had the will to go about it, even if for only 1% of the film. One of the main reasons it was so indistinguishable for me at first was due to the art style; each LEGO piece and mini-figure appears realistic enough to be mistaken for actual pieces that you could hold in your hand. The characters themselves such as the 1980s spaceman called Benny (voiced by Charlie Day) are even designed with some authentic touches -- Ben, in particular, having a crack in his helmet right where it cracks in real life. And the overall attention to detail in the pieces and environments is just astonishing that I could be at it for hours naming off every little reference and background gag that pops up through out.
Generic as the plot sounds, this movie, much like many other films I've reviewed, has a way of denying expectations with a freshness that catches the audience off guard. That said, it twists about the formulaic "Chosen One" arc to where it falls flat on its face. When Emmett is first told he's the "special", he doesn't once take the standard "liar revealed" route and instead becomes confused and cowardly about the whole situation at hand -- part of this may be because of Bad/Good Cop (voiced by Liam Neeson) having previously shown him interview footage of his neighbors, coworkers, and other associates each stating differently that he's "not special". Plus, even though Virtruvius at first states that the aforementioned prophecy is true, it is later revealed that he simply made it up. I won't necessarily go into detail about exactly what this means, but I'll only skim the major spoilers by saying that the true purpose of the film isn't to once more showcase the tired trope of "everyday generic guy becomes the hero to save everyone". Rather, instead, it presents a heartfelt message about control and perfectionism vs. freedom and creativity done in a way that doesn't beat the viewer over the head with the moral of the story. For this reason among many others, The Lego Movie still holds up very well three years later.
Even the voice acting is some of the most entertaining, energetic voice work I've ever heard in an animated movie in ages. Emmett is among one of Chris Pratt's most memorable roles with his spot-on delivery (both comedic and heartfelt) that, in a sense, he almost works better as an animated voice role than he does a live actor -- even so, Star-Lord, I felt, was a great role for him, but we'll get to that another day. As Wyldstyle, Elizabeth Banks seemed a bit held back in a voice over role, but even she had her moments both funny and serious. Oh, and did I even mention that Batman was a main role in this movie? Voiced by Will Arnett, this Batman's voice is probably the most well-done bat growl voice of them all -- even more so than Christian Bale who originally popularized the growly bat voice (more on him another day). And, although it's his first truly animated role (having done some voice work beforehand, I might add), it goes without saying that Morgan Freeman as Virtruvius sounds epic in multiple ways I can't comprehend -- the editors having gone as far as leaving one of his outtakes in the movie because it fit the tone they were going for. Plus, the multiple other ensemble and cameo voice roles (Allison Brie as Unikitty, Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill as Superman and Green Lantern respectively, and Billy Dee Williams reprising Lando Calrissian to name a few) were all very welcome additions that both amazed me and made me chuckle/laugh often. If my points I've brought up don't convince anybody to watch the movie and/or buy more LEGOs to be fun and creative with, then I don't know what will.
For what it is, The Lego Movie is similar to Toy Story in multiple ways. It's an innovative movie that dove into a whole new territory of filmmaking (CG animated LEGOs vs. CG animated film in general), completely defied audience expectations (both a pleasure to watch and full of heart), both have fantastic voice work that will be remembered for years to come, and one other way, which I've decided not to share with those who haven't quite seen the movie yet. I didn't quite mention that the movie -- plus its competitor -- also has a fantastic score (both orchestral and vocal) with myself even enjoying the song "Everything is Awesome" and its layered meaning every now and then. Since I decided not to write a whole paragraph about it, I will go ahead and say that, like Toy Story before it, nothing negative can really be said about The Lego Movie and it definitely still holds up today unlike Frozen, which, before it came out, was all the craze before this movie took its place. Generally speaking, this movie gets an A in my book and is another one of those must see recommendations that goes out to all ages everywhere.
Thanks y'all for reading and, as always, I will see you in the next review!
Thursday, June 29, 2017
Thursday, June 22, 2017
Jasonic Reviews Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
When a movie opens up with an 8-bit version of the film company's logo, you know you can just hear all the gamer nerds geeking out over what they're about to see. Such was the case with me seeing Scott Pilgrim vs. The World with my friends a few years back on opening day. Never having read the graphic novels prior to then, I will admit, I had little to no expectations for what I was getting myself into. But then that aforementioned logo appeared followed by the following text/opening narration:
"Not so long ago
In the mysterious land
Of Toronto, Canada
Scott Pilgrim was dating a high schooler"
With that opening text alone, I was immediately sold on how cheesy, yet geeky and inventive this movie would be. And, boy, did it deliver on all three fronts.
*MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD*
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World sees the titular character (played by Michael Cera) in a jam when he falls for the new girl in town, Ramona Flowers (played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead). In order to win her over, however, Scott must face all odds against her seven evil exes (known as the League of Evil Exes) and defeat them in various duels to the death. All while Scott throws down with the baggage of Ramona's love life, his band, Sex Bob-Omb, rises from their garage band status and his former girlfriend, Knives Chau (played by Ellen Wong), seeks to get back at Ramona for presumably stealing her man. Sound crazy enough? While the story and characters apparently aren't nearly as fleshed out as they are in the graphic novels, they're still full of crazy elements and traits that make you wish it were real. Most prominently, each fight with an evil ex turns everything into a video game-like scenario with there being hit combos displayed on screen at times, Scott and other fighters pulling weapons out of thin air, and, each time an ex or other enemy is killed, they explode into a shower of coins followed by a number of points displaying where they die. Brutal as it sounds, it's all actually quite fun to watch.
Michael Cera, for one, does an excellent job of portraying an adorkable nerd -- who's kind of a jerk when you think about it -- and he and the other members of the ensemble play well off each other in their outrageous interactions. It's especially outrageous in the variety of methods that Scott utilizes to conquer each fight: his fists, his wit, pulling out tricks, a bass guitar, and, ultimately, the Power of Love and Self-respect. And, despite the daunting task at hand, Scott himself never resorts to the tired trope of "main character complains about the task at hand" trope. In other words, instead of relying on another person -- perhaps his sister, Stacey (played by Anna Kendrick) -- to motivate him to essentially take on the world, he just accepts that his destiny awaits beyond what he has to do and goes through with it. And, since it's Ramona's past that he's dealing with -- even somewhat his own -- his journey creates a surprisingly powerful message for the audience: the best way to even have a relationship with the one you want isn't all fluffy clouds, but, rather, involves serious commitment even to the point of dealing with another's baggage. That said, I may be giving a lot away just by simply explaining Scott's character, so let's move on.
Being directed by Edgar Wright of all people, the film is packed with many nods to the conventions of the medium in which it came from. From what I've noticed in the special features, many of the film's shots are actually pulled straight from the graphic novels. Much of it involves innovative camera work and interactions between the foreground and background in scenes such as the part where Scott watches Ramona and Knives talk from a distance as well the elevator shot during the climactic scene. The typography throughout the film is a nice edition as well; in scenes where one would expect a narrator to do a voice over there are, instead, instances of text (pulled straight from the books I might add) that explain transitions between scenes (i.e.: "And then... he stalked her... until... she left... the party"). Going along with the video game-esque scenes are moments in which there displays stats for Scott -- specifically right before the final fight in which one of them strangely says Balls: +8 -- that most gamers may see as an element missing from movies directly based on video games. As a movie referencing various video games as opposed to being inspired by one, I definitely see it as a crucial element that works better in this movie than anywhere else.
Ultimately, one of the best, most crucial elements that gives the movie the unique identity it already has is the soundtrack. Not long after I watched the movie did I get my hands on the soundtrack for reasons that it all fit surprisingly well with my video games. Personal stories aside, the original songs recorded specifically for this film contain mainly garage band-styled tracks played by Scott's band during the opening credits and the many music-based showdowns throughout. Many other tracks that inspired the graphic novel's author, Brian Lee O'Malley, back in the day are also featured as background music (examples being "I Heard Ramona Sing" and "Under My Thumb" among others). Even the bass battle between Scott and the third evil ex is full of such epic guitar riffs that would definitely inspire the most competent of guitar players watching this movie. Plus, in addition to there being multiple sound effects ripped straight from games throughout, there is also this one secret 8-bit song hidden at the end of the credits for those willing to stay all the way through to the end with it. Although this is definitely no Marvel movie, I still find it satisfying enough to sit through to the end of the credits when I watch any movie for review.
So pretty much the gist of my take on Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is that it lives up to its poster tagline: "an epic of epicness". It may not be one of the absolute greatest movies out there, but it definitely has its own unique identity with its simplified plot line, wacky world and characters, video game-like scenes, its typography, and awesome soundtrack, I wish there could be more movies (and perhaps books) like it. Of course, there will never be a sequel, but even I would be down to see any movie that takes inspiration and cues from it on a lot of levels. With that said, the verdict? This movie gets a solid B in my book and consider it worth watching for its entertainment value.
Thanks y'all for reading and, as always, I will see you in the next review!
"Not so long ago
In the mysterious land
Of Toronto, Canada
Scott Pilgrim was dating a high schooler"
With that opening text alone, I was immediately sold on how cheesy, yet geeky and inventive this movie would be. And, boy, did it deliver on all three fronts.
*MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD*
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World sees the titular character (played by Michael Cera) in a jam when he falls for the new girl in town, Ramona Flowers (played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead). In order to win her over, however, Scott must face all odds against her seven evil exes (known as the League of Evil Exes) and defeat them in various duels to the death. All while Scott throws down with the baggage of Ramona's love life, his band, Sex Bob-Omb, rises from their garage band status and his former girlfriend, Knives Chau (played by Ellen Wong), seeks to get back at Ramona for presumably stealing her man. Sound crazy enough? While the story and characters apparently aren't nearly as fleshed out as they are in the graphic novels, they're still full of crazy elements and traits that make you wish it were real. Most prominently, each fight with an evil ex turns everything into a video game-like scenario with there being hit combos displayed on screen at times, Scott and other fighters pulling weapons out of thin air, and, each time an ex or other enemy is killed, they explode into a shower of coins followed by a number of points displaying where they die. Brutal as it sounds, it's all actually quite fun to watch.
Michael Cera, for one, does an excellent job of portraying an adorkable nerd -- who's kind of a jerk when you think about it -- and he and the other members of the ensemble play well off each other in their outrageous interactions. It's especially outrageous in the variety of methods that Scott utilizes to conquer each fight: his fists, his wit, pulling out tricks, a bass guitar, and, ultimately, the Power of Love and Self-respect. And, despite the daunting task at hand, Scott himself never resorts to the tired trope of "main character complains about the task at hand" trope. In other words, instead of relying on another person -- perhaps his sister, Stacey (played by Anna Kendrick) -- to motivate him to essentially take on the world, he just accepts that his destiny awaits beyond what he has to do and goes through with it. And, since it's Ramona's past that he's dealing with -- even somewhat his own -- his journey creates a surprisingly powerful message for the audience: the best way to even have a relationship with the one you want isn't all fluffy clouds, but, rather, involves serious commitment even to the point of dealing with another's baggage. That said, I may be giving a lot away just by simply explaining Scott's character, so let's move on.
Being directed by Edgar Wright of all people, the film is packed with many nods to the conventions of the medium in which it came from. From what I've noticed in the special features, many of the film's shots are actually pulled straight from the graphic novels. Much of it involves innovative camera work and interactions between the foreground and background in scenes such as the part where Scott watches Ramona and Knives talk from a distance as well the elevator shot during the climactic scene. The typography throughout the film is a nice edition as well; in scenes where one would expect a narrator to do a voice over there are, instead, instances of text (pulled straight from the books I might add) that explain transitions between scenes (i.e.: "And then... he stalked her... until... she left... the party"). Going along with the video game-esque scenes are moments in which there displays stats for Scott -- specifically right before the final fight in which one of them strangely says Balls: +8 -- that most gamers may see as an element missing from movies directly based on video games. As a movie referencing various video games as opposed to being inspired by one, I definitely see it as a crucial element that works better in this movie than anywhere else.
Ultimately, one of the best, most crucial elements that gives the movie the unique identity it already has is the soundtrack. Not long after I watched the movie did I get my hands on the soundtrack for reasons that it all fit surprisingly well with my video games. Personal stories aside, the original songs recorded specifically for this film contain mainly garage band-styled tracks played by Scott's band during the opening credits and the many music-based showdowns throughout. Many other tracks that inspired the graphic novel's author, Brian Lee O'Malley, back in the day are also featured as background music (examples being "I Heard Ramona Sing" and "Under My Thumb" among others). Even the bass battle between Scott and the third evil ex is full of such epic guitar riffs that would definitely inspire the most competent of guitar players watching this movie. Plus, in addition to there being multiple sound effects ripped straight from games throughout, there is also this one secret 8-bit song hidden at the end of the credits for those willing to stay all the way through to the end with it. Although this is definitely no Marvel movie, I still find it satisfying enough to sit through to the end of the credits when I watch any movie for review.
So pretty much the gist of my take on Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is that it lives up to its poster tagline: "an epic of epicness". It may not be one of the absolute greatest movies out there, but it definitely has its own unique identity with its simplified plot line, wacky world and characters, video game-like scenes, its typography, and awesome soundtrack, I wish there could be more movies (and perhaps books) like it. Of course, there will never be a sequel, but even I would be down to see any movie that takes inspiration and cues from it on a lot of levels. With that said, the verdict? This movie gets a solid B in my book and consider it worth watching for its entertainment value.
Thanks y'all for reading and, as always, I will see you in the next review!
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