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!
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