I wasn’t looking forward to this. At. All. But I knew that as the father of a LEGO-loving 9-year-old with a LEGO-loving best friend, I’d end up taking them both to see The LEGO Movie on its opening weekend. You can say I was resigned to the fact.
Don’t get me wrong — I love LEGOs. Always have, always will. And while the ever-increasing crassness of the media tie-ins grates on even me, a pop culture nerd if ever there was one, I’m not really opposed to seeing the franchises I love — Star Wars, Middle-earth, Back to the Future, etc. — invade the product line. In fact, it’s kind of what I dreamed of as a young builder. It just irks me a little bit sometimes when I remember the worlds I created with simpler blocks, and of course it also threatens me with destitution.
But I’ve been singing or humming “Everything is Awesome” for weeks, and I knew I could not escape my destiny. And while The LEGO Movie was silly, sometimes obnoxious and even a little stupid, it was, indeed, awesome.
Here are a few reasons why:
The LEGO Movie shows us what Batman would probably be like if Bruce Wayne were a real person — arrogant, self-obsessed, and totally resourceful and … awesome.
Lord Business is likely the most human role Will Ferrell’s ever played. And it pisses off Fox News. Double awesome. Seriously though, the movie’s basic conceit is so obvious it’s amazing they went through with it, and it’s executed in such a fun way
Middle-Zealand. That’s awesome. Prove it isn’t.
The climax features the hero donning creating an Aliens-inspired power loader to save his friends, including his love interest, from evil Micro Manager constructs — and unfortunately, it does NOT result in him screaming “Get away from her, you bricks!” Bummer. But I said it in the theater. Out loud. Just a little bit. Because I’m awesome like that.
Did you enjoy The LEGO Movie? If so, what piece?
I’m not sure where to start, but as many critics have pointed out, “The LEGO Movie” has no right to be this good, and yet it shows that you can make a good movie out of anything.
Some of the stuff I love about the movie are very spolierish, but it’s also the thoughtfulness of what happens in these scenes that makes it great. Like it’s just a simple movie about a Lego guy following though the generic “hero of a thousand faces” storyline, but then the big reveal changes **everything**. It makes the movie even more enjoyable, it makes the heros even more heroic, and the “big evil” even more of a complex character.
On top of that, there’s real question too to take away from it. (again, lots of spolier stuff too) but yeah. Besides all of that, the comedy is friendly without ever being too childish, the jokes and scenes are quick, but not for the sake of being “RANDOM CRAZIES” but to make sure they can add a quick jab and gag in each one.
Yeah, I really loved this movie.