Legos hold a special place in my childhood psyche. I spent many hours building ridiculous creations with my brother, from Egyptian pyramids to nonsensical monstrosities you only see in your nightmares. (We quickly destroyed those ones.)
So for a film to avoid simply capitalizing on the toy aspect and instead focus on the joy this childhood staple evokes, the simple pleasure of creating a landscape and the outright clever fun you can have with a bucket full of brightly colored plastic bits, it shows a skill and reverence you just don’t see all too much. For that alone, I’m thankful.
For that same film to be outrageously funny, well-edited and perfectly paced to boot? Be still, my beating heart.
“The Lego Movie,” brought to the silver screen by writer-directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (on their third collaboration; the first two being “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” and “21 Jump Street”), is surprisingly clever, energetic and gut-bustingly funny. With a near-frenetic pace and outright silliness around every corner, the directors manage to blend gags, wit, timing, editing and out-of-left-field cultural references into this fantastic piece fit for kids and their parents alike.
The premise of “The Lego Movie” is in itself a giant self-referential joke poking at the leagues of Lego fans. A bit slow in its buildup, the movie works to explain a simple premise: The bad guy, evil head hauncho President Business (voiced by Will Ferrell), has taken control of the known universe and somehow duped everyone into thinking their lives are fantastic. The brainwashed all watch the same TV show, buy insanely priced coffee, sing the same pop song (if you haven’t heard “Everything is Awesome,” you should; it’s disturbingly catchy) and rave about their jobs.
It doesn’t take long, though, for a new character, construction worker Emmett (Chris Pratt), to discover that maybe not all the pieces have to fit together, that there’s a new universe out there. This is thanks to our heroine, Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks). Oh, and she’s dating Batman (Will Arnett). Awesome, right?
Batman’s not the only superhero (or easily recognizable character) to make an appearance in this brilliant movie, though. We’re talking from every corner of history and media: Lincoln, Wonder Woman, Gandalf, Superman, Han Solo, The Green Lantern (whose running gag of being ostracized is a smartly played jab at how terrible his recent live-action movie was) and so many more.
In the end, though, the power behind “The Lego Movie” is the world in which we watch our characters try to save the day. You’re going to have a time laughing at all the puns and catching all the easter eggs. (And there’s a ton of them strewn about, so keep an eye out.) The sentiment, the emotion that runs through this film is a joy and bonds you to the characters in ways you wouldn’t expect.
So yeah, they’re just plastic bits, just parts of a whole. Still, you won’t find any cooler plastic bits out there.
Four snap-together stars out of five.
Article source: http://tdn.com/lifestyles/film-review-the-lego-movie-an-absolute-pleasure-of-humor/article_08d0a6a0-9218-11e3-b294-001a4bcf887a.html