Review: The Lego Movie

Most kids play with Legos at some point in their life. They build whatever their imagination commands, with whatever pieces they have. However, it may seem to some that exploiting children’s toys  would be difficult to put on the big screen without being seen as some sort of corporate move to make more money.

Luckily, the LEGO movie captures the imagination and creativity of playing with these toys while still appealing to the audience. The writing is top-notch, the jokes are hilarious, and the characters add more fun to this already colorful film.

The story follows Emmet (Chris Pratt), a normal Lego that doesn’t stand out and follows an ordinary life. That is until a very comedic scene where he falls down and finds the “Piece of Resistance”, a powerful object that only “The Chosen One” can use to stop Lord Business (Will Ferrell) and his secret weapon. Together, with the help of a master builder named WyldStyle (Elizabeth Banks), her mentor Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman), and an entire cast of characters Eighties Spaceman (Charlie Day), Metalbeard (Nick Offerman), Unikitty (Allison Brie), and Batman, (Will Arnett) come together to stop Lord Business before he destroys the universe.

The movie is over the top, relishing in a brand of humor that isn’t afraid to poke fun at itself.  The voice acting is amazing for each character, no matter how large or small their role in the story, stands out in their own unique way. Will Arnet as Batman is fantastic and memorable. Morgan Freeman is the perfect Vitruvius, and the surprise Shaquille O’Neal Lego cameo is amazing.

However, the minor characters don’t take away from Emmett, the movie’s main focus. Emmet is the heart of the story and whenever he’s brought down or feeling sad, it’s hard not to empathize with his character. As Emmett, Chris Pratt brings the perfect amount of emotion and laughter to his Lego counterpart.

The animation is phenomenal. Everything is modeled after actual Legos and the movie can be easily mistaken as stop-motion film. There’s an insane amount of texture added to the characters, making some characters look like real Legos with fingerprints and some with bite marks.

It’s hard to find a flaw in the LEGO movie. The story is a bit cliché, yet the clichés tie together at the end of the movie. Although a tad long, the movie is so good that the little problems are  glanced over because the audience is having fun. Anyone who is a fan of observational humor and movies that doesn’t take itself too seriously would love the film. Overall, the film’s an exciting, over-the-top adventure crammed with beautiful animation and loveable characters. The animators, directors, and writers heart, passion, and appreciation of Legos, come to life perfectly on screen.

Final Score: 10/10