The LEGO Movie
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Everything is awesome! From the variety of beloved characters to the long line of jokes, “The Lego Movie” sets the bar high for animated movies in 2014. The film is cinematically dazzling with stop-motion animation that shows off several Lego worlds and some impressive action sequences.
The story begins with the wizard Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman) delivering a prophecy that states the “Special” will find the Piece of Resistance and stop Lord Business (Will Ferrell) from destroying the world with his evil weapon, the “Kragle.” Some time later, an extremely ordinary construction worker named Emmet (Chris Pratt) finds the Piece of Resistance, is deemed the “Special,” and is expected to save the world with the help of “Master Builders.”
Each character, from Green Lantern to Batman (Will Arnett) to Unikitty, has its own special quirk. These spark dozens of funny moments, like Green Lantern’s fanboy obsession with Superman and Batman’s need to be dark and brooding.
Perhaps the most memorable performance is Liam Neeson’s good cop, bad cop routine, where one second he’s kicking a chair around and the next he’s offering a glass of water. Neeson’s “good cop” voice is hilarious and it’s just purely entertaining to listen to everyone’s favorite Irish action hero be candy-coated and goofy.
The level of comedic writing is tremendous, and the plot features an endless supply of great ideas brilliantly woven throughout it. The movie makes no effort to cover up Lego people’s limited movement, often poking fun at the lack of physical expression. The film lets it be and it only makes it even more comical.
Beyond the cool Lego spaceship and ridiculously catchy theme song, “The Lego Movie” takes a clear jab at conformity and formulaic sitcoms. The writers deliver their message well and thankfully only spend a minute reconciling good (creativity) and evil (order) in a few touching moments. Then it’s right back to being funny.
The movie doubles perfectly as a commercial to show kids what kind of impressive world they can create with just some Legos and unsuppressed creativity, a message both kids and adults can understand and appreciate.
— Amanda Hayes
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