It’s no secret that I love a bit of LEGO. From visiting LEGOLAND Denmark when I was a wee one to happily indulging my boyfriend’s LEGO Star Wars collection, its been a lifelong thing. So you could say I was a bit excited about the news of a feature length LEGO movie.
The LEGO Movie | 2014 | Phil Lord & Christopher Miller | Australia/USA/ Denmark | U | 100mins
Emmet is just a regular guy. A construction worker who follows the rules and doesn’t stand out in any way, he believes the “Everything is Awesome” mantra passed down from President Business, although he can’t help feel a bit overlooked. A seemingly accidental encounter reveals that he is in fact the ‘Chosen One’ and must save the world from the tyranny of President Business who wants to control how everything is made. He joins a group of Master Builders including the rebellious Wyldstyle, Batman and a Robot Pirate who are aghast at his complete lack of skills but must rely on him anyway.
In a lot of ways it’s a bit like Kung Fu Panda. Awesome female character should rightly be the hero, the chosen one, the one who saves the day but lo and behold some useless schmuck comes along and steals her thunder. She gets him about of tricky situations until he finally finds his feet but it all works out in the end and they end up pals. This is not meant as a criticism (ok, maybe a bit), Kung Fu Panda is a great film and so is The LEGO Movie.
As is typical for a kids movie, there are so many take-home-messages in The LEGO Movie, it’s unreal. Learning to share, recognising that everyone has their own talents, embracing your emotions (even the sad ones), playing together, imagination etc, etc. But this doesn’t mean that there’s nothing in it for us adults, far from it. If you are an adult that still loves their LEGO or know someone who does you will love the central conflict. Are you someone who makes whatever you like, or do you buy a kit and FOLLOW THE CONSTRUCTION NOTES SO IT LOOKS EXACTLY LIKE IT’S MEANT TO?! There are two distinct breeds in LEGOLAND.
I was in a packed early Saturday evening screening and I can tell you that there was as many laughs from the adults as there was from the kids, if not more. From slapstick gags to witty one-liners, it is perfectly pitched to become a true family favourite. The animation is top-class and not hindered by the fact that everything is technically buildable with LEGO. This challenge has clearly raised the game of the animators who have created a rich and impressive landscape that perfectly utilises today’s 3D technology.
I highly recommend you get yourself along to a cinema to watch this film, whether you have kids or not. It’s laugh a minute, witty, self-deprecating and it has Batman in it, what more could you want? In short, the film is everything LEGO is supposed to be: fun, creative and surprising.
