Annie Price
Kids across America grew up playing with Legos, and now this generation also has a movie version of their favorite toy.
The Lego Movie follows Emmet, a generic construction worker who always follows the instruction manual. When he is mistaken for the subject of a prophecy, Emmet learns how to build his own life, and break out of the mold President Business has set.
I was skeptical for the first twenty minutes or so. There were a few weak jokes that only elicited laughs from the youngest kids in the theater.
Also, the theme song is excruciating after the first two verses, but if you stick around long enough into the credits there’s an acoustic remix version for one last laugh.
Halfway in, I started to understand the appeal. The movie was ridiculous at times, but the pop culture references and tie-ins to the real world were clever and funny. One scene depicted the notoriously inferior Green Lantern sucking up to the infamous Superman, poking fun at the recent superhero movies.
Shaquille O’Neal even made a cameo in his Lego form from Lego’s 2002 NBA All-Stars series, which was very entertaining.
Another high point was the brief Lego Star Wars scene, when Batman joins Han Solo, Lando, and Chewbacca in the Millenium Falcon to steal a hyperdrive and help Emmet’s cause. I’m pretty sure my brother almost cried tears of joy.
For the adults, the infamous Morgan Freeman as the old, wise Vitruvius is hilarious, though I was disappointed when the scene from the movie trailer of him reading the phone book didn’t appear in the actual movie. Seeing huge actors like him voicing little cartoon Legos is something everyone can enjoy.
As a whole, the movie’s themes are based around Emmet’s journey, discovering that sometimes creativity is more important than the rules. I did enjoy seeing his transformation as a character, and it was definitely funny seeing him struggle with his imagination at first. His initial idea of a mind-blowing invention is a stacked couch, like a bunk bed for TV watching, complete with cup holders and coolers under the seats.
However, the highlight of The Lego Movie for me was undoubtedly the end, in which Emmet finds himself in the human world and gains an understanding that their little universe is all controlled by the “man upstairs,” a middle-aged human. The man is played by Will Ferrell too, which was very exciting for me.
Will Ferrell’s dialogue with his son is funny as well, arguing whether or not the child is qualified to play with his father’s toys.
Overall, The Lego Movie is just a good old family movie, perfect for kids, and with enough clever humor to satisfy parents and older siblings. Even though it’s unsophisticated, the message is positive and it will entertain kids of all ages, even the ones who are all grown up.
