Review of The Lego Movie (2014) by Caleb J — 25 Nov 2018

Strengths: Animated movies usually look great in this day and age. Still, this is one of the better looking ones. The way the worlds of Lego are crafted for film purposes works very well. Each place we visit feels unique and makes for fun viewing. The voice cast is top notch. Chris Pratt (Emmet Brickowski) is perfect as the everyman lead. Morgan Freeman (Vitruvius) is ideal as the wise old man, and you canâ(TM)t help but get a kick out of the back and forth of Channing Tatum (Superman), Jonah Hill (Green Lantern). Charlie Day (Benny) is perfect as the spastic 80s spaceman, Elizabeth Banks (Wyldstyle) is solid, Alison Brie (Princess Unikitty) is very fitting of her role, and Liam Neeson (Good Cop/Bad Cop) is fantastic. The show stealer was Will Arnett (Batman). Itâ(TM)s understandable why he got his own movie. They delivered on a unique story that allows for plenty of character moments. Emmett and Wyldstyle are fully fleshed out characters you can get behind. The underlying story of this being about the struggle between a boy and his father over Legos and how they view the world was well crafted. It never got heavy handed, yet meant a lot. The adult and kids jokes are well balanced, making for a fun movie that anyone can enjoy.

Weaknesses: There were a few points where the story felt kind of generic. It was the stuff you see in most animated films these days. While I appreciate the amount of cameos we get, it does come across as a bit too much at times. As if theyâ(TM)re just throwing characters and playsets in for the sake of merchandising. I understand the logic behind it, but it doesnâ(TM)t add to the movie. Lastly, I wasnâ(TM)t too fond of one voice performance. Will Ferrell (Lord Business) felt like he was doing a lot of his Zoolander character and didnâ(TM)t find enough or something original for this role.

Overall: One of the most fun movies in recent memory. With crisp animation, terrific voice acting, and a strong story, this movie stands out among the crowded field of great animated movies in the past few years.