Review of The Lego Movie (2014) by Tv-Tastic — 09 Feb 2014

It is a rare event that I give a film a 10/10 rating but if there was ever a film that was more deserving in recent memory, I can't think of one. It is by far the best animated film I have ever seen and that includes ANY Pixar film.

This is the first film I have seen in years in which the entire audience stood up and applauded when the credits rolled. The level of detail is absolutely phenomenal, right down to the tiny scratches in the ABS plastic, and, my favorite, the visible finger prints on the minifigures themselves.

I came out of this film realizing that though cleverly marketed as a kid's film, this is a nostalgia film for X and Y Geners (is that a word? don't care, going with it...) and the tell was with 1980s spaceman.

Anyone whoever had this minifigure (or a similar one with the space helmet) knew that within a month's time of taking that helmet off repeatedly the bottom of the helmet near the chin would split because it was so thin.

This film immediate takes our generation back to a time when we were seven years-old. From the beginning, the story seems like nothing more than a rehash of Kung Fu Panda or The Matrix with the role of Po/Neo taken on by our very ordinary hero, Emmet.

As the film progresses, it takes on the tone and plot of a million of other action film cliches but the visually stunning frenetic action combines with multiple clever pop-culture references allows you to forgive what seems like a generic story and just simply enjoy the awesome adventure that you and your kids are on.

And make no mistake, this film was designed to be seen by families which just makes the experience that much more enjoyable. So am I saying that the overall experience of the film makes up for the weak story? Nope.

In the last 20 minutes of the film there are live-action sequences that tie the whole story together and turn what was a generic and almost mediocre plot into one of the most brilliant pieces of story-telling I have ever seen in a family film.

It was so cleverly done that I literally slapped myself in the forehead for being tricked like I was because the film drops not-so-subtle clues as to the big twist throughout the whole film. My only regret is that I didn't see it in 3D as this is one film that it is a moral imperative to see in 3D.

Oh, well... I guess we'll just have to go see it again.