Review of The Lego Movie (2014) by Luke L — 30 Dec 2016

"Everything is Awesome!".

There are often films where one reads the premise or title and immediately consider it to be a waste. However, sometimes a movie is released that seems to break this mindset and reinforce how any movie can be a hit if it made with dedication and energy. One such movie is the 2014 animated film; The LEGO Movie. When Lord President Business plans to freeze the world with his doomsday glue device, The Kragle, it is up to normal construction worker Emmett to lead a team of much more talented builders against the president and his army of robots and multiple personality police man. The premise for this movie sounds like a generic film that is only made to sell toys. However, the director and writer team of Lorde and Miller made the film with such passion, incredible creativity, hilarious writing, and smart commentary and elevated it above being a generic film. This film is one of the best animated films and comedies I have seen in years. The level of creativity in this film is amazing. The way it is animated is creative with jerky movements of the lego characters that seems reminiscent of the stop motion lego movies on the internet. There is also an intriguing attention to detail in the animation of this film. For instance, when a figure of object floats it appears as though there is a string holding it up, which is also a reference to the stop motion lego films of the internet. The writing and story of the film is creative. There is some great commentary on entertainment, government, and even the generic chosen one stories. The way the story progresses is also different with certain story elements being moved around to make the story different from the generic film. The humor of the film is great. The sad scenes in this film feel earned in this progression. The action scenes are portrayed in an entertaining fashion. The message of the film is great and heartfelt. It conveys the importance of believing in one's self and how everyone is special in some way. There are also many creative pop culture characters that feel genuine and necessary to the story. There are multiple jokes that can arise form these characters and their identities in media. These pop culture characters and the new characters of the film are voiced by a great cast that fits every role. Chris Pratt as Emmett has his signature combination of likeablity and dimwittedness. Will Ferrell as the villain is both menacing and funny. Morgan Freeman's mentor character is both humorous and wise. Liam Neeson is able to transfer from sweet and innocent to cruel and menacing as the good cop/bad cop character multiple times throughout the course of the film. Probably the most surprisingly perfect casting is Will Arnett as Batman. He does not play the actual character as much as a caricature of Batman. He is brooding, sarcastic, arrogant, and blunt with a skillful fighting style. I look forward to seeing him as the main focus of his upcoming spinoff movie. Along with the great characters and writing, the music of the film is catchy. The title song will get stuck in a person's head for hours. The background music also conveys the mood of each scene and connects to pop culture character in a humorous way. The only flaw I can find in this film is the few live action scenes in the movie. While they are creative, they sometimes become awkward or unfunny. Overall, The LEGO Movie is an incredibly creative film with great characters and hilarious writing. It is one of the best animated films I have seen in years. Surprisingly, The LEGO Movie may be on the level of some Disney films and I look forward to the spinoffs and sequels that are to come in the coming years. I would recommend this great animated film to fans of LEGOs, comedies, and animated films.