The Lego Movie (Movie Review)

The Lego Movie is the best animated film since Toy Story 3. Now I know that this is a very VERY strong statement I have just made, that will cause you people who haven't even seen the film to question my credibility as a film critic. There have been a lot of excellent animated films since Toy Story 3  such as "Despicable Me", "Rango", "The Adventures of Tintin", "Wreck-it Ralph", "Frankenweenie" and "Monsters University" among others. But none of these films are as clever, daring, inventive, hilarious, and emotionally resonant (yes, emotionally resonant) as The Lego Movie, which is not only one of the best animated films of the last 5 years, but feels like it was made by the very best filmmakers working at Pixar. It's also a nonstop laugh-fest from beginning to end, as well as a witty satire on corporate greed, and the reprecussions of "perfect society", which is shocking since this is a film that could've easily been made by the corporate greed machine, in an attempt to craft a shameless commercial for the product (i.e. Transformers or Battleship). Instead, the filmmakers take the consumer product at hand and use it as a medium for insane creativity, and really SELL us the product, while not actually selling it, if you know what I mean. In short, the film is a stroke of genius and already a major contendor for the best animated film of 2014. (I've already seen it 3 times. I have a problem)

The Lego Movie follows Emmett (Chris Pratt), a generic construction worker Lego who is the epitome of a useless nobody who has fallen victim to the corporate greed machine, controlled by the evil Lord Business (Will Ferrell). One day he stumbles upon "the piece of resistance" making him "the special", which, according to the all powerful master build Vetruvius (Morgan Freeman) makes him "the most important person of all time". As "the special", Emmett, with the help of a colorful cast of Lego characters, must defeat the Lord Business from taking over the world in an attempt to make everything "perfect".

The Lego Movie is an absolute blast. A high octane animated thrill ride from beginning to end, that is consistently entertaining, hilarious, engrossing, and (surprisingly) moving. This serves as another reminder that animated films aren't just for the little ones. In fact, The Lego Movie is more geared towards teenagers and up, thanks to its satirical, mature script, with a plethora of jokes so clever, edgy, and witty, that restore your faith in comedies in general. But, never fear parents, the kids are gonna love this thing too, thanks to its highly innovative blend of CGI and stop motion animation, that creates a beautiful Lego universe that is a spectacular cinematic acheivement. EVERYTHING is Lego, and I do mean everything. From the people, to the buildings, to the landscapes, to even water, everything is designed to look like it was constructed from Lego brick, and its astonishing to look at. And while the film contains one of the best voice casts in recent memory (which I'll get to in a bit) the stars of the film are directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller, who previously gave us highly successfully films such as Cloudy with a Chance of Meetballs and 21 Jump Street, and with The Lego Movie they have solidfied themselves as two of the top comedic filmmakers working today. This is one of the best directed animated films I've ever seen, including incredible camera angles and wide shots, and some of the best action scenes ever in an animated film. Not since The Adventures of Tintin in 2011 has an animated action scene been as impressive (if not more) than anything in the best live action action films. Particularly a scene in the Wild Wild West, Lord and Miller stage action scenes that are so exciting, so innovative, so funny, and so entertaining, that its completley invigorating. While some action scenes in films go on far too long and take away precious character developement, I didn't want the action scenes here to end, and many of them served to move the story along, which is always commendable. Equally impressive is Lord and Miller's script, which should be in consideration for a best original screenplay nomination come Oscars 2015. This is one of the funniest films in a long while, combining satirical edge with endearing tom-foolery in the most hillarious way possible. There were numerous times where I found myself bent over in laughter, and wiping away tears during a certain scene involving the 1980s space man Benny, voice by Charlie Day. Lord and Miller really know how to make an audience laugh, but the most surprsing aspect of The Lego Movie, is just how emotionally satisfying it is. There are a number of highly emotional scenes in the film, that are all SO affective, and never manipulative. The dialogue shared between characters in these moments feels real and authentic, and some of the scenes really hit home with me and I even got teary eyed during some of the films final moments. That's right guys, I nearly cried in The Lego Movie. It may sound silly, but the film is that good. Also Emmett is the best protaganist in an animated film since Carl Fredrickson in Pixar's Up. He's hilarious and we laugh at some of the idiotic things he does, but by the films conclusion you really care about this guy, and you feel for him every step of the way. He goes through an extremely affective character arc that proves that anyone has the capability to be "special", no matter who you are or what the circumstances may be. So while The Lego Movie is a comedy, It has some incredibly moving dramatic moments that elevate this wonderfully witty script to monumental new heights.

Chris Pratt is hilarious and incredibly endearing as Emmett. He captures this wonderful sense of childlike naivety and innocence in his voice that fits the character beautifully. No one else could have played the role they way he did, and I'm pretty sure its become one of my favorite voice performances in animated film. His comedic timing is impeccable, but he's also so sincere, making the audience believe and sympathize with everything he is saying. Don't be surprised if the character of Emmett becomes as iconic as Buzz Lightyear or Shrek among others. Elizabeth Banks is also wonderful as the complex female lead, Wildstyle. Last year we saw an animated film with strong female characters in Disney's Frozen, and The Lego Movie is no different, with Wildstyle being a strong female protagonist that females of all ages can get behind. She's funny, likeable, and badass, but she's also deeply complex, someone who has tried to hide her identity for a long, long time. Banks adds great dimension to the character as well. Will Ferrell is hysterical as the villanous Lord Business, a surprsingly menacing and well developed villain for an animated film. The supporting cast is phenomenal as well. Will Arnett is one of the funniest characters in recent memory as Batman. Yes, Batman. His wonderful parody of the Christian Bale Batman is perfection, with much of the great comedic moments of the film coming from him. We also get fantastic work from Morgan Freeman, perfectly self parodying himself as the god-like wizard Vatruivius, Liam Neeson also poking fun at his tough guy image as Good Cop-Bad Cop, Charlie Day as the 1980s astronaut Benny, Alison Brie as the overly optimistic Uni-Kitty, Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill with a great back and forth as Superman and Green Lantern respectively, and Nick Offerman as the hillariously caricatured pirate Metalbeard.

The Lego Movie is a movie lover's dream. It has amazing, innovative animation, hillarious, witty jokes, a clever satirical edge regarding the corporate greed machine (in a movie about one of the biggest products of all time, which is freakin amazing) unique characters you can care about, emotional resonance, and it's entertaining as all hell. Don't worry, your friends won't judge you. And if they do, well...they're wrong. I'm usually one to respect opinion, but they are wrong. The Lego Movie is an animated classic for the ages. I loved it that much.