Superbly Constructed
It’s safe to say that The Lego Movie is the first movie to truly balance the likes of good storytelling, humor, and affable childhood entertainment since Toy Story. That sentence is quite huge, in actuality. There’s a reason Toy Story is widely accepted by both adults and children alike while spawning two consistently good sequels over the course of a decade and a half. While The Lego Movie doesn’t go about it the same way, it captures the same themes of childhood imagination, fun and timeless humor, and in just about every way, does it better.
Let’s just get this out of the way: the art style is absolutely terrific. It uses a mix of stop-motion and CG that blends perfectly. The cinematography captures the feeling of plasticity and construction that, well, feels like a world made of Legos. The set might as well have been in your own living room. The animation is smooth, the action a pleasure to look at, and the stunning lighting really gives the world a genuine, believable feel.
Secondly, the cast was expertly chosen and breathed life into all of these plastic people. Will Arnett, Elizabeth Banks, and Charlie Day, just to name a few, deliver their lines extremely well without the film placing an emphasis on “SEE? THIS FAMOUS ACTOR IS PLAYING THIS CHARACTER!”. The amount of cameos is pretty incredible, each one perfectly placed and is sure to make the adults crack a smile or drop their jaw in wonder. The licensing acquired to make this film a possibility is absolutely crucial to the success of the movie. The feeling of childhood excitement and imagination wouldn’t feel the same if they could only settle for some Batman knock-off or other stand-ins meant to represent the real thing. And the real thing is just what you get. All of this feeds directly into the themes of the film and serves to draw the adults in, more than the children. I would get into the why, but honestly, the less you know going into The Lego Movie, the better.
The plot focuses around a bland Lego construction worker who is mistaken for being a “Masterbuilder”, someone capable of constructing from their mind, and not from a set of instructions. The prophecy foretells that one day, a Masterbuilder will come in contact with a strange relic that will indicate to the world he is the “Special”, a being who can save the universe from destruction by the evil Mr. Business.
I read a few other reviews that described the story as “predictable”, because it is a kids movie, but in this case that is exactly the point. Without giving anything away, it becomes apparent quite early on that the movie is constructed from the mind of someone just playing Legos. All the deus-ex machinas, all the hodgepodge worldbuilding and blatant thematic material is everything you and I experimented with as children playing with an imagination that just didn’t give a shit. And it works beautifully.
The film’s success is also in large part to a very distinct and always-hilarious sense of humor. Trope subversions, cameos and even the more slapstick schticks are executed with perfect timing and line delivery that had us “adult viewers” doubled over in laughter for most of the movie. Part of the humor’s success also lies in a lack of immediate pop-culture meme-based jokes. Unlike a lot of modern movies, especially of the parody sort, the movie doesn’t rely on making fun of or using flavor of the week phrases or celebrities. All of the references and cameos are from classic, timeless stories and movies that ensure The Lego Movie will never feel dated. The one or two times they do use an on-the-nose pop-culture reference, it is handled with perfect timing and delivery (like the rest of the movie) that will ensure the line stays funny, even outside of the meme-based generation.
This film could have been a horrible lesson in merchcandise-based movies (see: Battleship). It turned into something more. What the film says in regards to storytelling and individuality is a very complex subject that is easier experienced than explained. It makes fun of structured hero’s journey movies while maintaining that kind of film as it delves deeper into its own themes in relation to humanity at large. Loss of imagination, restructuring stories, and the ability for all of us to put our creativity to better use are all not only good and unique themes, but they are delivered in expert fashion without feeling overbearing.
In short, everything about this movie is awesome. Anyone who’s seen it knows why.
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