I never really got into Lego's as a kid, but my younger brother and my nephew both did. Aside from them, countless other around the world have played with these infectious tools of unlimited creativity. I don't think that there has ever been a toy in the history of mankind that has had such an effect on us as the Lego.
So let's talk about this movie. It was made by Warner Bros. which is why we get the appearances by the DC superheroes (Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, and Green Lantern). It tells the tale of a prophecy about the chosen one that will allow for unfettered creativity (and says it's true due to the rhyming nature of the prophecy). The chosen one, a construction toy named Emit, finds that he has become stuck to the "Piece of Resistance" and must save the world from the dastardly President/Lord Business who wants to stop any sort of creativity with the Lego's. Hilarity ensues as Emit is revealed (from the beginning no less) to be an empty headed fool.
This movie is by far one of the funniest movies I've ever seen and it's unwillingness to take itself seriously in any fashion is part of the charm. Taking from the various sets that Lego has created over the years, they even make references to ones that they know they won't have time for or that have already received the Hollywood treatment. It breaks the fourth wall on numerous accounts in that they know that they are Lego and that their point is to create whatever it is you can think of, not necessarily that you should follow the instructions. That becomes a large part of the third act when we learn even more about where things are, however I don't want to spoil it any more than I might have already.
Let's talk about that third act for a moment. It hits you right in feels. I mean, I started to get a little choked up for a moment, but then the movie comes out of left field and makes some of the best jokes this side of a classic comedy of errors (like Clue or The Court Jester). One of the things I like about this though is that it doesn't mess with the pacing or become too preachy. It's just a really simple message that carries some weight.
The visuals are extremely fitting. I don't think a Lego movie would be good if the visuals didn't make it look like a stop motion flick that anyone with the capability made when they had Legos. That they made the explosions, dust clouds, bubbles and everything out of Legos makes this flick visually stunning and just so fitting.
The voice acting is superbly done. Alison Brie as Unikitty is by far one of the best casting decisions that they could have made. Will Arnett as Batman is great for shattering the brooding and dark and deep Batman that we've had to deal with for the past Batman franchise because he's an exact parody of it. Elizabeth Banks has always been willing to show that funny is attractive as her character Wildstyle and Charlie Day is beginning to cement himself the Nerd Paragon (along with some of the best) as Benny. Will Ferrell, who I've never really enjoyed with few exceptions, does an excellent job as an actor and stepping out of Stupid and back into quirky villain that really made him stand out in the first place. Not to mention Morgan Freeman and the various other cast members. Just look at that IMDB page. Look at the names there. Look at them. This movie got all those people together to make this and it rules.
One of the things that lambastes incredibly is the idea of the Chosen One, that only one person is special, that only one person can make a difference. Amongst the feels that are presented at the end of the movie, one is that each of us is capable of doing what we dream of doing. This is rather important since the really big draw of Lego's is that you can do ANYTHING! If you have the parts
The roll of the dice give this movie a 10/10. The writing, cinematography, the pacing, all of it. The only thing you might have to worry about is the incessant quoting of this flick once everyone has seen it. Kind of like when someone has played Portal for the first time or Monty Python and the Search for the Holy Grail. GO see it and do so quickly.
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