The Lego Movie $$$$
PG
100 Minutes
Starring: Chris Pratt, Will Arnett, Elizabeth Banks, and
Will Farrell.
Directors: Phil Lord
and Christopher Miller.
Wow!
I was hooked the first time I saw
the movie trailer. Now, I’ve seen the movie and can tell you that it was just
as good as I hoped it would be.
Emmett (Chris Pratt) is your average
construction worker in the Lego universe. His job is awesome. His $37 cup of
coffee is awesome. The music he listens to is awesome. Everything about his
life is awesome. If by awesome you mean totally the same and alone.
That changes when he finds the Piece
de Resistance, an artifact that is destined to save the Lego universe. As soon
as Emmett touches it the piece fuses to his back and he is thrown into the middle
of a power struggle that will affect all of the Lego-people everywhere.
Fortunately, he doesn’t have to do
it alone. A host of Lego heroes join him in his quest to prevent Lord Business
(Will Ferrell) from unleashing the Kragle on all Legos, everywhere. The cast of
heroes includes; Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks) and her boyfriend Lego-Batman
(Will Arnett), Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman), Unikitty (Alison Brie), and Metal
Beard (Nick Offerman).
The Lego Movie could turn out to be
a family classic. This is how I rated it.
1. Fun – This movie
was AWESOME! It’s the sort of movie that you walk out of reciting
line-after-line and then laugh about it. I gave it a full MB for fun. It could
be argued that it deserved more.
2. Story – This had
a much stronger story than I expected. Thanks to a reveal late in the movie the
writers were able to turn a hilarious romp through a toy universe into story
with a much deeper meaning. Huge kudos for this. I gave it a full MB for story.
3. Technical – What
stood out visually was the use of Legos for everything. When the characters
dive into the water the waves, and foam, and bubbles are all Lego pieces. Okay,
I know it’s animation of Lego pieces, but the effect is stunning and in my mind
very original. I gave it a full MB for the original Lego-vision aspect.
4. Acting – What a
cast. Will Ferrell does a great job with his dual role. Chris Pratt was great
as Emmett. Liam Neeson was hilarious as Good Cop / Bad Cop. Of course, Morgan
Freeman was Morgan Freeman. And Will Arnett did a little bit of scene stealing
as Lego-Batman. I gave a full MB for the excellent voice work.
I know it’s only February, but this
is definitely one of the best movies of the year. It’s so good that I need to
drag my family to theater to see it. It would be negligent parenting if I
didn’t. The Lego Movie scores a
perfect 4 Movie Bucks from me. Go see it.
Randy’s
Rating System
$$$$ =
Full Price See this movie right away
and pay full price, it’s worth it.
$$$ =
Matinee Catch this as a matinee or
other discounted showing.
$$ =
Discount Wait until this movie reaches
a discount theater near you.
$ =
Rental Wait until this movie
reaches your local video rental outlet.
0 =
No Sale Don’t
see this movie at any price.
I've heard a lot of good things about it. I'll probably watch it on DVD at some point.
ReplyDeleteHow did I miss this comment. Sorry, Pat. It has done very well at the boxoffice. If it looked at all interesting to you from the previews then I highly recommend it.
DeleteEven those who may be a bit angry and pissed-off at life, will find themselves cracking a grin during this. It's just that type of fun-feeling movie. Good review Randy.
ReplyDeleteThanks. And I totally agree.
DeleteI have not seen the movie yet, but probably will soon. I have free tickets. I read a post about the movie and the de-humanizing effect the cartoon movies are having on movies with actual, real-life actors. Gone are the days of Bogie and Bacall, where it was the story of two characters that kept our attention. I think we can thank the gaming world for that. I'll still probably see it, though I might agree with the de-humanizing of cartoons.
ReplyDeleteI read a post that said basically that, from an author who I really respect. However, I had the impression that he had not seen the movie. There is a bit in the film, that I won't disclose, that I feel humanizes the whole thing. In fact, I thought it was quite clever. Since you have free tickets I think you should check it out. I would be interested in hearing what you think once you've seen it, if you see it.
Delete