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| Courtesy of Warner Bros. |
Phil
Lord and Christopher Miller are talented filmmakers with a bunch of impressive
credits to their names, but they should really be called magicians. The duo has
earned a solid reputation for taking ideas that seem terrible on paper and
turning them into great movies.
Cloudy
with a Chance of Meatballs could’ve been a lame kiddie flick that confused
dated pop culture references with storytelling. Instead, it was weird, funny
and hugely charming. This year’s sequel (to which Lord and Miller contributed
story elements) accomplished the rare feat of being as entertaining as the
original.
Even
more improbably, they directed a fantastic big screen version of the cheesy
’80s television drama 21 Jump Street. It was far more hilarious and
heartwarming than a remake had any right to be, complete with legitimately
exciting action sequences.
They’ve
outdone themselves again with The Lego Movie, which prompted groans and
eye-rolls when it was announced, mostly because it sounded like a lazy marketing
exec’s idea. Instead, the flick is a celebration of creativity that is smart,
funny and moving. And it should also spark a renewed love of Lego for most
kids, which means it still works as brilliant product placement.
The
skillfully animated story – which takes place in an all-Lego world – focuses on
Emmet (Chris Pratt), an ordinary construction worker who follows the
instruction manual for every aspect of his life. He wakes up at the same time
every morning, buys the same cup of overpriced coffee, and sings the same song on
his way to the job where he performs the same task every day.
That
is until a case of mistaken identity causes heroes and villains alike to peg Emmet
as the key to saving the world. The mysterious Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks) and
wise Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman) reluctantly draft him into a group of “master
builders” – Lego figures who can build intricate weapons and vehicles without
instructions – and they embark on a quest to defeat the evil Lord Business
(Will Ferrell).
However,
the quest proves difficult considering master builders are superstars like Batman
(Will Arnett), the bipolar Unikitty (Alison Brie), spaceship-obsessed astronaut
Benny (Charlie Day), and the mostly-robotic pirate Metal Beard (Nick Offerman),
who are all used to calling the shots. Emmet quickly discovers if they’re going
to stop Lord Business, he’s going to have to teach them that following
directions is okay sometimes.
Despite
dragging a bit in the second act, The Lego Movie is great fun. Lord and
Miller brilliantly skewer the hero’s journey concept (Star Wars, The Matrix, etc.), mainstream pop music (with the irritatingly catchy “Everything is
Awesome”) and Christopher Nolan’s ultra-dour modern version of Batman. But none
of their satire is mean-spirited or too adult for the kids that are obviously
the film’s primary audience.
The
animation is deceptively simplistic. On the surface, it seems like it would be
easy to make everything in a scene look like Legos. But then there’s an
explosion with tiny orange Lego flames or a vast ocean complete with blue Lego
waves and it becomes apparent how difficult the process must’ve been.
The
voice cast is impressive, with a look at the film’s IMDb page revealing how
deep the talented bench truly goes. Pratt has been poised to become a household
name for several years now, and his solid voice work here (essentially playing
a moderately smarter version of his Parks and Recreation character) reveals
his comedic ability to a much larger audience.
Banks
is also good, sending up the “manic pixie dream girl” cliché, and Freeman gets
to put a comic spin on the persona he’s made his own over the last couple of
decades. Liam Neeson shows a different side of his personality as a villain who’s
both good cop and bad cop, depending on which face he’s wearing at the time.
Ferrell is also surprisingly versatile in a role that’s more complex than the
trailers suggest.
But
the film’s two MVPs are Arnett, whose gloriously smug version of Batman has
quickly become one of my favorite iterations of the character, and Day, whose
astronaut gets an absolutely show-stopping moment in the film’s third act. No
lie, I laughed so hard that my poor wife was embarrassed to be sitting next to
me.
The
Lego Movie will go over most toddlers’ heads (my three-year-old daughter fell
asleep within the first 20 minutes), but big kids – and I include myself in
that category – should have a blast. It’s a great way to kick off 2014 as far
as movies go, considering I don’t usually count the January dumping ground.
The
Lego Movie is rated PG for mild action and rude humor.
Grade:
B+
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