Movie Review: The LEGO Movie

Originally being just children's toys to having limited edition exclusive releases, and even to having their own amusement park, LEGO sure has come a long way.

If you have played some of the LEGO video games that have come out, the CG cutscenes are very well-made, accompanied with tongue-in-cheek humor. The LEGO Movie takes all of that and adds something more that makes its debut theatrical film a hit with the audience.

The plot is pretty much a straightforward, "chosen one" type of story. Lord Business (Will Ferrell) plans to destroy the LEGO world by superglue-ing everything permanently into place through the use of the Kragle. Emmet (Chris Pratt), an ordinary construction worker, is chosen to be "The Special," a master builder prophecied by Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman) to save the world. Along with his companions Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks) and Batman (Will Arnett), Emmet goes in an adventure, all the while avoiding getting captured by Bad Cop (Liam Neeson), Lord Business' right-hand man.

Many of the LEGO's licensed pop culture character appear in the movie like Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Gandalf, Dumbledore, and Shaquille O'Neal. At first, having Batman as part of the supporting cast seems weird and out of place. However, in a narrative shift in the final parts of the movie, it totally makes sense. After all, this is how a child would play with LEGO if given a box full of them. The movie acknowledges that in a very thoughtful way.

Of course, great voice acting will only make an animated movie even better. Chris Pratt gives Emmet a fun-loving outlook that shines beautifully with his bright voice but at the same time highlights Emmet's apparent loneliness. Meanwhile, Elizabeth Banks as Wyldstyle establishes a strong-willed, quick-thinking female character that works well with Emmet. Batman is pretty much a parody and a sarcastic look at Christian Bale's portrayal of the Dark Knight, complete with the dark and broody persona, as voiced by Will Arnett.

The story moves in a steady pace while keeping up with funny light-hearted jokes fired left and right. In the final act however, a thematic shift gives the audience an inspiring and powerful scene that will make us rethink about the father/son relationship and the way we see LEGO toys.

Unlike other computer-generated animated films, The LEGO Movie incorporates the tradition of brickfilms with a pseudo-stop motion approach in its art style, ensuring that everything from the background to the buildings, cars, and gadgets looks like a true LEGO world. As a result, it gives off spectacular and colorful visuals that also allows it to add to the overall humor of the movie.

With a great voice cast and characters, good humor, and a inspiring story, The LEGO Movie will be loved and appreciated by all members of the family, adults and children alike. And that is a sign of a great film. Everything really is awesome.

Rating: 4/5