I love Lego. Growing up Lego was one of my go-to toys. It allowed for boundless amounts of creativity and imagination. Yes I loved building things so they looked like they did on the box. But I equally loved coming up with my own creations. Lego is a perfect toy. Endlessly entertaining and surprisingly educational. It’s come a long way since I used it. Now we have Legoland, Lego computer games and countless variations on Lego. It makes perfect sense then that a Lego film should follow suit. A cynic would look at a Lego film and see it purely as a shameless attempt to cash in and sell more Lego. Well, the Lego Movie is exactly that. If the film doesn’t generate a huge amount of sales of Lego then something in the universe is askew. But that The Lego Movie is a shameless toy advert is, surprisingly, one of the films greatest strengths, and more importantly, more of its most emotional and powerful messages.
Emmett, The Lego Movie’s hero, (voiced by Chris Pratt) is an ordinary guy living in the Lego world. He’s so ordinary in fact that he’s instantly forgettable. That is until he becomes the chosen one. When this happens he is thrust, somewhat unwittingly, into an adventure where he will learn that he is far from ordinary. The Lego Movie treads that reliable hero’s journey perfectly. Often the hero’s journey narratives can feel trite and predictable. Everything from Star Wars to The Matrix to Avatar uses that age old story structure and so when not handled in an inventive way, it feels clunky and uninspired. In The Lego Movie is it put to fantastic effect to serve a story where the theme will resonate long after the insanely surreal animation and adventure has slipped from the memory. It’s the first of many things The Lego Movie pitches perfectly.
Emmett may be ordinary, but he is surrounded by extraordinary figures. Gandalf, Superman, Abraham Lincoln, Wonder Woman – the film has mined its licensed franchises magnificently to deliver a plethora of delightfully used supporting characters, none more perfectly used than Will Arnett’s voiced Batman. The touch of genius in using Batman is that firstly, Batman is just about one of the most popular heroes in modern cinema and that at no point does he overshadow either Emmett or the film. The most extraordinary supporting character however is WildStyle (Elizabeth Banks), an incredibly resourceful, exciting and independent female who catches Emmett’s eye and sends him off on his adventure. WildStyle is a fantastic creation and easily the films best character. She is a modern female action hero to rival all and any other female action figures. She also allows the film to appeal massively to the female demographic. This is after all a film about toy, designed to sell more toys.
The voice cast for these supporting characters is also faultless. The Lego Movie has one of the best casts of 2014. Joining Chris Pratt, Will Arnett and Elizabeth Banks are Will Ferrell as Lord Business, the films evil leader, Will Forte, Morgan Freeman (as sage Vitruvius), Jonah Hill as Green Lantern, Liam Neeson as Good Cop/Bad Cop – one of the films best comedy creations and Lord Business’ chief henchman, and Channing Tatum as Superman. It’s a credit to the filmmakers and the spirit of the film that The Lego Movie was able to attract all these actors, and even more so that some of them are in such small roles.
The real joy of The Lego Movie though comes from the films endless creativity and imagination. The film is pure eye-candy. Not a single scene or set piece goes by without some insanely inventive action which takes full advantage of the Lego to send the story from one direction to another. The action is as insane as the story. Filmmakers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller have let their imaginations off the leash here and thankfully at no point does it let them down.
Somehow, alongside the great story, absurd, surreal action, all-star cameo cast and massive toy advert, Lord and Miller, along with fellow writers Dan & Kevin Hageman have found time to infuse The Lego Movie with a theme that has real emotional punch. Come the films final moments I found myself getting somewhat emotional… about Lego. About what Lego represents and about what it can mean to a child. The real joy, the real genius of The Lego Movie lies in these moments. That the filmmakers have managed to balance the giant toy ad, their out-there imaginations and deliver a film which is knowing, post-modern, self-reflexive and a celebration of all things Lego is magnificent. It’s a triumph, and without question one of the best films of the year.
You could not ask for a better Lego movie. Heart, character, action, emotion and something profound is contained within this film. It made me reminisce about my love of Lego and made me want to go out and buy some for myself. Go and see it.
