The Reel Critic: The Lego Movie

If my childhood friend group is any indication, there are a few distinct and mutually exclusive ways to play with Legos. There is the rule-follower, who builds the thing on the front of the box per instructions. Next, there is the engineer who ignores the instructions in favor of his own plan, carefully constructing something really cool that will make everyone else jealous. And then there is the final category, to which I belong, whose members collect piles of random pieces and throw them together, creating wholly nonsensical conglomerations of blocks that never last more than a good 15 minutes. The Lego Movie’s approach is definitely that of the last category. Pieces seem thrown about everywhere and the result is ridiculous, often chaotic, but extremely fun and funny throughout.

In a world composed exclusively of Legos, one man – that would be one “Mr. Lord Business” to you – has become president and now controls TV, music, “all the history books” and as the movie opens, has just gained possession of the “Kragle” a kind of super-weapon that could end the world. Indeed, the creativity inherent in Legos has fallen under an authoritarian regime – Mr. Business effectually wants the whole world to be “rule-followers.” Our protagonist/everyman Emmett lives as a mild-mannered construction worker and has initially fallen prey to the endless rules and instructions imposed on by Mr. Business. All Emmett wants is to be an ordinary guy and part of a friend group, but it becomes apparent that he is trying much too hard to be normal and consequently has trouble making friends. The Lego Movie quickly becomes about the divide between being ordinary or unique; what makes The Lego Movie’s approach different is that it acknowledges how painfully difficult it is to actually try to be normal, and the amount of work it takes to follow perceived societal instructions that limit one’s personality.

Emmett was of course never going to be ordinary – the movie’s opening scene gives us the story of a prophecy calling for a “Master Builder” to liberate the Lego world from Mr. Business. It turns out that Emmett’s mind is so “prodigiously empty” that he makes a fine choice for the job. This is all you should know of the movie before going in – the last 1/3 of the movie turns the entire concept on its head, making this something greater than a series of well-conceived gags.

There is an uncanny level of self-awareness in The Lego Movie that makes it more and more charming as it continues. It understands the way people use Legos and marvelously captures the way I remember my experiences playing with Legos. At the same time, it is able to poke fun at itself, roasting a few common kid-movie clichés and to some extent the whole concept of the Lego Universe. The fact that Legos can be made of anything and anyone makes this akin to Shrek, with appearances by the lego-likenesses of Abraham Lincoln, Blackbeard, Shakespeare, the 2002 NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers, and on. Tonally the movie is also somewhere between the satire in Shrek and something sillier like SpongeBob. It has a faster pace and a greater number of action sequences than both, always remaining amiable and coherent.

The Lego Movie does contain a few easy, tired jokes here and there but I can’t criticize this stuff too much without feeling like a particularly pessimistic Grandmother. This is the third impressive comedy from Phil Lord and Chris Miller after 21 Jump Street and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs; they’re young and very talented, and it’ll be exciting to see where they’ll go from here (aside from the inevitable 2nd and 3rd Lego Movies). And the voice-acting cast alone is impressive, with names like Morgan Freeman and Will Ferrell. I’m not sure if these names necessarily enhance the movie, but it’s always a good time hearing Morgan Freeman cast as an aloof wizard.

This is a movie about Legos and it made me happy. If a movie about Legos sounds good to you, The Lego Movie will almost assuredly make you happy also. If such a movie sounds targeted outside of your demographic, I think you’ll be surprised with how much there is to like in The Lego Movie.  It couldn’t possibly be executed with more wit or charm and it sets a standard for the rest of the year’s comedies, animated and family friendly or otherwise. If nothing else, this is some kind of phenomenal marketing tool for Lego.