Friday, February 07, 2014
The Lego Movie
I think it's a sad indictment of Hollywood when an obstensibly 1½ hour long commerical for a toy system is one of this year's (or of the recent few years) best movies.
I'm speaking, of course, of “The Lego Movie.
And yes, it's that good. It has great humor, there are no annoying characters (and believe me, there are a few that could have been horrifyingly annoying, or cute, or both) and the “Lego Universe” is … the Lego Universe, where characters can create anything from spaceships to double-decker couches out of existing pieces.
Yes, everything in the Lego Universe is made up of Lego bricks. From vehicles to smoke, it's a beautifully rendered world of brightly colored bricks. Bunny was constantly amazed with the usage of Lego in the film (even if most of it was computer generated, everything on the screen could, in theory, be made with enough Lego bricks).
And the main villian, Lord (later President) Business, has motivations beyond just taking over the world for its own sake, which really comes into its own in the “I really didn't expect this to happen” ending.
It's a very imaginative film, and in fact, that's the point of the film—to impress upon the audience that it's okay to deviate from the instructions and just have fun with the act of creation, even if it's just sticking two bricks together.
