The Lego Movie Review- By Michael Carlisle

Title: The Lego Movie
Year: 2014

Director: Phil Lord

Country: US

Language: English

Ah, LEGO; the original Minecraft. Who doesn’t remember playing with those small interlocking blocks in hope of making a giant castle or a poorly assembled tower? Considering it’s such a popular toy, and films based on toys seem to be increasingly popular, it’s no shock that Warner Brother’s studios would produce The Lego Movie in 2014.

The plot involves a common LEGO mini-figure (Chris Pratt) who is mistaken to be a legendary master-builder. He is recruited to join a group of rebels who must stop a LEGO tyrant from gluing the universe together.

Despite the fact that it’s a 100min multi-million dollar commercial, The Lego Movie is actually quite entertaining and has extremely funny moments. It’s the kind of material you’d expect from a Mel Brooks or Woody Allen film; a seeming satire of Toy Story. Of course the plot is a bit strange because it has a lot of Marxist elements, working class people attempt to overthrow the owning bourgeoisie, even though its roots are steeped in capitalist greed; the need to sell LEGO toys.

However, any movie that teaches children the drawbacks of blind conformity to socialization and regulations while encouraging them to be their own awesome individual selves with a bright imagination can’t be terrible. It does seem very formulaic though, I think I’ve seen the exact same plot in over a dozen movies, most notably the 1999 sci-fi classic The Matrix. Both even include a wise master (Morpheus/Vitrivius) who believe the main character is “the one” and-more specifically- both are played by black actors.

Will Ferrell is the most memorable character in this flick; a maniacal mad-man who wishes to glue the city together so that no new formations are allowed. He bumbles and stumbles, much like the former villain he played in Megamind and has more personality in his right arm than the rest of the characters combined. I’m slightly worried that the children of this generation will grow up with some weird concepts about good and evil.

In conclusion, I enjoyed The Lego Movie and would recommend it to any parent who has time to see it with their child. Adults will find something to enjoy out of it too. Is the film pro-Marxist? Difficult to tell, certainly the plot is. I have a feeling this will win the "Best Animated feature" Oscar during the next awards season. 3.5/5