I’ve been warning people for months this movie would be a huge success on concept alone. But what happens if it’s actually good? Like really good?
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“The Lego Movie” is exactly what you might expect. A movie made with legos well at least computer generated to make it look like legos. Either way, come on, it’s LEGOS! The movie stars the voice of Parks and Recreation’s Chris Pratt as Emmet, an everyday, ordinary lego guy who finds himself at the center of an effort to stop President Business, voice by Will Ferrell. Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Morgan Freeman, Charlie Day, and others add their voices to the fun as well. And what fun it is.
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I loved this movie so much. Let’s start with the design. Because the movie is made to look as if it was done with legos there is a real freshness to the animation. As if the legos themselves weren’t already enough of a shot of nostalgia, to see them used in this way is visually stunning. Plus the Voice casting is perfect. Pratt is dead on as the everyman nobody hero and Ferrell is great as the over reaching villain, both nailing the slick sense of humor in a way that had the theater rolling with laughter. And it’s not cheap humor either, it’s really clever and subtle at points, which I’m sure will reward multiple views. But the best thing had to be the way this movie locked in its theme and even amongst it’s zany presentation found a way to really hit home with a powerful and important message about creativity and child like discovery and imagination. Plus it makes this incredible turn in the last act that I really didn’t think was going to work but somehow worked perfectly, bringing even more power to an already powerful message. I guess for me, the biggest surprise wasn’t that it looked good, or that it was funny, the biggest surprise was that it actually ended up being pretty deep and profound. Not bad for a movie made with little snap together pieces huh?
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So was it perfect? I kind of want to say yes, I mean I had such an amazing time with it and I can’t wait to see it again, but if I narrow my eyes a bit and really focus in I guess there is one flaw that might rise forth. It’s a bit too manic at times. Now this is perfect for most kids, but for some adults the pace may be a bit much, especially in that first hour or so. It also makes for a situation where you are missing some jokes because the theater hasn’t stopped laughing from the last one. Granted, that’s a great problem to have, but one I should mention none the less.
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At the end of the day, The Lego Movie is a brilliant work of art, the humor, the design, the acting, the message, and the heart are all pieces that for me lock together as a perfect fit, building one of the best movies I’ve seen in a while. I give it an unreserved A.
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Thanks for checking out this Your Movie Friend review, stay tuned for this review’s “Best Ever” challenge here in bit but first, I’m going to put up some stuff you can click over in this area. If you’d like to subscribe, which I would much appreciate, you can do so by clicking the big gray subscribe button. Want to see more? You can click here to see reviews of The Monuments Men or Vampire Academy. You can also Click the logo up here to go to yourmoviefriend.com where you can search by title for reviews. And finally this review’s “Best Ever” Challenge, where you name the best movie ever in a particular category and also try to identify my choice. How bout we do “the best movie about imagination ever”. Now I know that ones a little abstract but mine starts with a shot of a baseball video game. Drop your own answer and a guess at mine in the comments and first person to guess mine gets a point! Thanks and don’t forget to subscribe!