The Lego Movie review

If you don't like The Lego Movie, you are Fox News.

If you had told past me that a 100 minute toy commercial released in the bleak winter months would be one of the best movies of the year (so far), I would laugh in your face and say some arbitrary statement like "No good movies come out in January or February!" or "A movie about Lego's? Give me a break." Past me knew nothing. The Lego Movie is the best animated movie I've seen since Toy Story 3, and it's better than anything that has been released in 2014 so far. I can almost guarantee it a spot on my Favorite Films of 2014 list. The film is about Emmett Brickowoski (voiced by Chris Pratt) He loves his job as a construction worker, where he builds things according to the instructions and blows up things that are "weird". Emmett drinks coffee at a chain coffee shop where coffee costs 37 dollars. He thinks this is awesome. Emmett fits in so well, that his coworkers barely even notice him. That all changes when he accidentally finds the mysterious "piece" that will help stop Lord Business (Will Ferrell) from using the Kragle to destroy all of the Lego world. It all sounds very confusing I know. Don't worry though. It all makes glorious sense when you see the movie. Many animated movies nowadays are made specifically for profit reasons and only entertain the little kids. Rarely is there an animated film that captures the imagination and attention of both the adults and kids in the audience, all while being an actually "good" movie. Cars 2 this is not. The Lego Movie is a strangely effective mix of classic science fiction, pop culture references, fast paced witty comedy, and fantastic animation. Take the kids, but you may actually be getting more out of it than they will. In the city that a majority of the film takes place in, there are big billboards with the face of President Business saying things like "Conform" and things like that. I can't help but think of John Carpenter's 1988 movie, They Live. Even Business' minions bare a striking resemblance to the evil aliens from that film. Lego Movie takes a lot from classic sci-fi like 1984, but adds it's own style and humor.The Lego Movie was marketed as a fun kids movie, but obviously has a lot more to say then just that. It takes jabs at Big Business and government surveillance, yet doesn't hit you over the head with the message. More important than that, the movie is really quite funny. The script for the film is actually genius. It's able to stay consistently funny while not getting tiresome. It's characters are ridiculous at times, yet they also feel weirdly real. The writers and directors of the film, Chris Miller and Phil Lord, have made some decent movies in the past. They did Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, which was alright. And 21 Jump Street, which was actually very funny.Take the best qualities of both those movies and then multiply it by ten, and you may have an idea of what The Lego Movie is like. The voice acting here is awesome. Elizabeth Banks, Charlie Day, Will Arnett, Morgan Freeman, Will Ferrell,... the list goes on. It's not just a smorgasbord of celebrities being paraded around,, everyone here has something to offer. The talent is put to good use. I really can't get over how great the movie is! It's funny, yet deep and meaningful. It's exciting, but not tiring. It's so, so well animated. I know I'm probably overly praising this right now, but just trust me on this one. The Lego Movie is awesome. The best way I can describe the film is if you took The Avengers and 1984, then mushed it into a terrific SNL skit, threw in more pop culture references, then made it into a movie involving Legos. The movie is great. It left me in a state of awe, all while making me crack up. I really did love it. The Lego Movie is a film for our generation. It personifies a lot of today's society, and carries a timeless message. I was expecting the movie to really suck. How could an hour and forty minutes of product placement be good? Yet, it really is. That's all I'm going to say for now. I give The Lego Movie 4.5 out of 5 stars. Happy Viewing! You can follow me on Twitter @WhitsMovies and like me on Facebook at Facebook.com/WhitsMovies!