The Lego Movie

After seeing the trailer for The Lego Movie, I couldn't wait to see it opening weekend.  Although it's aimed at kids, it looked like it would be able to be versatile enough to appeal to adults as well.

The plot is pretty simple. Lord Evil Business (Will Ferrell) has a weapon called the Kragle, and plans on using it to change the world as everyone knows it.  He's tired of people messing with his stuff, so he intends to stop that with the Kragle.  Lord Vetruvius (Morgan Freeman) says that there is a chosen one who will find the Piece of Resistance and be able to thwart Lord Business.  Emmett Brickowski winds up finding the piece.  The trouble is, there's nothing special about him.  He can't put two pieces together to save his life, which frustrates him and his friends.

The Lego Movie didn’t wow me the way I hoped it would.  It’s a good movie, not great, mostly because I wasn’t sure in watching it what it wanted to accomplish.  Was it a story about how an ordinary person could be special?  Was it supposed to be just a zany film featuring Legos?  For a brief second or two, I realized that this could just be one giant ad for Legos with some pleasant moments. 

That’s not to say that there weren’t parts I enjoyed.  There are some hilarious characters (Bad Cop, for instance, is one of Lord Evil Business’s henchmen, but he also has another side, like some Legos do).  I think Will Arnett as Lego Batman may be my favorite Batman ever, as he spoofs how dark Batman tends to be.  And Will Ferrell voices a great villain in Lord Business, playing a menace with good comic timing.

This movie’s for the kids, of course.  But I did read some glowing reviews saying how much adults will love it, so  I did have high expectations going in.  Though they weren’t totally met, I do recommend seeing The Lego Movie and I’m glad it’s out there.