YOU ARE HERE: LAT HomeCollectionsMovies "The Lego Movie" is a massive collision of subversive humor, hyper-kinetic energy, mind-jangling design, spinning colors and about 15 million Legos, no exaggeration.It is very tempting to use the movie's pounding pop anthem — "Everything Is Awesome" — to put this insane sensory experience into sound-bite perspective. But that is no doubt the piece de resistance of the filmmakers' master plan. Or in "Lego Movie" speak, the Piece of Resistance.So in solidarity with that sentiment, I'll resist.PHOTOS: Images from 'The Lego Movie'Instead let's consider why a film about the unassuming little plastic lock blocks that have captivated kids and bedeviled vacuum cleaners and bare feet for generations works so well on the big screen.Having a cast that knows precisely how to play with a good line helps and "Lego" has done well in that regard. Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Ferrell, Will Arnett, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman and others bring the inherently inert to vibrant life.
But it is instructive to go back to the source, the toy itself, for more clues. Ingenious in its simplicity, endless in its creative possibilities, made for building up and tearing down, yet nearly indestructible, accompanied by instructions that can be followed or completely ignored.Directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller wisely adopt the fundamental principles in constructing this zany 3-D world. The pair, who were the creative team responsible for the charming 2009 adaptation of "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs," also wrote the "Lego" script. They know how to shake and bake the kid stuff so that adults will bite too.From the first frames, the film is grounded in that classic Lego debate: whether to stick with the plans provided or go freestyle. The clash between uniformity and diversity becomes the central conflict that drives the action, which may actually surpass "Transformers" levels and I wasn't sure that was possible.PHOTOS: Billion-dollar movie clubLord Business/President Business/The Man Upstairs (Ferrell) — basically the bad guy who runs everything — is a rigid sort, unsettled by change and on a campaign to stamp it out.
He's got crews working to homogenize the metropolis of Bricksburg where Emmet (Pratt), a very ordinary guy and our unlikely hero, lives.Just to be clear, because they are making a major point here, there is nothing distinctive about Emmet. His days don't vary, he follows the same routine, eats the same food, laughs at the same sitcom joke. When someone tells him, "Don't get any ideas," he says, guilelessly, "I never have any ideas."Even so, Emmet couldn't be happier. His life is awesome. His friends are awesome. The construction worker gets to demolish buildings every single day. A lot of interesting ideas are seeded into the simplicity — understandable to youngsters in a literal sense; amusing to the older crowd for the broader implications.When Emmet takes an accidental tumble down a metaphoric rabbit hole, his very structured existence comes crashing down too upon discovering there is much more to the world than Bricksburg. It would be ironic, if Emmet understood irony, that just as his worldview is expanding, Business is shutting it down.
BEST MOVIES OF 2013: Turan | OlsenThere is a prophesy, handed down by Vitruvius (Freeman, his Lego man looking a lot like a blind prophet), which is keeping the anti-Business resistance alive. It involves something called the Kragle (one of several word teases the film employs), the infamous Piece of Resistance and the Special, a mysterious master builder who will save the world. Things get really complicated when Emmet is mistaken for the Special.Things get even more complicated when he develops a crush. She rides a souped-up cycle, her name is Wyldstyle (Banks) and she has an immediate effect on him — everything goes slow-mo and in this movie, that really stands out. Watching Wyldstyle toss her helmet hair as if it were Pantene perfection ranks among the film's best effects.As Emmet soon discovers, there are many superheroes fighting Business' extinction plan. Batman (Arnett) is the most problematic because he's Wyldstyle's boyfriend. The basic good versus evil battle really boils down to a fight against conformity, particularly the kind of conformity adults tend to enforce and kids tend to resist.
There is a little twist at the end of the film to tether the animated ideal to the real world that is kind of nifty, though I'm not sure it was necessary.While not a groundbreaking concept, it is smartly told and peppered with wry riffs on pop culture as well as unexpected historical high points. So don't be shocked to see Abraham Lincoln (Will Forte), Green Lantern (Jonah Hill), Shakespeare (Jorma Taccone) and Superman (Channing Tatum) going for a punch line with equal energy.PHOTOS: Movie sneaks 2014 Seizure Led to FloJo's DeathHis 104 scores make his caseRestaurant review: South Beverly GrillBrutal Murder by Teen-Age Girls Adds to Britons' ShockComaneci Confirms Suicide Attempt, Magazine SaysAllow Facebook friends to see your upcoming events? No, keep my events secretThe $69-million opening of "The Lego Movie" last weekend has Hollywood film studios scanning the aisles of toy stores for the next hit.In recent years, several film series based on action figures and other children's products have found major box-office success.
Among those have been pictures based on the Transformers and G.I. Joe toy lines. Though films based on toys aren't guaranteed hits, movie studios are attracted to such properties because of their massive built-in and often pre-sold audiences. Toy-centered films that find success also can unlock lucrative ancillary revenue streams, including more toys and related merchandise. PHOTOS: Scenes from 'The Lego Movie'Movies based on the Ouija board game and the Hot Wheels toy car line are among the latest crop seeking that kind of success. Other beloved toys, including the Candy Land and Monopoly board games, also could be turned into films.And Warner Bros. has already begun developing a sequel to "Lego.""If nothing else, people will see the success of 'The Lego Movie' and say, 'Hey, we can do that too,'" said Lutz Muller, chief executive of Klosters Trading Corp., a consumer products consulting firm in Williston, Vt. "But it will take more than just the wish to sell toys to make it a successful movie."
Indeed, there have been toy-based film missteps such as the 2012 flop "Battleship," which was born out of the high-profile partnership of Universal Pictures and Hasbro. A 1985 adaptation of the board game "Clue" also bombed. Entertainment attorney Schuyler Moore, who represented the producers of "Goal!," a film trilogy that was largely financed by Adidas and featured the company's apparel, believes that the adaptation of toys into movies is part of a broader trend of companies entering the "content business" in earnest. PHOTOS: Box office top 10 of 2013"They key is whether the product works for a film," said Moore, a partner at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan.In 2008, Hasbro Inc. in Pawtucket, R.I., one of the largest toy makers in the world, inked a deal with Universal Pictures to make at least four movies based on the toy company's products. But several projects were shelved, including a film based on the Stretch Armstrong action figure. Though the companies continue to work together — they are making the Ouija project — Muller said "Battleship" is a cautionary tale toy makers should heed."
The toy companies will do everything in their power to make sure [a film] sells as many toys as possible, and if they do that, it will take away from the attractiveness of the movie itself," Muller said. "I would not take the success of Lego as a template for predictions because Lego … didn't just use 'The Lego Movie' to promote Lego."Though there have been disappointments, toy-based films are proven commodities at the box office. Each of the three "Transformers" films has grossed at least $700 million worldwide. Both of the "G.I. Joe" pictures crossed the $300-million mark.Those two franchises are based on properties controlled by Hasbro, which also boasts the Candy Land and Monopoly brands. PHOTOS: Biggest box office flops of 2013"There used to be a stigma around creating movies based on products," said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for entertainment analytics firm Rentrak. "I think people are realizing that movies can come from virtually anywhere, and as long as the movies have some measure of quality then the stigma goes away."
Paramount's next "Transformers" picture, "Transformers: Age of Extinction," stars Mark Wahlberg and is scheduled to come out June 27. That studio, which also is behind the "G.I. Joe" movies, is developing another film in that series too.Paramount also is releasing "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" in August, though that project — unlike other toy-related films — is based on a comic book that later spawned a line of toys.Universal Pictures' Ouija project, which Platinum Dunes and Blumhouse Pictures are producing, is slated for release Oct. 24. The film centers on a group of friends who use a Ouija board to try to contact a dead friend but instead cross paths with a dark spirit.Universal also is behind a movie based on the Uglydoll line of quirky plush toys and will distribute Legendary Pictures' upcoming film based on the Hot Wheels die-cast toy cars. The film would be directed by Simon Crane, a veteran second unit director whose credits include "World War Z," and written by Paul Attanasio, who received Oscar nominations for writing "Quiz Show" and "Donnie Brasco."