The Lego Movie: 'waves the flag for free-form invention'. The repositioning of luddite Lego bricks as a saleable staple of the digital gaming revolution is one of the greatest marketing coups of the 21st century. Parents who grew up assembling brightly coloured building blocks in the age of the Bakelite telephone were amazed to find their children playing Lego Harry Potter for DS or Lego Star Wars for Wii, the brand name meaning as much to their computer-literate offspring as it did to them. Terrific to report, then, that The Lego Movie does nothing to undermine the Danish dynamo's ongoing reputation as a purveyor of fine entertainment for kids of all ages. While younger viewers will delight at the whiz-bang animation action and hugely likable familiar figures, adults will laugh themselves silly at the smart consumer satire gags and goggle in wonder at the undulating Legoland vistas. Tipping its head toward the self-aware set-up of Wreck-It Ralph (via the Tour Guide Barbie sequence from Toy Story 2), The Lego Movie casts (un)happy plastic construction worker Emmet (Chris Pratt) as an accidental hero when President Business (Will Ferrell) attempts to obliterate nonconformist creativity with the aid of an instruction manual and some glue.
Teaming up with Batman, Wyldstyle and other assorted contrarians, Emmet waves the flag for free-form invention, which appears to be Lego's rallying cry. The denouement may be a super-soppy sales pitch, but the surreal slapstick sensibilities of Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs writers/directors Lord and Miller consistently undermine any corporate guff. You'll come out singing theme tune Everything is Awesome in only mildly ironic fashion.We have detected a history of abnormal traffic from your network so we ask that you please complete the following form to confirm that you are not a robot and are indeed a real person. Most of this time this happens if there has been a lot of malicious bot activity from your current internet provider's network or you are using a VPN. It likely has nothing to do with you. We're really sorry for the hassle. The Lego Batman Movie works precisely because it knows audiences are sick of its hero. It's a reassessment, an intervention, an effort to try and remember what's fun about him.
February 15, 2017 | The sequel of sorts... is not quite as good, but at its best, it has the same whiplash wit and inspired freneticism. February 10, 2017 | The thing about a sequel or a spinoff, even a mostly fun one like The LEGO Batman Movie, is that it's hard to recreate enthusiasm and inventiveness. What was once new is now, already, routine. Overall, The Lego Batman Movie offers enough action and silliness to enthrall children while providing sufficient pop culture and Batman-through-the-years references to keep adults entertained. Basically, it's a standard-issue Batman narrative - arguably better than 50 per cent of history's other Batman films - that just happens to take place in a Lego-fied world. It's the Bat-spoof we didn't know we needed and it gives Batman a chance to loosen up.Let friends in your social network know what you are reading aboutTwitterGoogle+LinkedInPinterestPosted!A link has been posted to your Facebook feed. 'The Lego Movie' builds family fun from clever satireCLOSExEmbedThe all-Lego adventure is warm and witty, showing flashes of satire.
The Lego Movie (* * * out of four; rated PG; opens Friday nationwide) is a spirited romp through a world that looks distinctively familiar, and yet freshly inventive.As classic toy fixtures for more than 70 years, the colorful plastic interlocking Lego bricks are instantly recognizable. And the computer-generated world created by writer-directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs) is one that makes use of these readily identifiable parts in appealing, buoyant and often surprising ways. Using a detailed, tactile style of computer animation that also resembles stop-motion, the film's look suits the aesthetics of Lego constructions.The joy in a bucket of toy bricks lies in the panoply of possible shapes and structures, and the filmmakers palpably convey that sense of imaginative creation.STORY: 'The Lego Movie': Building a toy story from bricksINTERVIEW: Chris Pratt's movie stardom snaps together with 'Lego'MORE: 'Lego' filmmakers: No guns, some peril, some assurancesREVIEWS: The latest movie reviews from USA TODAYTRAILERS: Coming soon to theatersIt's an eye-catching environment, though at times the whole thing becomes a bit too noisy and frenetic.
But overall, the experience is giddy fun for the kids, and the irreverent dialogue and gently pointed satire is amusing for the adults who accompany them.This action-packed story is the first feature-length movie composed entirely of real and computer-generated Legos. This all-Legos-all-the-time universe is especially striking in the way it depicts smoke and storm-tossed seas. Who knew those little building blocks could simulate undulating waves?At the center of the family-friendly fun is Lego mini-figure Emmet Brickowoski, voiced by Chris Pratt. As unremarkable as they come, he unquestioningly follows orders at his humdrum construction job, enjoys the inane TV show he's fed daily and sings along to the obnoxious but catchy song on the radio. Though Emmet appears to be a blank slate, underneath his bland exterior is a sweet yearning. He consults a manual for pointers on how to win friends, to little avail.Everything changes when Emmet inadvertently stumbles on a strange object and meets the rebellious Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks).
He learns he might be "the Special," in accordance with an ancient prophecy that says he will save the world from impending doom.Emmet is trying to foil a plan for world domination set in motion by President Business and enforced by his swivel-headed, schizoid enforcer, Bad Cop/Good Cop (Liam Neeson) and legions of robot clones.Household items, such as Q-tips, Krazy Glue and nail polish remover, are regarded as relics from another civilization and play key parts in the zany but unevenly paced tale, which has whiffs of Toy Story, Wreck-it Ralph and even The Matrix.Those who have played with the small Danish brick-like toys — or the more recent video games — will no doubt get a particular kick out of this ingenious movie.Even for those who aren't Lego fans, the spry adventure saga offers plenty of laughs and clever allusions, as well as a sometimes-subversive skewering of modern conformity.A warmhearted, goofy celebration of creativity, The Lego Movie builds on a sweet tale of finding one's inner imaginative child.