By Peter Hyle
This past Friday, The Lego Movie was released into theatres. I don’t know who planned to see this movie when trailers were first released, but I was not one of them. I thought that it looked stupid and that the only funny parts must have been shown in the trailer, trying to trick everyone into believing that it was actually a hilarious movie. I obviously went and saw it anyways, and was actually surprised by the overall quality and humor of this children’s movie.
From the very start this movie was fast paced and full of color and warmth. The plot revolves around Emmet (Chris Pratt), a seemingly insignificant, unimportant and common LEGO minifigure. In the beginning Emmet does something that leads him to be mistaken for The Special, someone who is supposed to be the most extraordinary and original person alive. On his heartfelt journey to save the world, Emmet is aided by a fellowship of Master Builders to guide his way.
The villain in this movie is known as President Business (Will Ferrell) and he was actually my favorite character. Being the classic, hostile but still ignorantly funny bad guy was expected in this movie, yet somehow it was refreshing to watch President Business in each of his scenes. Though the role was typical for a children’s movie, the character was surprisingly enjoyable and had a lot of character development.
The film is filled with genuine dialogue that feels real and has actual emotions tied behind it. It isn’t all just a bunch of goofy situations that look great on screen but lack actual depth. The writing is witty and thoroughly entertaining, including jokes that make both children and adults crack up laughing.
Attention to detail is one of the best qualities of this movie. The effects are simply stunning, even for an entire film made out of toy blocks and plastic figures. I was blown away with what the movie was able to show, accomplish and produce with only LEGOS. It’s an action packed movie with a shocking amount of imagination thrown in.
In the end, just like most animated movies, it presents a moral to the overall story. In The Lego Movie, I was shocked by the sincerity of the end theme. It wasn’t just a fortune cookie tag line; it is something that you don’t entirely believe until you witness the movie as a whole. In all, it is a heartfelt, energetic comedy that will catch you by surprise.