Film: The Lego Movie
Starring: Chris Pratt, Will Arnett
Directed by: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller

The better part of the last year has found the LEGO brand slowly building up a deafening roar of hype for their first-ever feature length film. Through trailers, posters, theater standees, new products, and plenty of viral parody clips the company behind everyone’s favorite stackable bricks has been urging fans new and old to take a chance on a story built from the green baseplate up. It may seem like a gimmick, and in many ways it is, but it works better than any other film released thus far in 2014.

Chris Pratt won over comedy fans with his work on Parks & Recreation, and to an extent he channels the spirit of Andy Dwyer into the character of Emmet Brickowoski. He’s an easy-going, open-minded and lovable guy with a lot of unique ideas, but little-to-no sense of direction in life. He spends his days feeling like he’s on the outside looking in, waiting for someone to take as much of an interest in him as he takes in essentially everything in life. He does everything they do and likes all the same things, but for whatever reason cannot shake the idea he is not like everyone else.

One day, everything changes for Emmet when he literally trips and falls down an open hole in the ground while chasing off someone he believes to be doing something wrong. At the bottom of the hole he finds a strange rock, and though something tells him he should probably turn away, Emmet cannot help getting closer. He touches it, as every protagonist who needs a big adventure to believe in themselves always does, and Emmet soon finds himself leading a battle against forces that want to end creativity – and the world as he knows it – forever.

If you have caught any of the advertising campaigns for The Lego Movie you already know there are a number of ‘cameos’ in the film. Once Emmet learns of the mission he’s unknowingly signed up for, he’s taken to another area of the Lego universe to recruit help from the ‘master builders.’ This is where Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, Gandalf, and many other notable fictional icons come into play. Lego has the rights to many different properties, and they use that access to develop familiar-yet-kooky supporting characters. You know them, or at least you think you do, but in this universe they can interact in ways comic books would never allow. Surprisingly, it never feels shameless or too pandering for its own good.

The references and visual humor are enough to make The Lego Movie worthy of recommendation, but the true treat of the whole affair lies in the story itself. Emmet’s battle with conformity over creativity is one each person faces as they go through life. There is what we want to do and what we think the world will allow us to do, and going against the grain all too often means feeling alone. As adults it becomes an even trickier matter, as you have to balance passion projects with career responsibilities, but the sense of isolation is universal. The Lego Movie finds a way to tackle these subjects in ways that both kids and adults can appreciate without making either side feel all that grown up. There is without question a message to the movie, but it’s one told with an emphasis on fun.

The LEGO brand has been a staple of toy markets for decades, and one of the many reasons the company has been able to sustain popularity for so long has been their ability to adapt to changing times. The product at the heart of the LEGO brand has remained unchanged for decades, but through intelligent marketing, genius partnerships, and continued focus on creativity the brand has remained ‘hip’ even as the majority of children’s toys have begun to trend more and more digitally. The video games have certainly helped, but even though they are praised for being brilliant innovations to the world of gaming they are still part of an elaborate scheme to get you in LEGO stores or visiting online retailers. The company wants the consumer to feel free to build the world they want to live in, even if it doesn’t follow the instructions on the box, and maintaining that sense of ‘anything can happen’ is what makes The Lego Movie cinematic gold.

Score: A+

Written by: James Shotwell Follow @utgjames

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James Shotwell

James Shotwell is the founder of Under The Gun Review. He loves writing about music and movies almost as much as he loves his two fat cats. He's also the co-founder of Antique Records and the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. You should probably follow him on Twitter.

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