Starring Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell & Elizabeth Banks
Rating 9/10
Film
Our Lego adventure begins with the evil, baddie, Lord Business (Ferrell) who is determined to get his hands on the Kragle – a weapon designed to bring about the end of the world. He succeeds, despite efforts by a lovely old goodie, Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman) who ends up blinded by the evil lord. Vitruvius warns the lord about a prophesy where a person called ‘the special’ will take hold of the piece of resistance and disable the dreaded Kragle.
Fast forward eight years and we meet a pretty average dude, Emmet (Pratt) who loves living by the rules of Lord Business’ world (otherwise known as the instructions). He’s not a creative type. He’s not popular, loved or even noticed in his day to day life.
But one day, Emmet stumbles on the Piece of Resistance that sticks to his back and so he is deemed the Special by new friend, Wyldstyle (Banks) who tries to get him out of the clutches of bad/good cop, Bad Cop (Liam Neeson). The smart duo escape his clutches and head to other worlds like The Wild West as they make their way to their final destination, Cloud Cuckoo Land with the help of Wyldstyle’s boyfriend, Batman (Will Arnett).
When they arrive they meet all the other Master Builders like Superman, the Green Lantern, Gandalf, Abraham Lincoln and Michelangelo, amongst others. When they realise that Emmet isn’t a master builder, a creative thinker or someone ‘special’ they all go nuts. And then the Bad Cop arrives and all the Master Builders get captured.
But Emmet and the rest of the gang keep going, as he grows in confidence, things start looking up. He starts planning how to infiltrate Lord Business’ office to stop him using the Kragle and ending the world as they know it. What happens? I’ll let you find out!
Review
I love Lego and so do my kids. Besides treading on it in the middle of the night, I can’t get enough of the stuff. It’s so creative and this movie taps into this big time. It’s funny, fun and beautifully made. They could have done it on a much smaller budget, like those Youtube clips with frame by frame shots but it’s so much more than that. There’s a combination of that type of authentic look with really awesome animation.
The story is solid and engaging. You want the underdog to win, you just do! The message comes through pretty strong that everyone is special, not just one lucky person. Everyone has their own creativity that is just as good as the next person’s and that’s a pretty positive message that kids and adults alike need to hear over and over again.
This film is made with humour and nostalgia. The cinema almost erupted with a cheer when the Star Wars Lego arrived on the scene. It featured Knights, Cowboys, superheroes, sports stars, 80s Lego characters, Lord of the Rings characters and so much more! The only thing missing were the Lego Friends people. Maybe next Lego movie, huh!
This is a lot of fun. There are hidden jokes, just for the parents and characters you will enjoy. One surprising aspect I won’t go into too much was a bit controversial in our home. My son wasn’t a huge fan but I didn’t mind it. I won’t give it away but hopefully you’ll know what I mean when you see it! Take your kids, nephews, nieces or just yourself and check it out. So much fun for everyone!
Food
I love this quote fromThe Lego Movie: “Who wants to eat some delicious chicken wings and get CRAZY?!” Sounds good to me! So, of course, the dish we’re matching with this movie is Honey Soy Chicken Wings from Taste.com.au – yummo! Get cooking and watching.
The Lego Movietrivia
- Budget – $60 Million
- Apparently the whole Master Builder term is a real thing. Master Builder Lego people are those that design all the Lego sets and to them I am forever grateful.
- This is Morgan Freeman’s first animated film, can you believe it? He has such a great voice.
- You wouldn’t know it but the whole movie has been made with CGI technology. Not one bit of stop motion animation in it! So clever.
- The Octan petrol station featured in the film (and run by baddie, Lord Business) has been in loads of Lego sets since 1992.
- The staff that Vitruvius holds is actually a lollipop stick that has been chewed. Ewww.
- The film had references to Fabuland (I still have Fabuland Lego!!!) from the 80s which was a storybook series available from 1979-89!
- Executive Producer, Kathleen Fleming died in tragic circ*mstances while the film was being made. The 39 year old died in an accident in Mexico. Very sad stuff.
