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radioSimon Dillon reviews this deliciously odd family movie
When I saw the trailer for The Lego Movie, my heart sank. I thought it looked like a soulless piece of mindless product placement destined to sit alongside Smurf movies, Barbie movies and their ilk. Happily, it turns out I was completely wrong.
The Lego Movie is a delightfully surreal experience - warm, witty, imaginative, satirical, self-deprecating, knowing in a good way, and even oddly moving. It rates alongside the first Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs as one of the most deliciously odd family movies of recent years. The plot, such as it is, resembles a classic quest, with Emmet, an everyday construction worker, discovering he might be the Chosen One - a Master Legobuilder destined to overthrow an evil megalomaniac called Mr Business who wants to glue the Lego universe together.
So far, so The Matrix. But as the film jumps from one outrageous Lego world to the next - taking in Lego City, the Wild West, 1980s vintage Space sets (complete with astronaut with the helmet broken in the EXACT place those helmets always broke), Cloud Cuckoo Land (don't ask), Emmet's brain. No, actually it's just too flippin' bizarre to explain in words. But it is loads of fun. There are also cameos from Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, William Shakespeare, Abraham Lincoln, Michelangelo, Michelangelo from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Dumbledore and Gandalf (other characters constantly confuse the two), various Star Wars characters. Heck, it's a seriously demented piece of work.
There is a real sense of satire in the way Mr Business brainwashes his citizens into mindlessly compliant automatons who think "everything is awesome". "Follow the instructions" is the Lego first commandment, and amid the exhaustingly strange twists and turns, there is an interesting point being made about the importance of imagination. Obviously Lego is a multi-generation toy that also appeals to adults, and the film reflects this in clever ways that really are too good to spoil.
Directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller have deliberately aped the style of those hilarious online amateur Lego shorts rather than make this look like a mega-budget animation (which it is, incidentally). They have also assembled a fine cast that includes Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, Jonah Hill and tying for man of the match (voice of the match?) Morgan Freeman and Liam Neeson.
Consistently laugh-out-loud hilarious, and with a gag rate that
demands repeat viewings, The Lego Movie is, unexpectedly, an absolute
blast. 
Simon Dillon was born the year Steven Spielberg made moviegoers terrified of sharks He loves books and films, writing the former and reviewing the latter. His novels include Peaceful Quiet Lives, Children of the Folded Valley, Spectre of Springwell Forest, and Uncle Flynn. Simon is a fully committed Christian, but doesn’t like to “identify” with any particular denomination. He doesn’t do hugs, and generally prefers moody, sombre Gregorian chants to bouncier Christian music (with a few exceptions). In his reviews, he isn’t interested in counting f-words and miniskirts, but he attempts to unpack the message of the film, with faith issues in mind.
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I always read your articles and feel that this is yet another example of personal liking towards a movie, and the inner critic within you. I personally liked the one you wrote about "Ender's Game," because I feel that was probably one of the most underrated movies of all of last year. I was at least ten times better than "Man of Steel," yet the Superman movie did better on Metacritic than "Ender's Game." All "Man of Steel" was, was brainless CGI overload, and plain performances. It might also be because I am still heated over the fact that everyone hated "Superman Returns," so they kicked Brandon Routh out of the cape and gave it to an actor who hasn't done anything good to date (Henry Cavill). I think that Superman Returns is one of the most underrated films of the decade, but Hanna takes the top spot (Cate Blanchett as an evil killer is nothing short of exciting!).
Thanks Cai - I loved Superman Returns, for the record. It is hugely, hugely underrated.
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