The Lego Movie, English Hollywood Film Movie review, Johnson Thomas, Rating: * * *

English Film review

Johnson Thomas

Child’s Play

Film: The Lego Movie
Cast(voices): Chris Pratt, Will Arnett, Elizabeth Banks, Morgan Freeman, Will Ferrell, Liam Neeson, Nick Offerman, Alison Brie

Director: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller

Rating: * * *

A lowly Lego figure  Emmet(Chris Pratt) joins a group intent on battling an evil force after a case of mistaken identity in this computer generated comedy.  Everybody’s favorite Danish interlocking brick system is now transformed into a big 3D animated feature.  This, at a time when animation was beginning to look just a little bit uninspiring.

It’s a conformist dystopia unlike reality yet not quite, where everything is the same and follows a steady unchangeable routine. An ancient prophecy involving a wise wizard(Morgan freeman) , a scheming super-villain(Will Ferrell), a plucky rebel(Elizabeth Banks) make it interesting with a whole lot of chases and fights in the traditional lego mold.

The story is busy and populated with enlivening action. Pop-culture jokes with just enough sentimentcan keep even the adults mildly amused. The visual environment created by the filmmakers (written and directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller and the animation by Animal Logic) is both witty and imaginative. Although the images are computer generated, they move, for the most part, according to the pleasingly herky-jerky logic of hand-guided stop-motion. The world of interlocking plastic blocks has Smoke, sand and water all made out of Lego, as are high-rise cities, pirate ships, mountains and a zone of free-form fantasy called Cloud Cuckoo Land. Quite a wondrous illusion enhanced in the 3D version of the film.

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