The Lego Movie (PG)
Starring: Will Ferrell, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman
IN THE Lego Movie, everything is awesome.
From a start as sharp and funny as any film this year to an ending with a twist that borders on the bizarre, this is an experience to savour.
Using a combination of stop-motion animation and CGI technology, the visuals are a riot of colour and quirkiness, with imagination being the only restriction to what the film-makers were able to produce.
As far as plot goes, it’s as convoluted and disorganised as it could possibly be without becoming too ridiculous to enjoy.
The storyline in one sentence is – ordinary Lego construction worker Emmett believes he is the “chosen one” who will save the world from destruction by the evil President Business, learning lessons along the way about believing in himself and not conforming.
But don’t worry about the plot, this film is all about wonderful animation combined with pop culture jokes, Lego references and a healthy slice of social satire thrown in.
It also has plenty of old-fashioned silliness that kept smiles on faces for the entire 100 minutes.
Whether it’s Lego William Shakespeare doing the worm, Lego Abraham Lincoln in a spaceship or the 2002 NBA Lego All Stars fighting the bad guys with basketballs, this is a film that uses the shotgun approach to its humour and usually hits its mark.
Special mention should go to voiceovers from Morgan Freeman as the blind and not-always-wise rebel leader, Liam Neeson as Good Cop/Bad Cop and Will Ferrel as the pathetically evil President Business.
They all put in some of their best performances in years.
The reviewer’s 15-year-old son went back for a second viewing in as many days and enjoyed being able to pick up the various smaller jokes and background visuals that become lost in the frenzied telling of the story.
The Lego Movie is simply the funnest film you will see this year.
Awesome indeed.
– Danny Buttler
