As I recently said to Mars Needs’ own Elizabeth, LEGO has taken on this weird form of parody in recent times, with all the LEGO games and what-not, that I really enjoy and this movie builds on that in a massive way.

The first thing I really have to address is the animation. HO-LEE-BALLS, that is some crackin’ CGI. Not only is it pretty but the animators have obviously gone above and beyond to make the characters, surroundings and textures look like LEGO. It’s so good, it looks like stop-motion at times and that goes a long way to add a real-world feel to it. The LEGO games have characters bend and flex in a way that minifigures cannot but here they move how a minifigure does with only slight gestures added in to give them more emotion, it’s really astonishing! The production and casting is also star-studded, with directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller (21 Jump Street, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs) and Chris McKay (Robot Chicken), the animators Animal Logic (Happy Feet, 300) and an all-star cast which we will get into but first, go check out the trailer already!

Block-Head

Immediately, we’re introduced to Emmet (Chris Pratt, who will be Star-Lord in Marvel’s Guardians of The Galaxy) He’s an average minifigure; not a superhero, brave knight or cowboy, just an average construction worker minifigure who is believed to be a Master Buidler by the old mystic, Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman!). He’s a bumbler but very likable right from the get-go.

♫~She’s a BRICK… House!~♫

I had to work The Commodores in somewhere and this movie obliged with the “tough female” lead, Wyldstyle (Voiced by Elizabeth Banks). I really like her design and hope there’ll be some tie-in minifigures you can get of the characters.

World Building

In a surprising move, this isn’t just a world filled with generic LEGO people but a world inhabited by minifigures from throughout LEGO history. DC Superheroes, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Minifigure Collection, Space, Castle, and dozens of others are present in many of the scenes. I’ll be surprised if any Marvel Superheroes make an appearance though considering this is a Warner Bros. flick.

Guest-starring Batman!
Yup, Batman (Voiced by Arrested Development‘s Will Arnett) joins our motley crew as they try to stop Lord Business (Will Ferrel) and Bad Cop (Liam Neeson) from destroying the universe by gluing the world together. I swear I’m not making that up!

It’s no shock that I’m excited for this movie. It’s funny, charming, well produced and chock-full character and I hope it does well at the box office. You can expected to see a fully assembled The LEGO Movie in theatres Febuary 2014

This is one of those train-wreck movie ideas that really demands my interest because it’s just so hilariously misguided. Yes, this is indeed based on the board-game of our youth. Yes, it does star both Liam Neeson and pop singer Rihanna. And no, I can’t wait for it either.

When the announcement was made a year or two back that this was in production it raised not much more than the typical chuckling and eye-rolling from online community that you’d expect. Many a joke was made about a possible Snakes & Ladders movie starring Samuel L. Jackson (that may just be me making that one up, but c’mon, you’d watch it too) and we all dismissed it as a bad idea that might never happen anyway.

Well it did, and it’s here. And I can’t wait to see the trailer, can you? Let’s watch.

– Wait.. What?

You know when they boast that a film is “from the producers of that big film you like” or “from the makers of that similar kind of film”?

Have you ever seen them boast that it’s from the makers of those TOYS you like? No, me neither. Welcome to a whole new world, folks. It’s only going to get uglier from here…

– So uh, aliens

Anyone see this coming?

I look forward to the alternative game version where one side is lime green and the battleship is shaped like a saucer.

– It’s a metaphor or something

Want to see this movie summed up in a facial expression?

Yeah, we don’t know why you’re in this movie either Alexander Skarsgard. You’re much better than this.

– Wanna blow some stuff up?

I’m not gonna lie, some of the action in this looks cool and there seems to be a hell of a lot of it.

But far too much of the design (and sound effects) mimic the Transformers franchise. Like, REALLY mimic it. To the point where a lot of this looks like a spin-off movie rather than one of it’s own making. That might be a good thing for some more than others.

———————————————————————-

Overall: This will either be awesome or terrible. There is no middle ground here. So far, it’s wacky enough to have my attention. It could be a fun action flick. I just hope that the writing won’t be as bad as the movies this is trying so hard to look like.