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davidahallnum5
Aug 712 min read

The LEGO Movie 3D Blu-ray Review

MOVIE REVIEW

The LEGO Movie is a 2014 100-minute long commercial for the LEGO brand that so happened to release in movie theaters. It follows around an extraordinarily ordinary construction worker named Emmet who goes about his day like always, until an unusual series of events places a strange object known as the Piece of Resistance onto his back. After getting picked up by the forces of the ruler of the world, Lord Business, who plans to take the Piece of Resistance for his own reasons, Emmet gets rescued by a woman named Wildstyle who believes him to be The Special, the one prophesied to save the world from oncoming doom. Getting unexpectedly thrust into war between Lord Business and the creative freedom fighters known as MasterBuilders, Emmet's cookie-cutter life will never be the same.

My child self was completely oblivious to it at the time. But when The LEGO Movie came out, most people were preparing for it in the same way most people see The Emoji Movie and Space Jam 2 now, as a cynical cash grab. That was, until people actually saw the film. Oh, it did leave people disappointed, and maybe a bit furious. But only because it didn't get nominated for Best Animated Feature. I didn't notice it, I was too busy going to Target with mom and begging for the LEGO sets. As I reach adulthood though, and materialism has begun to lose its effect on me, I can still consider this outrage reasonable. I like Big Hero 6 and all. But if I'm being honest with myself, The LEGO Movie is a such a great movie on so many different levels that its lack of notice from the Oscars is a little more than jarring.

That's not to say the film doesn't exist to sell toys and to promote the LEGO brand. It very much is. As a LEGO kid, I was taken in by the incorporation of all things LEGO film the Octan Corporation, the instruction manuals, the bright colorful visuals, and theme of being free to build whatever you want, not to mention all the brands they were able to pull together from DC to Middle Earth to Ninjago to Star Wars. To my child self, this was exactly what I was craving for. It sounds like every parent's nightmare, especially when it came to their wallets. And it was. The film also did contain many of the tropes you'd find in an average children's movie such as comedy such as constant comedic gags, celebrity voice acting, and even "Everything Is Awesome" has a bit of a repulsive quality on par with "Let It Go," not because the song is inherently bad, but because at the time, you couldn't escape it. If you were to read everything in this paragraph, I wouldn't blame you for getting the impression of this being a soulless cash grab.

But you'd be wrong. It is a cash grab, for sure. But if there's anything The LEGO Movie isn't, it's soulless. The directors of the film, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller have always been known for breathing life into places where there really shouldn't be, be it 21 Jump Street or Spider-Man. But while the Spider-Verse movies might be their magnum opus, it's The LEGO Movie that had really shown us what they're capable of. The film follows the typical hero's journey type story very closely. However, what makes the movie "special" is in the execution of the story. It turns our ordinary figure called to action into a literal nobody with absolutely nothing unique about him or his character. The actual events of the story utilize its LEGO world in consistently clever, and hilarious, ways that would take all day to fully describe. And the characters are so over the top that it deconstructs the roles of the hero's story splendidly.

Heck, the voice acting in this regard couldn't be more pitch perfect. Morgan Freeman was a perfect choice for Victruvius, the wise old wizard who shows Emmet his place in the world. Which makes it all the more funny when he does things that are totally incompetent. The LEGO Movie even lets you see Liam Neeson switch between himself as Bad Cop and his silly voice associated with Good Cop. The only one I don't think holds up that well is probably Will Farrell as the villain. His over the top manner still makes the comedy quite effective. But it's honestly a little surreal seeing him after he reprises his role as Lord Business in the Barbie movie last year. Back onto the positives, though, even the constant barrage of brand names LEGO deals with has purpose in the film. Yeah, you can tell that the film needed to shove Superman, Gandalf, and Shaquille O'Neal in there. But they're brought in a way that feels somewhat natural and the film legitimately has so much fun with them you don't even really care. Creativity is at the core of the LEGO brand, and tapping into that makes what is essentially a commercial into a cinematic experience.

Not to mention the fact that The LEGO Movie is just downright funny. Of course, the whole concept of Lord Business's plan to end the world is enough to earn a grin from even the most cynical of moviegoers. But even besides that, the script really is just that clever and fun-loving. Lord and Miller display such an understanding of the toys they're dealing with, the characters they create, and the characters from other IPs they bring in that they're able to pay tribute to them while also being irreverent and silly about them (without being cynical and crass). To me, LEGO Batman is an absolute icon. Most comedies work because of the interactions with over-the-top characters and well-written gags. But then there are a few with characters who just have a natural aura that provokes laughter even when they aren't trying to be funny. LEGO Batman is that dude. Even without him, The LEGO Movie contains within it so many gags that you really do have to see it several times to even fully get a grip of it. And the jokes are all so perfectly timed, which makes most of them stand on multiple viewings. Personally, I do have to admit that as time has gone on, some of the jokes I've gotten good belly laughs at in the past nowadays result in a small smirk (and I've come across YouTube videos that have even created some jokes of their own based on the film that have outdone many of the jokes here (thanks to "YTP - Lego my Eggo", I can't unhear Emmet saying "Eat all the special people in your life.")). None the less, The LEGO Movie certainly never runs out of steam and always knows how to get a well-earned laugh.

Despite the absolute riot of a film this is, it's message about what makes someone special does surprisingly carry with it sense of sincerity. Most of the film is very silly. But in the moments where it counts, the movie does slow down enough to show that it does actually have some heart. The LEGO Movie builds up Emmet to be a pretty clear nobody, but he is a likable character none the less. He does initially resist his supposed role of "The Special" mainly out of imposter syndrome. But through the relationships he builds with those around him, he does eventually come to realize that speciality isn't something you're born with, but something you create for yourself. It sounds like pretty basic kids' movie stuff. But like everything else, Lord and Miller put there own spin on it so you actually deep down care for the characters and what they go through. The emotional beats are nothing what we got out of Into the Spider-Verse, but the way they tie back in with the themes of the main story and Emmet's development as his own person through the film makes them legitimately effective, thus really helping to solidify The LEGO Movie as a, well, movie.

With all the high praise I've given The LEGO Movie, I think it's only fair I do mention a pet peeve of mine that hinders the experience for me slightly. Like Shrek 2, it doesn't by any means take away from the 5 star rating. This is just a personal preference of mine. In my opinion, the movie is a little too fast paced. Whereas with Into the Spider-Verse where every frame was filled to the brim with detail, but the story still moved at the pace of a normal film, The LEGO Movie is always on the move, hardly taking a second to breath. And with all the jokes it bombards you with, it takes a certain degree of brainpower to follow along with the plot. I know I praised the humor for having a near constant flow of gags, and most of them are still pretty funny. But you can't really stop to have a good belly laugh at one of them because you'll have missed two or three other ones. It certainly makes the film ripe for multiple viewings. But I think it prevents it from being quite as laughter-inducing as it could've been. But I don't know, maybe it's my grown-up brain talking. I just can't handle stimulation as well as I used to.

We live in an age where most films at the theater are simply trying to cash in on brand recognition. I wouldn't call it an inherently bad thing, as long as the film knows how to use that brand in a way that's insightful or new, or at the least fun. But the fact is, with slop like The Emoji Movie and Ralph Breaks the Internet existing, and with money being made off of it, I don't think Hollywood is going to put their money into something original anytime soon. Still, even back in the early days, there was still proof that commercials acting as films could still act like films, delivering innovative setups, enjoyable characters, and non-stop fun. And The LEGO Movie was THE film that proved it could be possible. In a way, I believe it's box office success might've sent the wrong message to Hollywood, teaching it that feature-length commercials were the way of the future. But the good news is, even 10 years later, The LEGO Movie still holds up on its own as a thoroughly entertaining and thoughtfully crafted venture even if you're not a huge LEGO fan. It's enjoyment doesn't come from the fact that 33% of its name is trademarked, but rather that its knows how to take almost every part of pop culture, LEGO themselves, and even modern films, and deconstruct them in ways that are witty and fun. It reminds us of what made those things great to begin with while also building on itself its own sense of identity with its characters and message. That, more than anything else, makes The LEGO Movie feel truly "special."


OVERALL FILM RATING: 5/5


3D REVIEW

In 2014, 3D was certainly a thing that existed. Most of the 3D greats such as Gravity, Avatar, and Life of Pi had come out a good while ago. But it wouldn't be another year until The Walk would release, the film that supposedly marked the end of the 3D renaissance. It seems that for 2014, there weren't a lot of very notable 3D films being released. Most everything was either an animated film or a big-budget blockbuster, and neither of those really offered anything that was revolutionary to 3D. Still, that doesn't mean we didn't get any films that were worth the ticket price. I think Mr. Peabody and Sherman worked way better in 3D than it had any right to. Pompeii, despite its flaws, still had its moments. But I think that of all the films released that year, The LEGO Movie was legitimately a 3D standout.

The 3D experience of The LEGO Movie is quite surreal. Yes, like all animated movies, it has big, bright, and colorful set pieces. But what makes this film feel different is that most of the time, you feel like you're looking into a series of LEGO sets, big and small. The amount of depth in-screen isn't on par with something that Dreamworks or Disney would put out, but like Gravity and Mad Max: Fury Road, there is enough for the 3D to be effective. At the start of the film, we see this come into play in big locations such as the cave holding the Piece of Resistance in a mountain surrounded by lava (ala Lord of the Rings) and small locations like Emmet's bedroom. And as we move onto various places such as Bricksburg, the construction site, the Old West, Cloud Cuckoo Land, and my personal favorite 3D location, Lord Business's office building, it seems like you walk right in. And with everything being made of LEGOs, it adds a unique shape to everything in the frame. Even the ocean with its waves hit differently when viewed in 3D. That's how you know you have a banger on your hands.

Beyond just the fact that 3D is a very natural fit for the film, it is used in numerous, and often fun ways. At the construction site, we get some views from high up that emphasize the size of the structures Emmet and his crew mates are building. There are some top-down shots that would be vertigo inducing if you didn't know that LEGO characters can get up from a fall no matter how big. There's plenty of top-down and bottom-up shots throughout the film, from the submarine falling into the ocean from Cloud Cuckoo Land to Emmet and the gang falling from a bridge into a river of crocodiles working for the police. But some of my favorites are the ones surrounding Lord Business's office, which goes up so high it'd make the Burj Khalifa blush. The exterior shots lend to some neat moments, but in the indoor ones such as in the Relic Room, the Think Tank, and the Kragle Room (the last one coming with the added benefit of lasers) also make quite the impression. Even besides just the top-down shots, Lord Business's building is just pure ripe for 3D choreography from the laser gate on the outside to the never-ending cubicle office room to the shots looking down into the Infinite Abyss of Nothingness.

Elsewhere, whenever there's action on-screen, there's typically so much gunfire, lasers, vehicles, and fights going on in the background that the 3D must makes the moment eye-candy. There are some fun shots involving words floating in the sky to describe the location, the insides of colorful tunnels, a title card made up of LEGOs against a LEGO background, and near the end when SPOILER WARNING a giant black lego brick hovers over Bricksburg and a ton of red pipes come out from underneath it. END SPOILERS.

There aren't a ton of pop outs as you'd think if you're thinking along the lines of The Polar Express or even Meet the Robinsons. Don't get me wrong, things do pop out out of the screen, and they can be quite fun. But most of them are of the subtle variety, usually involving characters and other pieces of the environment. Still, we get the occasional fun pop out including Metalbeard's cannon arm, Lord Business's face in a couple of shots, batarangs, Victruvius's lollipop stick staff, binoculars, flying people, lasers, and Kragle nozzles. There's actually a couple shots involving the latter two elements that made me wince.

The LEGO Movie has a lot working for it 3D-wise that makes it well-worth the price of a 3D Blu-ray. Personally, I think there are just a couple of minor things that I think hold it back from being "excellent." A. The film's super fast pace makes it difficult to savor the 3D cinematography and B. I think that the 3D, as good as it is, could've used more shots that actively utilize it rather than it simply enhancing what's already there. And in some shots, the background can be out of focus, restricting the 3D impression. Still, what we did get is still top-notch. A lot like with Monsters Inc. and Wreck-It Ralph, seeing The LEGO Movie in 3D is like watching an entirely different movie. Really, what higher praise can you give a 3D film? If you want to feel like a part of this creative, humungous LEGO universe, springing for the 3D version will be the way to go.


3D RATING: GREAT


OTHER SOURCES THAT REVIEW THIS MOVIE'S 3D





FINAL THOUGHTS


The LEGO Movie isn't the little movie that could, it's the little movie that shouldn't. It shouldn't be clever, innovative, funny, or sweet. And yet, despite being a promotion for all things LEGO, it manages to tell a fun story with a fun characters with a constant array of great gags that doesn't even seem all that dated. It's everything you could ask for in a feature-length toy commercial, a great time for everyone of all ages. And of course, the 3D makes the experience that much better. There's a difference between looking at this neat LEGO world and looking into it. Clearly, this is a movie that wants you to look into it. So if you're going to watch it at all, you best watch it with all the 3D glory that comes with it. I've actually been to two Dollar Generals recently and they both actually carry the Everything Is Awesome Edition with includes the 3D Blu-ray for just $9.99. So not is the 3D version of this film essential, it's also probably one of the most easily accessible. If you have a 3D system, put this one on. If you don't, find someone who does. It'll put you up the closest with Emmet and the gang you can without going out and buying the actual LEGO sets based on this movie.


BUY IT HERE

OR BUY THE "EVERYTHING IS AWESOME" EDITION HERE


DID YOU LIKE "THE LEGO MOVIE" IN 3D?

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