The Lego Movie is a pleasant surprise with a good blend of action and amusement, and is great for a pleasant outing for the entire family
By Lester J Wan
Truth be told, I was very sceptical about how good or interesting a Lego movie could be. I certainly didn’t want to waste my time in the cinema, though I thought it might prove to be a good chance to catch a nap.
In the end, that was not something I had to worry about as it was a fun and wacky ride almost from start to end.
After a slightly bizarre establishing scene, which seems to be a mangled or regurgitated scene from The Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter, or both [and, by the way, both Gandalf and Dumbledore make an appearance], we are introduced to Emmett, an average ordinary dude who appears to be a carbon copy [or from the same mould] as many other regular Lego characters.
While not laugh-out-loud funny, Emmett’s mannerisms, situations and aspects of his city certainly do bring a smile of amusement.
A Lego Rollercoaster
Soon after, we are rapidly propelled into the adventure, in which Emmett, the supposed “Chosen One” has to summon every inch of heroism he might have in his bones, to stop the diabolical Lord Business/President Business.
With the movie in full 3-D, the feeling of excitement is heightened. You might even find it hard not to dodge incoming projectiles at times!
Funny or Contrived?
In spite of the frenetic action and eventful plot, some aspects of the story didn’t appear too original or seemed to try a bit too hard to elicit a laugh from the audience. There were a handful of segments during which my mind started to drift off, or I got tired of
contrived humour.
Nevertheless, on the whole, The Lego Movie was a good night out with a good blend of action and amusement. With an unceasing torrent of jokes and hilarious situations, some are sure to hit the mark and amuse you.
Look out for a host of characters from popular culture, as well as who “The Man Upstairs” is.
Catchy & Refreshing
Most of the tracks on The Lego Movie: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack are by Mark Mothersbaugh, composer of various soundtracks such as 21 Jump Street (2012) and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and their sequels, as well as for TV series such as “The Carrie Diaries” and “The Rugrats”.
The Lego Movie soundtrack is highly lively and may be a tad too peachy for some to take. However, on the whole, you may find the upbeat music enjoyable.
Nonetheless, if you are an emo Nemo or a sourpuss and such music is not your cup of tea, listen up for Batman’s “Untitled Self Portrait”, which is the antithesis of the rest of the soundtrack and all that is chirpy. OK, frankly, you would probably burst out laughing upon hearing it.
These days, there is too much bad news and negativity. Personally, I feel The Lego Movie is a refreshing change. Even the oft-repeated theme song, “Everything is Awesome!!!” by Tegan and Sara (featuring The Lonely Island) is strangely catchy, amusing and even therapeutic.
While the story and plot could be better, The Lego Movie is the best feel-good movie I’ve seen in a long while. It is also a character-inspiring movie and there are too few of these, these days. Catch it with your whole family.
This movie review was possible thanks to Golden Village.
The Lego Movie [G]
DIRECTOR: Phil Lord & Christopher Miller
STARRING: Chris Pratt, Will Arnett, Elizabeth Banks, Morgan Freeman, Liam Neeson and Will Ferrell
GENRE: Action, Animation, Comedy, Family
RUN LENGTH: 100 min
RELEASE: Feb 6
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