THE LEGO MOVIE (2014)

Genre: CG Animation
Director: Phil Lord, Chris Miller
Cast: Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Cobie Smulders, Morgan Freeman, Will Arnett, Will Ferrell, Liam Neeson, Alison Brie, Nick Offerman
RunTime: 1 hr 40 mins
Rating: G
Released By: GV
Official Website: http://thelegomovie.warnerbros.com/index.html

Opening Day: 6 February 2014

Synopsis: An ordinary LEGO minifigure, mistakenly thought to be the extraordinary MasterBuilder, is recruited to join a quest to stop an evil LEGO tyrant from gluing the universe together.

Movie Review:

If there was a postage system that can send letters to the past, this writer would pen a letter to his younger self - say, to the primary school kid he knew 25 years ago. And this is how the letter would read.

Dear John (from the past),

This is your future self writing to you. It’s the year 2014 and much has changed. The Internet is amazingly fast, and almost everyone I see on the street is busy looking at some sort of electronic gadget. Most importantly, I have seen The Lego Movie, and this is the reason why I feel the need to tell you about it.

The 100 minute directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller is one you had dreamed of ever since you owned your first Lego construction set. That toy wasn’t an elaborate castle of city set, but it sure brought you endless wondrous hours of imaginative fun. The police car (and the minifigure that comes with it) was a reward for your spelling test, and boy, was it a reward well earned.

Ever since then, you’d imagine an entire movie starring Lego minifigures, embarking on adventures in the different Lego backdrops. I have seen that movies 30 years on, and here are five reasons why I think you should look forward to it every single day of your life – till you’re 33.

Reason 1: The movie is a fine example of good ol’ storytelling. The protagonist is an ordinary Lego minifigure (yup, one of those yellow faced common folks you’d lose if you had a humongous city set) who mistakenly gets recruited to stop an evil tyrant from destroying the Lego universe. The story by Dan Hageman, Kevin Hageman, and the two directors is encouraging, inspiring and a feel good tale about how every individual has the potential to go a long way. Trust me, you may hear a lot about this in school now, but some 20 years on, the cynicism of the world will get to you. The plot of this movie, however, will steer you in the right direction to do good things about your life.

Reason 2: The movie is hilariously clever. The jokes are fast and furious, and while you may not understand the puns spouted by the minifigures now (if the movie was playing in 1989), it would make your teacher chuckle. Clever references to pop culture and the Lego brand are aplenty, and it is one movie you’d want to revisit repeatedly.

Reason 3: The movie is a technical achievement. I’m not sure whether you’re familiar with the concept of stop motion, but go ask your teacher and you will be amazed by the amount of work needed to produce a stop motion clip. This movie infuses computer technology (I won’t go into details of how scarily advanced this has become in 2014) with stop motion and the end result is an enjoyable visual treat.

Reason 4: The movie is chockfull of cameo appearances. As the years go by, you’d hear how everyone wants to see Superman and Batman in the same movie. This animated feature is the first to make that happen. On top of that, other well known characters appear as well. The names probably won’t make sense to you now, but when you grow older, you’ll understand why certain wizards from a popular movie franchise are a big deal. Oh, there are also characters from a certain galaxy far, far away; and a fellow yellow faced personality who make this movie a must watch for all nerds and geeks (I meant that in a cool way, of course).

Reason 5: The movie has got heart, lots of it. Some movies may be too obsessed with showing off its technical prowess, and forget about how it touches the human soul. This one is different. The revelation is one affecting turn of events, and trust me, it’s one of the most relevant and heartfelt plots you’d ever see.

Before signing off, my advice to you is to hang on to that Lego police car set, continue to let your imagination take you to places, and all things will be good.

Yours sincerely,

John (from the future)

Movie Rating: