Sweet Tea and a Movie: The Lego Movie
Originally, The Lego Movie came across as just a fun and silly movie to have a good time with. Then reviews started coming in, and it became clear that there was something special in this building block movie. But what exactly was it?
Voice Acting: For the most part the voice acting was good. Nothing stellar, but lines were delivered well and to good effect. Will Ferrell definitely did a great job of simply having fun with his role, especially during a few special scenes near the end of the movie. Overall the voice acting was good, but not great.
Story: The story definitely had its “kid movie” moments, but the writers also filled it with clever satire directed at both popular culture and anti-culture (dark brooding music and “individualism”). And near the end of the movie, the morals that the movie brings up not only speak wonderful words of encouragement, but seem to fit the movie extremely well and don’t feel contrived or shoveled in. So in this regard, great job with the story.
Music: Just the like the story, there is some satire to be found in the music, mostly in the lead single from the movie, “Everything Is Awesome.” But apart from that, the backing score fits the movie well and really drives the scenes. So great job with the music.
Animation: Next to the story, the animation is one of the most impressive aspects of the film. When I first saw the trailers, I thought the movie was going to be extremely good stop-motion. But after actually sitting in the theater and watching, I realized it was actually incredibly well done 3D animation with some well-placed and executed 2D animation thrown in. The level of detail and realism (for the world it’s set in) is astonishing and deserves very high praise. Giant props for a great work of animation.
The Lego Movie proved to be far more than just a fun experience. It was meaningful and encouraging—something a lot of movies, animated or not, should take a lesson from. The movie isn’t without a few faults here and there, but those faults can either be chalked up to personal tastes or simply small bits that don’t detract from the entire movie. I happily give this movie a 9/10. The Lego Movie is a fantastic film that should be seen by pretty much anyone and everyone, especially artists. It’s encouraging, inspirational, and I would dare say a new addition to the list of “Important Animated Films.”
Thanks for reading! And remember, stay for the credits. The people who work on these films deserve to have their names seen. You’d want yours seen too, right?
