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Sounds like a total cash cow, right? I mean you got movies that are made for the sake of product placement and nothing else like GI Joe, Baysformers, and Battleship. The Lego Movie, as surprising as it may seem, is different.
At first, it seemed like all the funny moments in the whole movie would be ruined by all the ads promoting it, fortunately there was much more fun to be had.
Let me start by saying that this movie is probably one of the funniest things you will see all year. Period.
A big part of the humor I did not expect to see was socio-political satire. Yep, you read that right: The film satirizes not only big business, but Statism as well, depicting Lord Business' authoritarian desire to control and dominate everything; making it the "way it's supposed to be." Everyone is following "the instructions." Their minds are occupied with brainwashy media with insipid TV shows, sports, and subliminal messages in music. ("Everything is Awesome") Everyone is told to act the same way as everyone else. Gee, this kind of sounds kind of Orwellian the more I think about it.... Wait;
“So long as they (the Proles) continued to work and breed, their other activities were without importance. Left to themselves,... they had reverted to a style of life that appeared to be natural to them, a sort of ancestral pattern...Heavy physical work, the care of home and children, petty quarrels with neighbors, films, football, beer and above all, gambling filled up the horizon of their minds. To keep them in control was not difficult.” -George Orwell, 1984
And with this theme, the film manages to send a message of individualism and freedom of expression; a political position that I am proud to hold.
Some of the film's comedy comes from the use of visual humor. Really funny visual humor. To the point where the things that are going on in the background made me laugh. It demonstrates the pure effort that went into animating the film.
Which is another thing: The movie is just beautiful to look at. I'm now thinking about how much time and effort was put into building all these various locations explored in the film. Literally, brick by brick even if some of that building was being done with CGI. And even with those parts that were CGI, they still looked as if they were made in with stop motion.
The numerous cameos and references to Lego franchises didn't feel like they were forced-in for the sake of advertisement. Instead, they add to the humor with special thanks to a talented voice cast. (as usual, I'm trying to keep things spoiler-free so more people will want see this.)
The Lego Movie doesn't really have any specific age group it's going for. Kids and adults, Lego fans and total strangers to the toyline, it doesn't matter who you are. Pretty much anyone should be entertained by it.
9/10
