The Lego Movie (2014)

[nymusix]

I highly recommend this movie to all Previously.TV-ers - it totally lives up to the hype, really fun kids movie but with a lot of good humor for adults as well. Lots of recognizable TV voices, written and directed by the guys who did Clone High, and it even features a (semi-spoiler) cameo appearance by Will Forte as Abe Lincoln. 

Anyone else seen it here? I assume so... Thoughts?

[formerlyfreedom]

I took my 5yo nephew on Sunday. Second the recommendation, it's funny and a bit sweet, but not in a cloying way. Loved all the voices, and sitting through the credits confirming my guesses was worth it...

[sdpfeiffy]

I took my husband and we both really enjoyed it. I'm probably alone in this but I would have been fine without the denouement.

[radishcake]

I didn't mind the denouement (I was snottily crying back there because they write that shit for me to cry at), I was more surprised that it surprised me. I didn't see it coming. :)

[formerlyfreedom]

I didn't mind the denouement (I was snottily crying back there because they write that shit for me to cry at), I was more surprised that it surprised me. I didn't see it coming. :)

I'm with you. I didn't see it coming either, and really liked how it came together.

We have a thing in my family, that my dad is OVERLY sentimental (to an embarrassing degree - trust me, it's awkward at best), and my sister & I have inherited this awful thing where we cry when we don't want to. To the point where we thrust our fists into the air and yell, "Curse you, Dad!" when it happens. Then people around us are all, "Are you okay? The kitten was just being playful with the puppy, and they ended up snuggling, so no harm, right?"

But, anyway, I got out of this movie without attracting too much attention (thankfully the 5yo had a cold, so I had tissues in my pocket for him). Again, sweet movie, and lots of fun.

[radishcake]

@stacey are we secret sisters?!? :D

[kjh]

I saw it last weekend, and I agree that it was sweet and playing spot-the-voice-actor was fun. However, that song is the most annoying earworm on the planet.

[nymusix]

[kjh]

See I have the capability to not click, my boyfriend singing it at top volume multiple times a day I am powerless to stop.

[mad_typist]

God, that song... it's unstoppable. It's both annoying and yet appealing at the same time. I love singing it out loud, though I instantly hate myself for doing it. Why, Lego Movie, why?!?!

The movie was surprisingly fun. I didn't realize that the Clone High guys were behind this, but now that I know that, it makes perfect sense. At first I felt like it was a little dull, but the gonzo ending totally made up for the slow start.

[Threnners]

I can assure you that everything is not awesome when your 8 year old only wants to hear that song.  On repeat.  For hours.

[JTMacc99]

When  I got out of the theater that day, one of the thoughts that went through my head was that this would be one of the kids movies that I won't mind being subjected to seeing bits and pieces of it over and over again. I'd probably even wait out certain parts of it just because I wanted to see them again. (Such as Batman asking for everybody's black pieces because he only works in black, or very, very dark gray.)

But one thing that I hadn't considered was the return of that ear worm, Hmph. I'm not sure how I feel about that right now.

[MarkHB]

The Billy Dee Williams and Anthony Daniels cameos were (must... not... say... the... A.... word....), but BDW's being in the film made seeing him on DWTS that much more shocking.

[NoWillToResist]

I loved the creativity of this movie and the attention to detail. I mean, all the lego blips had LEGO stamped on them!! Can you imagine being the person in charge of making sure every blip had the word LEGO on it?? I'd have killed myself after 2 minutes of footage!

Chris Pratt was so well suited to his role.Loved all the voice work. I think Morgan Freeman had a blast. :)

My husband laughed his ass off at the inclusion of the 2002 NBA All-Star team (or whatever it was) because I actually bought him that set (the basketball court and NBA characters). He also loved the little detail of the old NASA guy's helmet strap thing being broken because apparently that always happened to that figurine.

I feel like this movie was just a labour of love. It made me want to call my mother and get our LEGO sets out of storage...
 

[ketchuplover]

This post is awesome!

[GaT]

I saw it last weekend, and I agree that it was sweet and playing spot-the-voice-actor was fun. However, that song is the most annoying earworm on the planet.

I haven't seen the movie, but I've heard the song & everyone keeps saying how it's addictive & you can't get it out of your head & it's the best song EVAH!, & I don't get it. I don't like the song at all, in fact, I hate it. I hate it to the point where I didn't see the movie because I was afraid I would be listening to that crap song the whole time (will I?). I don't know what I'm missing here, I don't even think it's an earworm, it's just crap.

[BizBuzz]

To be fair, I don't think the song was meant to be the best song ever, and even though you do hear the song often during the movie, it's well placed. It is there for a plot point, and it works pretty well.

I was surprised how well written it was. There is a lot of sentimental nostalgia involved, but again very well placed. It is kind of amazing if you ask me how well they wrote a cohesive story that included all that it did, from many different generations.

[Danny Franks]

I think it could be seen as the best song ever in an ironic sense. In that it's really lame, but catchy as hell and makes you smile, and I guess that epitomises modern pop music pretty well.

 

As for the movie, I freakin' love it. I was a huge fan of Lego (and god, why do Americans pluralise that when it's a brand name? Infuriates me) as a kid, and had a pretty big collection. The amount of little moments of the movie where I see figures and models I had just bring a sort of joy that most other movies can't match (and Benny as a battered old spaceman was perfect, because those were the first lego sets I had as a child). It's pure nostalgia, like Wreck It Ralph could have been if they'd actually used the old videogame properties a bit more.

 

And I absolutely adore Unikitty. I love Alison Brie anyway (and seriously, why is she not just the biggest star in the world?), but the character is just so ridiculously appealing and fun ("Business, business, business. Numbers. Is this working?"), and all of the effort the animators put into making her (and all the characters, to be fair) pop even when they were just in the background, really is rewarding. I know, from the DVD commentary, that there are five different Unikittys in the movie (queasy, angry, space, business and regular), and that sort of effort to invest in the work is so great. There was so much love and attention lavished on every part of the production that it deserves all the kudos, just for that. I feel that the people who worked on the movie shared my childhood, and that's a powerful sense of belonging for a movie to evoke.

 

Morgan Freeman obviously loved voicing Vitruvius, Will Arnett absolutely knocked it out of the park as Batman, Liam Neeson sending up his ridiculous hard-man persona was hilarious. Will Ferrell was as funny as he always is in movies made by people who aren't him. All the cameos were fun and understated (Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum as improv-ing Green Lantern and Superman? Shaquille O'Neal voicing himself?) Chris Pratt and Elizabeth Banks were both excellent as the slightly bland co-leads/love interests, for the rest of the cast to bounce off.

 

I didn't care for the ending much, because I found it overly schmaltzy like I find most 'kid brings out the child in an adult' scenes overly schmaltzy. But I did like Charlie Day's interpretation on the commentary that he thought the Lego characters were imagining the real people.

[BizBuzz]

^Very well said @Danny Franks

 

I bought this the other night on iTunes, I had totally forgotten that it came with extras, so thanks for this:

 

I know, from the DVD commentary, that there are five different Unikittys in the movie (queasy, angry, space, business and regular), and that sort of effort to invest in the work is so great.

 

It helped me remember that I need to grab those extras! 

 

Like you, I wasn't crazy about the ending, but the whole movie more than made up for it.

[BoogieBurns]

The commentary is worth buying the DVD. They point out so many things that I didn't notice in the theater. 

[BizBuzz]

SHOOT SHOOT SHOOT

 

The iTunes version that I bought for $19.99 said that it came with extra content.  Compared to the DVD version, the extra content is NOTHING.  Ugh, I am not happy.

[lottiedottie]

The commentary is worth buying the DVD. They point out so many things that I didn't notice in the theater. 

I never would have thought to watch with the commentary--I'll have to do that next rainy day. I'm sure my kids will love hearing about all those little things.

[Crs97]

I finally saw the movie and loved it! It works on so many levels, especially addressing my complaint that all these specialized kits and instruction books may make Lego more money, but at the expense of the kids' imaginations. I liked the ending; I don't mind schmaltzy. And the final scene was perfect.

[BatmanBeatles]

 

I liked the ending; I don't mind schmaltzy. And the final scene was perfect.

I liked it too. Especially when the dad tells his son that they have to include his little sister and then you see the Duplo Legos invade the planet.

[Wiendish Fitch]

I didn't like this movie, and the ending annoyed me, because the implication was that "eeeewww, his little sister is going to ruin his Lego fun with her yucky old girl cooties!" Um, should we really have that attitude in 2014? Girls play with Legos, too, you know!

 

And the nauseatingly trite "everybody's special" moral only revitalized my love of The Incredibles and this scene:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1E9pKU_N15A&list=LLY7KT4tovOXo-Q_GNCkkWXA&index=2

Edited August 2, 2014 by Wiendish Fitch

[lottiedottie]

I didn't like this movie, and the ending annoyed me, because the implication was that "eeeewww, his little sister is going to ruin his Lego fun with her yucky old girl cooties!" Um, should we really have that attitude in 2014? Girls play with Legos, too, you know!

 

And the nauseatingly trite "everybody's special" moral only revitalized my love of The Incredibles and this scene:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1E9pKU_N15A&list=LLY7KT4tovOXo-Q_GNCkkWXA&index=2

I didn't take the ending to be about 'icky girl cooties' so much as it was about a little kid not having an appreciation for his "real" lego creations. To a bigger kid, Duplo blocks aren't "real legos" and little kids are destructive little monsters to 'real' lego sets.

[BatmanBeatles]

I also think the boy didn't want his sister to intrude on his time with dad.

[Danny Franks]

I never would have thought to watch with the commentary--I'll have to do that next rainy day. I'm sure my kids will love hearing about all those little things.

 

The commentary is great. Most of the cast (barring Morgan Freeman and Will Ferrell) are involved, as well as the two directors, and it's clear that they're all just having so much fun, both with their experiences of making the movie, and the joy of watching the movie. They spend a fair amount of time laughing at the movie, and commenting on stuff they think is great, but there's a lot of talk about how things were done, and story choices, and so much pointing out of little easter egg moments. Alison Brie is always fantastic value, on commentaries, and it's no different here, where she is just saucy charm, personified.

 

Oh, and I really don't think the directors were saying that little girls are gross, but I have no issues with them saying that young boys think their little sisters are gross (in my experience, a lot of kids think like that). And, more than that, kids are destructive to toys, when they're very young. I remember Woody, Buzz and the gang being terrified of Andy's sister. This was no different than that. And, despite the mishap with his arm, Buzz looked a lot more durable than your average Lego model is.

[Crs97]

Oh, and I really don't think the directors were saying that little girls are gross, but I have no issues with them saying that young boys think their little sisters are gross (in my experience, a lot of kids think like that). And, more than that, kids are destructive to toys, when they're very young. I remember Woody, Buzz and the gang being terrified of Andy's sister. This was no different than that. And, despite the mishap with his arm, Buzz looked a lot more durable than your average Lego model is.

That is how I understood it as well. I can still hear echoes of my older boys' screeches when their younger brother "helped" them play with Legos. The gender aspect never even made a blip on my radar.

[BoogieBurns]

I feel like the final scene, where his little sister is invited to play with the Legos, is a setup for the sequel. That's how I saw it.

[canter]

And the nauseatingly trite "everybody's special" moral only revitalized my love of The Incredibles and this scene:

I took it more like the "anyone can cook" motto from Ratatouille. It's not that any old person can cook (or be special), but that true greatness can come from anywhere, even the most unexpected, ordinary places. Edited August 3, 2014 by canter

[thuganomics85]

Just caught it on Blu-Ray finally.  For the most part, I thought it lived up to the hype.  I was laughing throughout most of it, and I find myself enjoying almost all the characters and performances.  "Everything is Awesome" was great in an ironic, annoyingly catchy kind of way, but I think the Batman Heavy Metal Theme was the best.  I'm still cracking up at how it really does portray who Batman is if you really simplify it, and just see how angsty he can be at times (DARKNESS!!!.... NO PARENTS!!!)

 

The cast was spot-on, but it was interesting spotting how different some of the performances were.  For folks like Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Will Arnett, and Elizabeth Banks, they were great, but I automatically knew who they were (and Morgan Freeman was pretty much Morgan Freeman in everything else, but only with a bit more self-awareness in the norm.)  But, then there were others like Nick Offerman as Metal Beard and Alison Brie as Unikitty, who ever took me a while to place them or I never would have known if I didn't see the credits (seriously, Nick sounds nothing like Ron Swanson in this.)  Liam Neeson managed to do both; his Bad Cop was pretty much a way more fun version of all of his normal action stuff, but I was surprised to see he did the voice for Good Cop too, because he really sounded different.

 

Loved the cameos, like Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill doing Superman and Green Lantern (really got a kick out of Lantern being lame), Cobie Smulders as Wonder Woman, Shaq as Shaq, and them getting Anthony Daniels and Billy Dee Williams to reprise C3PO and Lando (I guess they could get Harrison Ford for Han.)

 

The visual effects were actually pretty great.  It was a nice film to look at.

[MarkHB]

More LEGO Movie Dates Announced!

 

• The Lego Batman Movie (not officially titled): Feb. 10, 2017
• Ninjago (Ninja LEGO): Sept. 22, 2017
• The Lego Movie Sequel: May 18, 2018

 

Note that that last one is the official title.

[turbogirlnyc]

"Darn, darn, darn, darn, darny-darn!"

-Bad Cop

I just saw this movie & love it to death!

[DollEyes]

 

However, that song is the most annoying earworm on the planet.

 

  I respectfully disagree. "Everything I Awesome" isn't my favorite song ever, but at least it's not over-rated, over-played tripe like "Let It Go." 

Edited June 27, 2015 by DollEyes

[snarktini]

My expectations weren't high -- I'd heard good things but it's a kid's movie and, I don't know, LEGO in movie form? It was so much more awesome and hilarious than I ever could have imagined! I absolutely loved it and saved my recording for a rainy day rewatch.

From an art direction POV, the way they used the legos to create rolling waves / steam / clouds is brilliant. I backed up a few times so I could see those effects again. The animation and visual style were very well conceived, it was a pleasure to look at. It felt completely true to LEGO while also making the best of animation.

I do want to know how much it cost to license all those characters! Half the character universes were in there.

[MarkHB]

Just saw this...