Stacks of Awesomeness!

Rating: 10/10 (17 February 2014)

I could see someone having some small problems with The Lego Movie, but if you leave saying, "I didn't like that", you are lying. This is an immensely likable, even lovable, comedy. Full of childlike ingenuity and imagination, it manages to be a pretty blatant Lego commercial while also being a critique of the museum-like treatment of Legos in modern times and a promotion of learning to play again. But most of all, it's just plain fun. Combining elements of Toy Story, Time Bandits, Naked Gun, and "Adventure Time", this is by far the most vibrant and funny movie of 2014. It's the story of a construction worker learning to break from his every day, humdrum existence to bring uniqueness back to his world. In order to do this, he must join a slew of pop culture icons, which looks like comic-con threw up Legos. The spoof like humor and great non-sequiturs are the bread and butter, offering constant and consistent laughs. However, the movie succeeds in so many other ways: it's a uniquely shot action movie, makes poignant points about thinking for yourself, and has some great commentary on the difference between truth and cynicism. Even with some potentially heavy-handed schmaltz at the end, the movie manages to just plain work. Perhaps the most impressive part is the animation, which is oddly and insanely beautiful, sticking to the limitation of real Legos. On whole, TLM is a uniquely refreshing experience, laugh-out-loud funny, and stacks of pure awesomeness.