The Lego Movie (2014) Dir. Phil Lord, Christopher Miller – Roe Valley Arts Centre, 15th Aug
Who’s in it? Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Will Ferrell, Morgan Freeman (Voice)
What’s it about? Completely ordinary and apparently untalented Lego man Emmett (Pratt), who always does what he’s supposed to do and never steps out of line, finds himself in the wrong place at the right time when he is mistaken, via farcical accident and complete misunderstanding, to be “The Special One”, and dragged against his will on a hapless mission to save the world and stick it to the Man, in this case Will Ferrell’s President Business, who doubles as an evil villain. The Lego Movie is essentially a Matrix parody in Lego, with Lucy/Wyldstyle in the Trinity role, Vitruvius in the Morpheus role and Emmett in the Neo role, with the emphasis on “knowing yourself” and that yourself is all you need to be. By turns random, surreal and hilarious.
Memorable Moments? Will Arnett’s Batman randomly appearing in different scenes and growling “I’m Batman!”, Christian Bale style, is unexpected and funny, while Liam Neeson as Good Cop/Bad Cop is another highlight. When Batman (Arnett) rescues the gang from a train wreck in his Bat Jet, he says to Wyldsytle, “Hey babe, let’s hold hands”. When Emmett says, “Er Guys, I think we’re about to crash into the sun”, Batman retorts, “Yeah, but it’s gonna look really cool!”.
Look who’s talking: ‘The brightly-imagined Lego Movie is a wickedly smart and funny free-for-all, and sassy enough to shoot well-aimed darts at corporate branding. – Rolling Stone
Like that? Try this: Toy Story (1995), was the first animated feature, like The Lego Movie which it inspired, to spare a thought for the adults, spawning a new era of pre-school entertainment.
Trivia Pursuit: One of pirate character Metal Beard’s Five Laws of the Sea is ‘Never release a Kracken’. Another is ‘Never wear a dress on Tuesday’.
