Rachel Wortman
Contributing Writer
The Lego Movie is a new animated film that — yeah, you guessed it — takes place in a world made entirely of Legos. But don’t let that sway you from making the trek to a theater near you — there is a reason this film is getting nearly perfect reviews.
The story is about a regular Lego figure named Emmet (Chris Pratt), who is prophesized to save the Lego world from the tyrant President Business (Will Ferrell) who wants to glue everything together and forbid creativity. He’s joined by Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks), the wizard Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman), Unikitty (Alison Brie), Batman (Will Arnett) and many other memorable characters and voice talents on his quest not only to defeat Business, but also to find his own self-worth.
The Lego Movie is not only way better than anything called “The Lego Movie” should have the right to be, but also a legitimately great stand-alone film for adults and children alike. It wows audiences with genuinely funny humor, a sharp social message, a reminiscence of youthful creativity and a visually stunning, inventive Lego universe.
While watching, the viewer can probably see the “everyone is special in their own way, creativity is important” from a mile off, but the way in which the filmmakers present this lesson is surprising and touching. And this bigger picture does not even begin to hint at the film’s less conventional message about how mindless conformity is bad, but being able to work as a team to rise against this conformity is crucial, i.e., communism. The plot twist that reveals the clear message of the power of creativity drastically shifts the atmosphere of the theater and gives an unexpected emotional pull to the film that really ties the whole story together.
Upon reflection, it seems to me that Lego has always seemed like a paradox: unlimited creativity with very limited pieces. The vast majority of Legos can only snap together in one way. This concept that we’re all made up of many pieces that work but just don’t quite fit is at the heart of The Lego Movie. Amidst the characters’ struggles with their own conflicting identities, the message that all of us are complex and rarely fit into our prescribed categories arises, and this message is what I believe makes this film so powerful. Everyone is simultaneously special and average; we all deserve to stand out and be part of the team; we are all complicated and conflicted, but that is okay, and that’s what makes us who we are. We are tiny bricks, imaginative engineers and beautiful works of art. Our world — simple and small, complex and challenging, full of darkness and burning bright — is a reflection of our own complicated nature and is all the more terrible and beautiful because of it.
Yes, I got all this from a “kids’ movie,” but if you don’t believe me, go check out The Lego Movie for yourself. It’s in theaters now. You shouldn’t miss it!