The Lego Movie (PG)

“Everything is awesome!” Love it or hate it, that song will be stuck in your head for days after seeing “The Lego Movie” — and that’s okay. Even though it is 100 minutes of product placements, “The Lego Movie” has more heart, humor, and character than any comedy in recent months.

We follow the story of Emmet, an ordinary construction worker who loves to follow instructions. He even has a manual of how to be a decent person. He lives in Bricksburg and goes about his day drinking over-priced coffee (and, of course, he’s happy about it) and being a swell guy to everyone he meets. One day when Emmet is about to leave work, he notices someone snooping around the construction site and goes to investigate. What he discovers will send him on an adventure he won’t soon forget.

One may look at the trailers for this film and think it’s just another kid’s movie with a very easy product tie-in. On one hand, they are correct. “The Lego Movie” has no shame in showcasing its various lines of products, each disguised as their own “world.” These range from “Middle Zealand” where dragons, soldiers, and other mythical creatures reside, to “The Old West” with cowboys, Indians, and saloons. There’s no denying the popularity surge Lego will enjoy after this film. However, the film also uses Legos for nostalgic purposes. Benny, the 1980s space astronaut, is a great example. He, like Emmet, just wants to help everyone out. He wants to build various spaceships, though usually his ideas are frowned upon. Seeing Benny certainly brought me back to my childhood – space Legos were one of the first sets I owned.

The voice acting is top notch, and very little talent is wasted. Chris Pratt as Emmet Brickowski is a perfect choice for the lead. Pratt voices Emmet with such conviction, and as we learn more about him, we come to understand and identify many of the issues he goes through.

Will Ferrell as Lord Business/President Business is almost Mugatu-like in his voicing. He comes off maniacal with a hint of ridiculousness. Will Arnett was particularly great as Batman. Despite the fact I usually can’t stand his snarky tone, it works extremely well in this role. Liam Neeson also turns out a surprisingly good performance as Bad Cop/Good Cop. His split personality is a good mix of Neeson’s gruffness from his recent roles and a friendliness we don’t hear much of. Elizabeth Banks, Nick Offerman, Alison Brie, Charlie Day, and Morgan Freeman round out the main cast, all providing great voice-over work as well.

The animation is another fantastic achievement. Most of the film’s effects are done in stop-motion with Legos. The fluidity of the effects is impressive despite using stop-motion. Water ripples, lava bubbling, fire and smoke billowing — it’s hard to believe Legos can be used to achieve effects that are this visually stunning. Stop-motion isn’t used much with the popularity of computer-generated films, but recent films like “ParaNorman” and “The Pirates! A Band of Misfits” show that if enough care and time is taken, they can look just as good as a Pixar film.

Even though it’s early in the year, “The Lego Movie” is one that will stick with audiences throughout the year. It is also an early contender (if not frontrunner) for ‘Best Animated Feature’ and ‘Best Original Song’ at the Academy Awards next year. The film is that good. You don’t need to have kids to enjoy this movie; you just need to have a good imagination and love a story with characters that will warm your heart, make you laugh, and have you leaving the theater with a smile on your face. “The Lego Movie” takes a character that is quite ordinary, but over the course of his journey discovers his true potential. It provides a life lesson that both children and adults can appreciate, which is an achievement most films never realize.

– by Mike Surerus