Most of us have had some kind of contact with the Lego franchise in our lives. Not all of us were the obsessive collectors depicted in the latest blockbuster hit, the Lego Movie, but if you’re anything like me, building tall towers just to send them crashing to the ground was one of my favorite past times… Especially if the tower belonged to my little sister. There was just something special and creative about turning that big pile of one 1 inch by 1 inch multicolored bricks into a misshapen castle, landscapes or Han Solo’s Millennium Falcon. Sometimes, it was fun just to dump them on the floor to make Mom and Dad mad. Those moments of spontaneous creativity were not lost on the creators of this hit.
The story centers around ordinary Emmet, a construction worker in a world defined by instructions, order and an utter lack of creativity. This world is controlled by Lord Business, an overbearing control freak with a height complex.When Emmet finally breaks his everyday routine, he discovers a plot that will end the world as he knows it. Along the way, he discovers new friends, travels to exotic places and finds out that there is more to Lego, and himself, than following a set of instructions.
The genius of this movie is that, despite appearing as a fun-filled kids movie, it falls into that rare category of being made for children, but finding a special place for those who are still young at heart. Memorable lines range from, “WIPING YER BUM WITH A HOOK FOR A HAND IS REALLY HARD!” to get kids laughing, to thoughtful lines bordering on social commentary that adults can appreciate.
Some of you might be asking, “How could a company like Lego possibly get the rights to have characters from Batman and Superman, to Dumbledore and Chewbacca all onto the same screen?” The answer is nothing more than business savvy. For years, Lego has been creating and distributing special edition sets of Legos themed after whatever blockbuster hit was going strong, including (among a slew of others): Star Wars, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Mickey Mouse, Indiana Jones and Pirates of the Caribbean. Each time they made these sets, they were given rights to use the likeness of each of the characters that we know and love.
ll it took was a good bit of insight, a clever theme and a villain to unite them. And, with the help of a little scene of reality at the end, we can each leave the theater with the same feeling that we had as kids when we put the last brick on our Lego creation.
My point is, if you haven’t seen it yet and are letting your predispositions about it being a kids movie stop you, get off the couch and go. Grab dinner on the way; you won’t miss anything at the caf, I promise. Gentlemen, take a date. Nothing tells you more about a girl than hearing her laugh at CGI violence and Batman puns. Either way, just trust me. It’s worth it.
By: Alex Nelson
