THE LEGO MOVIE

On paper, The Lego Movie represents the worst of Hollywood filmmaking. Not only is it a transparent device to sell toys, it has a second level of product placement from other brands the marketing people would like you to be aware of (particularly DC Comics characters also owned by Warner Bros.). But if anything was to get me to give it a shot it would be the involvement of writer/directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller who've been on a hot streak with 21 Jump Street and the Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs films but in my mind will always be known as the creators of the irreverent, cult sit-com Clone High. The results here are charming, sly, and more complex than we might have expected. They succeed where other attempts to graft narratives onto toys have failed because they realize that whatever story that Legos tell are created by the kids and adults playing with them and their film revels in the joy of imagination and the diversity of play.

Consider the way the film renders its world. Taking inspiration from the stop-motion films Lego fans make, the entire film has a handmade quality which is unusual for CGI. The animation is designed to look like stop motion, horses move like an invisible hand is bucking them up and down and one character flies with the aid of dental floss, a choice that seems incongruous considering we've seen other characters fly the 'normal' way, but is completely in keeping with the films freewheeling nature. Even splashing water and explosions are represented as if they were stop-motion Lego pieces. All of this looks amazing and as accompanied by a playful Mark Mothersbaugh score that feels like a Daft Punk infused version of the music he did for Rugrats.

The rules of the world also speak to its toyetic nature: our hero Emmett (Chris Pratt) is a construction worker who joyously builds buildings all day long only to joyously knock them down at night. These Lego people only work, interact and fall in love in the limited ways a child might imagine. Also the film's central conflict is one that has long divided Lego lovers: to follow the instructions or go your own way.

The deeper implications of that conflict aren't entirely lost on Lord and Miller. The 'instructions' side of the debate is represented by the large corporation that controls all the music, tv shows, food, construction, etc, headed by the films villain Lord Business (Will Ferrell), and who's opposed by a small, rebellious group of imaginative but ineffective group of master builders waiting for the long prophesized  "special" who will have the power to... well, you know.

The extreme familiarity of some of these tropes is a bit of an issue – personally I've long ago reached my life long limit of 'chosen one' movies – but to the credit of the filmmakers, they never try and invest these elements with any sort of seriousness, and while the childlike playfulness and irreverence that they substitute sometimes falls disappointingly short of being a fill on spoof of action clichés, the childlike playfulness and irreverence they substitute manages some interesting subversions of the formula. I like that Emmett is almost as invested in following rules as Lord Business. Instead of being a power fantasy facilitating audience surrogate, Emmett likes being a normal, mediocre guy, going to work on time and listening to government supplied entertainment. There are stretches where he tries to be more, but mostly he doesn't have that breakthrough where he becomes the Lego God everyone wants him to, he remains as pleasantly ordinary as he starts and even encourages his comrades to conform 'just a little bit,' which opens up a philosophical debate about the rigidness of ideology the film isn't really interested in following up on and doesn't necessarily connect cleanly to its other ideas.

But honestly that's okay. It doesn't matter that not everything gels. It's still an impressively well done film filled with gorgeous animation and playful, imaginative action scenes based on the idea that everything in this world can be built and reconfigured on a dime. There are also some fun supporting performances, Liam Neeson shows up as a cop with a split personality, and while seeing licensed properties reminds us just how much Lego sold out in the 00's, I liked seeing a Will Arnett voiced Batman cast as the jerk boyfriend to the film's sorta love interest.

The Lego Movie is an effective toy commercial (I was never a huge Lego person as a kid, yet the film certainly made me want to give it a shot now), but the methods by which it's an effective commercial means it doubles as a wonderful exploration of imagination and play, particularly in the film's spectacular third act twist which features a fascinating father/son relationship. The film sells us on Legos not by showing us wonderful sets to buy (though it does that too), but showing that the toys are a conduit for imagination. Sure, not all the jokes land and, like many Lego products, it panders too hard to boys to the almost exclusion of girls, but I can certainly get behind it as a celebration of play.

Grade: B+