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Much like “Wreck-It Ralph” before it, “The LEGO Movie” is a mash-up of the old and the new, the low-tech and the high-tech, depicting a CG-rendering of a pastime that’s antiquated when compared to modern animation. Whereas “Wreck-It Ralph” showed how far we’ve come with computerized imagery, “The LEGO Movie” is a self-reflexive vision of world-building, in which we watch blocks assemble and disassemble as if we’re watching the animators craft this project piece by piece (and pixel by pixel). It’s a nifty, novel experience, and one strong enough, on its own, to warrant recommendation of the film.
It’s unfortunate, however, that the movie’s entire plot is essentially lifted from “The Matrix,” a criticism that seems silly in the wake of so many “Matrix” ripoffs, but really can’t go unvoiced. Emmet (voiced by Chris Pratt) is a construction worker with the same grind as every other drone-like being in his LEGO city, until he’s plucked from his realm by a black-clad she-warrior named Wyldstyle (voiced by Elizabeth Banks), who brings him to Vitruvius (voiced by Morgan Freeman), a powerful sage who declares Emmet the savior-like “Special.”
There’s little need to elaborate further on the ample “Matrix” parallels, but let’s just say that, in some respects, writer-directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller may fool viewers into thinking they’ve made a “Spaceballs”-style spoof. To enjoy the film, it’s better to focus on all the pieces, so to speak, that the makers have stacked atop their shopworn plot.
It’s a visual trip to devour the details of the LEGO universe’s realms, like the craggy cliffs of “The Old West” (which is denoted by a sign that hangs in the air), and the castles of “Middle Zealand,” a place that tips its hat to “The Lord of the Rings.” The realms are each based on LEGO playsets, ya see, and a final twist, though possibly too mind-bending for its own good, further links the narrative to the real world and instills it with humanity. One might say it all clicks together.
The LEGO Movie
PG
Two-and-a-half reels out of four
Opens tomorrow at area theaters
Recommended Rental
All Is Lost
PG-13
Available Tuesday
Robert Redford may have been snubbed by the Academy, but that doesn’t mean his near-wordless turn in the minimalistic “All Is Lost” suddenly isn’t worth your time. The Hollywood veteran, along with his gifted director, J.C. Chandor, keeps one surprisingly riveted in a film that involves nothing more than a man and a sinking boat in the middle of the ocean. It’s a taught, succinct survival story highlighting the myriad dangers of loneliness.
Contact the South Philly Review at editor@southphillyreview.com.
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