"The Lego Movie." Released in February. With a hyperactive trailer and bubblegum pop of the gummiest sort. Product placement that gets you to pay for a ninety minute commercial. Yeah, I'd seen the trailer and enthusiastically added this movie to my list of films that I will happily go to my grave without seeing.
But then all kinds of good reviews from people I trust and respect started coming in - the kind of reviews the film I was so ready for this to be would never, ever get. In a couple of days, "The Lego Movie" became my first must-see new release of 2014.
And it's good. I'd love to see it again right now because there is so much detail and creative energy in this movie from start to finish, so many great gags and nice little touches that pay off years of genuine goodwill built (pardon the expression) by the product with a sly wink to the adults in the audience that almost never relies on the crude humor or simple pop-culture reference that so many kid's movies think their non-children viewers will find hi-larious.
"The Lego Movie" isn't quite on the level of the very greatest Pixar films, but it's up there with, say "Cars" or "Monsters Inc" (and way above their sequels) as an imaginative, excellently crafted entertainment. The voice acting's excellent and varied (major kudos to Will Arnett's brazenly narcissistic Batman), the imaginative twists keep coming while the narrative never drags and best of all, for a computer animated movie about everyone's favorite interlocking brick, the actual tactile quality of the Lego itself is top-notch.
A sequel is already in the making and although I'm cautiously skeptical about the creators' ability to bottle the lightning crazy again, the set-up for the next movie rates as one the best. I won't spoil anything here, but it's a great gag that punctuates the narrative and tone perfectly while suggesting creative possibilities that talented minds could have great fun exploring. In the meantime, bring on the Blu-ray and pack it with as many behind the scenes special features as its 50 gigabytes will hold.
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