I got initiated into the virtual Lego universe through the Star Wars video games. That lead to an interest in the Lego Star Wars movies. I laughed so hard at those that when the "Lego Movie" was announced I decided that I'd be willing to part with some cash to see it on the big screen. It certainly didn't hurt that Batman was going to be a substantial character with other DC heroes and a handful of Star Wars characters showing up. The end result is not entirely what I expected which has its good points as well as its bad ones.

 

Emmett is a typical construction worker in the Lego universe, always going with the flow and blending in. He stands out so little that even his so-called friends don't really know who he is exactly. He falls (literally) into a underground world of master builders who don't follow the designs, using their imaginations to create all manner of unusual constructs.

 

The various Lego universes have been segregated by Lord Business who has an obsession with precise order. He threatens all Lego existence with the mysterious “kragle,” a weapon that will ensure that everything stays in its proper place. The only hope for the master builders is the “Special,” an ultra-special Lego foretold to appear and stop the kragle. They believe Emmett is that Lego.

 

The story seems relatively simplistic for the longest time, but there is a greater depth to it ultimately. Until we get to the more sentimental developments we are treated to non-stop comedy and crazy situations that could only take place in a Lego universe. A lot of the comedy is spastic and looney. I laughed here and there, but the young kids in the row up front were getting a lot more appreciation out of it than I was.

 

I didn't find this as consistently laugh-inducing as the Star Wars parodies though I am admittedly biased. The ultra-conformity of society with songs like “Everything Is Awesome,” and the only show on TV being “Where Are My Pants?” made me think of the movie "Idiocracy" on a more childish level. To some extent this is amusing, but it can also be a little annoying.

 

I think part of my issue was in trying to dissect the themes before certain surprise plot elements cast everything in a new light. For the longest time the theme of the story seems to revolve around specific order vs. free expression. The ultimate expression of the latter is a Lego heaven of free expression without any regulations. Any idea is a good idea as long as the emotions remain positive with the result being a utopia.

 

I'm a creative type and as such I value creativity over many other traits. I also know that anarchy and if-it-feels-good-do-it are not societal constructs that I will support especially when marketed to a mind too young to fully comprehend these notions or have the capacity to compare them to the notions of order and rule of law. I got so hung up on what I was seeing in these themes that it began negating some of the humor I came to enjoy.

 

Ultimately I came away feeling that these are not the themes being promoted. Nor is there an attack on business which I had read about before seeing the movie (though it's an understandable conclusion if you don't look below the surface since the villain is named “Lord BUSINESS.”) No, ultimately the metaphor becomes clear as we see the mind of a child stifled by a parent keeping him at arms length. In the end the order that comes from maturity and the unbridled creativity of youth combine to bond father and son though an expression of Lego construction.

 

I know that probably doesn't make a lot of sense given that the plot synopsis makes no mention of a father-son relationship, so you'll have to trust me when I say they are connected (either that or read the spoilers I'll talk about later on).

 

There are a lot of cameos from actors and fictional characters. I went into the movie thinking we'd see a lot more of characters from different universes interacting with each other. While we do get famous faces from Lord of the Rings, The Simpsons, and even Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles just to name a few they are brief cameos. The Star Wars crew at least gets a few lines most notably from Anthony Daniels and Billy Dee Williams both playing the parts for which they are most famous, but once they fly off screen having delivered those few lines they do not return.

 

The only famous characters that get more than one scene are the DC superheroes, but they do virtually no superheroing. Superman flies around, but uses none of his other powers. Green Lantern is a goofball and never creates anything. Wonder Woman seems to be present just so we can have a gag that involves her invisible jet.

 

Batman is the only famous character that has anything in the way of a major supporting role. He's not at anything approaching a serious portrayal, though. He's there to be dark and brooding in the corniest way possible. He exists mostly to be the most unlikely barrier between Emmett and the girl that has captured his heart.

 

Emmett's first and closest ally is a master builder known as Wyldstyle, a capable young female Lego. She is Trinity from The Matrix in a lot of ways and immediately captures Emmett's eye. The thing is, she has a serious boyfriend: Batman. The end result of the love triangle is cliché but I suppose makes sense considering it essentially generates from a juvenile point of view.