By Stephanie Holz, Staff Writer
The Man Upstairs/President Business (Will Farrell) wants his Lego sets in the basement to be perfectly assembled according to the instructions and is in the process of using Krazy Glue to hold everything together permanently. His son (Jadon Sand), however, likes to mix things up a bit and make his own Lego creations.
Directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, “The Lego Movie” focuses on the son’s view of the situation with President Business being the Lego equivalent of his father, and Emmet (Chris Pratt) represents his own wishes to have diversity in the Lego world.
The movie follows the story of Emmet, a Lego construction worker from the metropolis of Bricktown, on his journey to defeat President Business and save the Lego universe from the Kragle (Krazy glue). He wakes up every morning and follows the instructions by drinking overpriced coffee, exercising, and going to work downtown. The tune of “Everything is Awesome!,” (written by Shawn Patterson and performed by Tegan and Sarah, featuring The Lonely Island), buzzes through the city as everyone greets each other on their way to work.
One day, Emmet falls into a large chasm and discovers the “Piece of Resistance” (the cap to the tube of Krazy Glue), which could save the entire Lego Universe from getting glued into perfection.
With the help of Wildstyle (Elizabeth Banks), Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman), Batman (Will Arnett), and many more friends, Emmet discovers that he is the “Special” spoken of in a prophecy Vitruvius made up when confronted by President Business about the Kragle.
Emmet is then taken to meet the Master Builders up in the free realm of Cloud Cuckoo Land, where there are no instructions to follow. An attack sent by President Business destroys the land though, sinking it into the sea.
It is “comedic yet deep” said Junior Joey Longo.
The graphics were animated, yet they appeared in an almost stop motion manor. Every bit of the movie, from water to flames, was displayed in Lego pieces. Items from the non-Lego human world where exotic and seemed out of place in the movie, adding to the humor and emphasizing the Lego realm and its design.
It’s “a clever interpretation of a world built out of Legos,” said Senior Jonathan Leadbetter.
The Lego Movie, released Feb. 7, cost $60,000,000 to produce but made $69,110,000 on its opening weekend. The movie is rated PG for rude humor and mild action. It runs 1 hour and 40 minutes long.
