The Lego Movie

Set entirely in a world dominated by Lego toys, The Lego Movie follows construction worker Emmet (Chris Pratt) as he and a spunky rebel (Elizabeth Banks’ Wyldstyle) attempt to take down a megalomaniacal villain named Lord Business (Will Ferrell). It’s clear immediately that The Lego Movie isn’t looking to establish itself as just another big-budget, 3-D blockbuster, as the movie, directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, boasts a creative and almost insanely off-the-wall sensibility that separates it from most contemporary animated fare. And although it’s impossible to entirely shake the feeling that the movie is merely a product designed to sell toys, The Lego Movie benefits substantially from a compulsively watchable first half that’s rife with stellar sequences and engaging performances. (Will Arnett’s often hilarious turn as Batman stands as an obvious highlight, while Liam Neeson delivers a typically sturdy performance as the movie’s villain.) It’s just as clear, however, that the movie’s relentlessly frenetic vibe grows more and more exhausting as time progresses, with the lack of downtime ensuring that The Lego Movie wears out its welcome to an increasingly demonstrable degree – as there’s a lack of substance and character development here that compounds the film’s assault-on-the-senses atmosphere. (And it doesn’t help, either, that the movie’s ultimate message is simplistic and by the numbers.) The end result is a sporadically engaging yet hopelessly broad effort that’s obviously been geared towards small children, and one can’t help but wish that Lord and Miller had infused the proceedings with just a small amount of earnestness and heart.

** out of ****