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The Lego Movie begins with unlikely hero Emmet Brickowoski (Chris Pratt) being inadvertently caught up in a plot where Lord Business (Will Ferrell), an evil guy masquerading as the President, has stolen Kragle, an item which will end civilisation as they know it, and he’s hired Bad Cop (Liam Neeson) to arrest all the master builders, for reasons that probably made sense as I was watching it but which I’ve since forgotten, and the Lego piece of resistance is the only thing which can stop the Kragle and, thus, save the world.
A prophecy has been foretold, by Vitruvius the Wizard (Morgan Freeman), that a special will turn up, and be the one to retrieve said Lego piece of resistance. Naturally, you can assume this is going to be Emmet, not yet a master builder, but one who constantly needs to follow instructions in life on how to live… and one day, he chances upon something bright and inviting underground, a sort of gemstone enticing him to take it.
I don’t normally go a bundle on films aimed at children, for the fact that I’m 42 years of age, but The Lego Movie is brilliantly inventive, and even though the majority of it is obviously CGI, it’s all still done in the style of Lego and Lego-made characters. There’s one or two movie references along the way, and you can’t help appreciate the clever way in which it’s been put together.
It’s also one of the few films where the 3D is essential because there’s so much going on all over the screen. However, to that end, due to the amount you have to take in all in one go, it was pummelling my head a bit, even though it was very good, but I did have to pause it a couple of times along the way. That said, I would rate the 3D as essential as Life of Pi and Prometheus, the only two films which just cannot be watched in 2D solely.
And even though I had to pause during my initial viewing, The Lego Movie is one I’ll have to watch this film a few times to take it all in.
Go to page 2 for a look at the presentation and the extras.
The film is presented in the original 2.35:1 widescreen ratio and in 1080p high definition and it looks absolutely stunning, perfectly showing off all those coloured, computerised Lego bricks… seriously, it’s crisp, sharp and does full credit to the movie. Basically, on my Panasonic 50″ Plasma TV, it looks awesome!
The sound is in DTS HD 5.1 and, like the content of the film, there’s tons of stuff going on all over the place, hence there’s great split-surround action.
The extras are as follows and they’re all in HD. There’s a lot of different things, but when you add up the running time, they don’t last a massive length:
- Batman: A True Artist (1:12): Batman in stop-motion Lego, singing his dark, brooding song.
- Michelangelo and Lincoln: History Cops (1:21): In similar style to the film, this is a pretend trailer for a new film… although it could work.
- Enter the Ninjago (2:13): Emmet’s life is given a ninja-style twist, but I won’t spoil what happens.
- Behind the Scenes: Bringing Lego to Life (12:36): Chat with cast and crew members, plus a trip to Legoland in Denmark. This piece just touches on the basics. I’d like to know where the original idea first came for this, and how would you get the rights from Lego to make it?
- “Everything is Awesome” Sing-a-long (3:19): The song with lyrics. If you hadn’t gathered that in advance.
- Behind the Scenes: See It, Build It (12:20): Segments which Six different segments primarily looking at building and digitising the double-decker couch and Emmet’s car. Oddly, you can’t select “play all” as there’s no such option, so you’ve got to go through each one individually, getting thrown back to the menu inbetween which is quite annoying. When it comes to building the set pieces, it’s done in a bit of a ‘Play School’-type way, so it shows that all the fans of the film can make them as well.
You, too, can digitise your Lego by using the online Lego Digital Designer at http://ldd.lego.com
- Behind The Scenes: Stories from the Story Team (4:02): Sections from the film in storyboard format, with crew commentary.
- Fan-made Films: Top Secret Submissions (3:51): Does exactly what it says on the tin, and they’re introduced by Chris Pratt.
- Out-takes (2:33): If Lego characters can do out-takes, that is. It’s very funny, though.
- Additional Promo Content (3:51): Additional excerpts like short pieces which went before the main trailer in cinemas, like Batman on his Batphone, and auditions for the Lego cast.
- Alleyway Test (0:55): The first animation test for the film, showing Wyldstyle building the motorcycle in a single shot.
- Deleted Scenes (3:20): Just two of them, in storyboard format.
- Audio Commentary: Featuring both directors, plus Alison Brie, Chris Pratt, Will Arnett and Charlie Day.
There are subtitles and languages in a few apiece – not a major amount, but better than most releases which just go for English-only.
Sadly, when it comes to chapters, these are anything but awesome… I remember Warner once going to town on these in the early days of DVD, even giving 44 for titles like Disclosure. Unfortunately, these days, it’s usually a mere 12. The Lego Movie gets 11. Rubbish! You’re not paying by the chapter!
The 3D Blu-ray version of The Lego Movie, which I’ve reviewed here, is presented in a gorgeous lenticular sleeve.
The Lego Movie is available now on 3D Blu-ray, 2D Blu-ray and DVD.
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FILM CONTENT PICTURE QUALITY SOUND QUALITY EXTRAS |
7 10 10 5 |
| OVERALL | 8 |
Detailed specs:
Cert: 
Running time: 100 minutes
Studio: Warner Home Video
Cat.no.: 5000181952
Year: 2014
Released: July 21st 2014
Chapters: 11
Picture: 1080p High Definition
Sound: DTS HD Master Audio 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1
Languages: English, Catalan, Dutch, French, Flemish, Spanish
Subtitles: English, French, Dutch, Italian, Spanish
Widescreen: 2.35:1 (ARRIRAW (2.8K))
Disc Format: BD50
Directors: Phil Lord and Christopher Miller
Producers: Roy Lee and Dan Lin
Screenplay: Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (based on a story by Dan Hageman, Kevin Hageman, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller)
Music: Mark Mothersbaugh
Cast:
Emmet Brickowoski: Chris Pratt
Batman: Will Arnett
Wyldstyle: Elizabeth Banks
Lord Business: Will Ferrell
Vitruvius: Morgan Freeman
Bad Cop: Liam Neeson
Unikitty: Alison Brie
Abraham Lincoln: Will Forte
Gandalf: Todd Hansen
Benny: Charlie Day
C-3PO: Anthony Daniels
Han Solo: Keith Ferguson
Lando: Billy Dee Williams
Green Lantern: Jonah Hill
Superman: Channing Tatum
Duplo: Graham Miller
Shaq: Shaquille O’Neal
Finn: Jadon Sand
Wonder Woman: Cobie Smulders
Shakespeare: Jorma Taccone
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.
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