The Lego Movie
2014, Village Roadshow Pictures et al
Get ready for a serious visual sugar rush! With its non-stop assault on the senses and barrage of pop-culture quips, The Lego Movie very nearly ODs on itself; you're almost forced to watch it at least twice to catch everything. What saves it is a smart story and snappy voice acting, not to mention totally awesome visuals. Did I say awesome? Yeah, now I've just gotten that song stuck in your head—again.
The extras are well worth the cost of a disc. You get to learn a lot of fun facts about Legos, as well as the lengths the animators went to keep all of the visuals "authentic": every virtual object is built using virtual Lego bricks, all meticulously measured, colored and even aged; given enough time and bricks, everything appearing in the film could presumably be built in real life. Since I don't share their obsession with Legos, it's all just a little creepy to me.
DKS 12/17/17
GRUMPY OLD FART-O-METER® Rating:
The Lego Batman Movie
2017, Warner Animation Group et al
Lightning strikes twice for the Lego fanatics with another dose of visual adrenaline, this time fueled by a brilliantly irreverent take on the world of Batman. The one-liners fly fast and furious—almost too fast to keep up, so be prepared to watch it again.
DKS 12/17/17
GRUMPY OLD FART-O-METER® Rating:
The Lego Ninjago Movie
2017, Warner Brothers Pictures et al
Third time was not the charm, I'm afraid, for the Lego crew, as this entry in the franchise simply doesn't click. Admittedly it's disappointing, because there's no end of pop culture items ripe for a good skewering. Still, the über-colorful animation provides good eye candy, and the production values are as high as ever.
DKS 12/17/17
GRUMPY OLD FART-O-METER® Rating:
The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part
2019, Warner Brothers Pictures et al
As so many have before them, the producers returned once again to the original formula in the hopes of breathing new life into their property. Alas, they also found, as so many have before them, it doesn't always work. It's strange: the sequel has the same vibe as before, but not the same charm. The super-duper-ultra-concentrated-extra-heavy-duty-rapid-fire pop culture references are so overwhelming that it feels like a really bad case of brain-freeze, and after a while you realize you just keep watching in the vain hope that something they throw at the wall might stick. Warner declared it a flop, and sold the rights to Universal.
DKS 3/29/22
GRUMPY OLD FART-O-METER® Rating:
