‘The Lego Movie’ Blu-ray Review

Back at the end of 2013, during one of our Nerd-Casts (one of the lost episodes), a question came up as to what we felt was our most anticipated film of the year 2014. And for me, I didn’t have to wait very long. It was The Lego Movie. The previews, which started showing last fall, promised one of the funniest and most inventive animated films to come down the pike in a very long time. Starring the greatest toys ever made and a voice cast including Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Liam Neeson, and Morgan Freeman; I knew this would be a bull’s-eye.

The Movie Itself

Directors Christopher Miller and Phil Lord (the Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs series and 21 Jump Street) have brought to life a child’s toy box of Lego characters and worlds. At the same time, they have created a film that is exciting, hysterically funny, and quite intelligent. It’s a film that both adults and kids will be clamoring to watch.

The film focuses on Emmet Brickowoski (Chris Pratt), an ordinary construction worker. His life consists of waking up in the morning, drinking overpriced coffee, and reading instruction manuals on how to live his life. As a matter of fact, his life is a never ending instruction manual-always doing what someone tells them to do and never having original thought. All that changes when Emmet meets Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks), mysterious warrior searching for the “Piece of Resistance,” a red rectangle with mysterious powers. Before Wyldstyle can claim the object, it is discovered by Emmet, and strangely becomes affixed to his back.

Based on a prophecy proclaimed by Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman), the person holding the Piece of Resistance is the Master Builder and has the power to take down the evil Lord Business (Will Ferrell), a maniacal villain who plans on destroying the world using the Kragle on Tacos Tuesday (the S is silent).

Emmet, Wyldstyle, and Vitruvius escape Lord Business’s henchmen with the help of Batman (Will Arnett) and are taken to Cloud Cuckoo Land. It is here they are united with other Master Builders: Superman, Wonder Woman, 1980 Space Guy, Abraham Lincoln, Michelangelo (the painter), Michelangelo (the turtle), and Uni-Kitty, a unicorn/anime kitten hybrid.

But before a plan can be hatched, all but a few of our heroes are captured by Good cop/Bad cop (Liam Neeson). The remaining characters must come together to help Emmet achieve his ability to become the Master Builder he’s proclaimed to be, and to stop Lord Business from ending the world.

The Lego Movie is a visual feast. Everything on screen appears to have been made from Legos. Enormous cities, incredible vehicles, and vast landscapes each look like they came straight from a box and built for the film. The most amazing aspect of this is that water, smoke, and explosions are also made from Legos and it looks absolutely incredible. At the same time, shots of Cloud Cuckoo show that that world is hanging by a thread in front of a Lego background, making it look like a child’s playroom.

The screenplay by Miller and Lord is full of gut-busting laughs for those old enough to understand them. Face it, the little ones will be too busy looking at all the Lego characters. This is the part of the film that the adults will appreciate. Inside jokes come hurling at you nonstop, as well as unexpected cameos. One in particular especially had me rolling on the floor.

The voice performances by the entire cast are perfect. Chris Pratt (from TV’s Parks and Recreation) is terrific as Emmet. Hearing him in this film makes me more excited to see him on screen in Marvels’ Guardians of the Galaxy. Elizabeth Banks’ Wyldstyle is more complex than your average animated female lead, and she definitely delivers. Every time I heard Will Ferrell in this film, all I could think of was Mugatu from Zoolander, which is good because he was fantastic in that, as he is here. And Morgan Freeman? The man can read the phone book and make it sound good.

The Lego Movie is an absolute treat for everyone. It achieves what few animated films within the past couple years try but fail to do: keep the entire audience involved. It’s entertaining, action-packed, and, if you are not distracted by all the goings-on on screen, it makes you think a little bit. The film has an ending that absolutely caught me off guard, but it works perfectly within the realm of the film. I promised myself I wasn’t going to use this word in this review, but there is no way around it – The Lego Movie is AWESOME!!!

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The Presentation

The Lego Movie is presented in a 1080p, MPEG-4 AVC transfer and an aspect ratio of 2.40:1. This is a brilliant looking transfer of the film. Transferred digitally from the source, it is absolutely pristine, with no noticeable blemishes. The film’s color palette is never-ending. Bright, vivid hues come at you in every frame, with no apparent smearing. The sharpness of the details and image is phenomenal: the edges on characters bodies, such as the crack on the helmet of the 1980 Space Guy, the LEGO stamps on each of the Lego pieces, even the wear on older pieces is noticeable. Everything that you see when you look at a Lego set is there on-screen. Unlike regular animated films, there is a richness to the picture. As the sun goes down at the workplace, the shadows change from previous scenes, giving it a realistic look. This is a tremendous effort on the filmmaker’s part.

The film’s 5.1 DTS HD audio transfer is flat-out fun. It is an incredibly aggressive aural presentation that literally throws the kitchen sink at the listener. The front speakers are the driving force here, with a broad sound extension to either side, with excellent clarity of high and low levels. The center channel delivers the film’s dialogue clearly and with no distortion. The LFE channel is extremely strong and delivers a strong supporting under current of sound that drives the film. The rear surround speakers are in constant play throughout the entire film. Objects pan smoothly from speaker to speaker, putting the audience smack in the middle of the action. Ships, characters, objects-you name it, and it will eventually fly by your ear with this presentation.

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Extra Features

The Lego Movie is loaded with so many extras, it’s hard to decide what is my favorite. The commentary with Chris Miller and Phil Lord and cast members Chris Pratt, Will Arnett and Charlie Day is definitely one of my favorite commentary tracks ever. It is hilarious, and at times it is almost difficult to focus on the film. There are a lot of fan-made features included, as well as some great behind the scene shorts. The outtakes resemble those of the early Pixar features, where the animated players would flub up their lines. It’s been done before, but it is still funny.

• Commentary with Filmmakers and Cast
• Batman’s A True Artist
• Michelangelo and Lincoln: History Cops
• Enter the Ninjago
• Behind the Scenes: Bringing LEGO to Life
• Everything is Awesome Sing-Along
• Behind the Scenes: See it, Build it
• Behind the Scenes: Stories From the Story Team
• Fan-Made Films: Top-Secret Submissions
• Outtakes
• Additional Promotional Content
• Alleyway Test
• Deleted Scenes
• Featurette: Dream Job: Meet the LEGO Builders

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Final Thoughts

The Lego Movie is definitely one of the best animated films to come out in a very long time. It surpasses anything that Pixar has released over the past several years. Its imaginative story, colorful characters, outrageous moments, and genuine heart make this film a treat for young and old. The film’s audio and video transfer to Blu-ray is absolutely perfect, with breathtaking imagery and an audio transfer that eclipses everything in an already amazing year of home theater audio. The extras included provide not only understanding into the making of the film, but gives insight of the Lego company and its fans. At the end of the year, The Lego Movie will find a spot on my top 10 list.

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