The Lego Movie (2014) Photo: Warner Brothers
The Lego Movie (2014) Photo: Warner Brothers

With an opening week debut at $43 million - The Lego Movie is topping in the list of movies and has also received positive reviews from the film-critics.

The film is expected to work with its young audience. However, it should not be turned down as a complete kids movie, as it has enough material to keep the adults hooked too. New York Times' AO Scott in review on the Lego Movie notes: "The story is a busy, slapdash contraption designed above all to satisfy the imperatives of big-budget family entertainment. There are fiery chases and hectic brawls, and a crowd of famous voices simultaneously enacting and lampooning the standard cartoon-quest narrative of heroic self-discovery. Pop-culture jokes ricochet off the heads of younger viewers to tickle the world-weary adults in the audience, with just enough sentimental goo applied at the end to unite the generations. Parents will dab their eyes while the kids roll theirs."

The Lego Movie makers have reportedly used both CGI and stop motion animation technique for making the great visual-treat. Bill Zwecker in the Chicago Sun-Times observes -"The visuals are spectacular, the 3D technology is artfully used and the story is jam-packed with so many funny lines, it's hard to catch all the jokes that are delivered in rapid-fire succession -- constantly tweaking many popular culture icons."

The movie that primarily will have the young ones wailing away demanding Lego toys, interestingly 'very boldly' takes some pot-shot at corporate culture.  As Peter Travers in Rolling Stone noted- "The brightly-imagined Lego Movie is a wickedly smart and funny free-for-all, and sassy enough to shoot well-aimed darts at corporate branding."

But it is Andrew O'Hehir in Salon, who finely brings out the success quotient of the movie. He notes: "What could easily have been test-marketed, corporate-processed crap ... instead becomes a surprisingly enjoyable and satisfyingly dense family entertainment that pays tribute to the spirit of free play and individuality."

If there are still unbelievers, who think that the Lego Movie is a child's adventure film pay heed to Kevin Carr, who in 7M Pictures says: " The Lego Movie is the first really awesome film of 2014. If you're old enough to play with the toys, it's a must-see, and there's no age too old for the film."

Finally, Matthew Razak of Examiner appeals to the child in every grown up, he says: "Round the kids up (or don't), plop yourself down in a theater (no need to pay extra for 3D) and get ready to remember how great it was to open a box of random LEGO parts and find the world was just full of blocky possibilities of where to go next."

Five Interesting stuff you must know about the Lego(R) Movie:

  • Emma Stone and Robert Downey Jr. were first considered for the voice-over parts that were later given to Elizabeth Banks (Wyldstyle / Lucy) and Will Arnett (Batman/Bruce Wayne).
  • Everything in the Lego Movie is designed to look as if built out of LEGO pieces; even water, fire, laser bolts, explosions and smoke.
  • Stop-motion and CGI animation have been used in the movie. However, the creators deliberately used more stop-motion to make everything look like Legos.
  • The "1980-something space guy", Benny, sports a broken helmet and a worn-out logo on his suit, the damage on the figurine is similar to what real Lego toys show after years of use. Even the crack on his helmet is exactly where the Lego piece usually breaks.
  • This would be fourth film that Morgan Freeman, and the third for Liam Neeson, to feature in a version featuring Batman.                    

                                                                                                                                  (with inputs from IMDB)