After reading so many ‘awesome’ reviews in papers, my family and I were extremely disappointed by this film.
This is a film that will appeal to those who love playing LEGO computer games on the Xbox etc. If you do, then you’ll probably love this film as it’s fast paced, gimmicky and shallow. Go ahead and rent it. Hey! you may as well buy it and watch it over and over till your brain dries up and falls out of your left nostril.
I have to admit, the plot idea was a nice one. Unfortunately, the only parts of the movie that are really worth watching are the live action (real actor) sequences at the end with the obsessive LEGO-fan father (“these are NOT toys”) and his frustrated son - even if it was a bit cheesy.
What’s wrong with it then? Hmm, let’s see.
The pace. Let’s talk about the pace. If this movie were tested at the Olympics, it would be disqualified for illegal drug use. It was HYPER. Think ADHD - then add some. Ever wondered why so many kids these days are diagnosed? Watch the movie and it should become clear. Feed kids this stuff on a regular basis (audio-visual E numbers) and they will lose their ability to focus on anything for more than 0.3 seconds.
You get the gist.
It is fast. VERY fast. Even with 20/20 vision and a brain the size of a planet, my eyes found it difficult to track all the movement.
And it is LOUD.
Was it fun though? I suppose so, in parts. There were some attempts at humour, which almost nudged a weak smile. However, a lot of these were simply lost due to their rapidity as the film hurtled on to the next scene a nano-second later.
My wife gave it 5 minutes before choosing ironing as a preferable activity! The children watched it all the way through and expressed a vague enjoyment.
The producers could learn from other animated movies where there are fast scenes from time to time, but they are split up by slower scenes, allowing more time for character development, films such as Megamind, Despicable Me, Shrek and the Toy Story series - all of which appeal to children and adults and have some great humorous touches.
To conclude. If you like computer games - watch and enjoy. If you prefer stories with depth and character development - give it a miss. If you are just curious, rent it on SD.
