An unusual amount of drama surrounded the curmudgelings' viewing of The Lego Movie: I won tickets in a drawing for a Saturday morning sneak preview, but despite allowing an extra hour we ended up at the wrong theatre; when we finally arrived at the correct one, we discovered that only those holding "VIP" passes got in. Nonetheless, it was at last viewed at the least expensive first-run theatre in Aurora, Colorado (I'm sure a massacre having occurred there did not impact the ticket prices), much to the delight of all.
The Lego Movie is, of course, a carefully crafted piece of marketing propaganda, and I mean that in the best possible way. With a remarkable turn in the third act, the filmmakers are able to get at the heart and soul of LEGO's enduring popularity. I highly recommend Elvis Mitchell's interview with Phil Lord and Christopher Miller on his always insightful The Treatment podcast. (Now that Roger Ebert has passed from the scene, Elvis Mitchell has to be America's most insightful film critic.)
If you don't have the time or cash to see the movie, you can get a good sense of what it's all about by listening to its theme, Everything Is Awesome!!! From the carefully crafted tune to the cleverly orchestrated rap breaks, it's a highly manufactured and polished pop piece which manages to be both remarkably stupid, brilliantly clever, and genuinely fun to hum endlessly. Citizen Kane it ain't, but The Lego Movie makes a compelling argument for taking pop culture just a little bit seriously.
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