The Lego Movie

A presentation of Warner Bros. trademarks in the world of the construction-set king. It is the movie with the heaviest product placement ever (if we don’t count Logorama) hiding behind family fun. You take your kids to the multiplex, buy them some overpriced popcorn and on the way home spend the rest of your money in the Lego store. A few cool jokes and thorough technical craftsmanship, but those robotic figures are no more alive than the primitively animated Cartman and Kenny. And the final surprise with the “big idea” doesn’t make any sense. (04/03/2014)

The Lego Movie captivates at first glance with imaginative animation based on the globally popular building blocks. The film is also not without a certain originality when it comes to the script, where basically anything is possible, as long as it can be "rearranged" like Lego pieces – which was, however, one big and fundamental problem for me. In some places, I found the plot a little too disjointed. Of course, I accept the fact that this is an animated fantasy for children, where anything is possible, but everything has its limits. I liked the live-action insert, even though the film could have done without it – it seemed too overdone. Still, this is an unpretentious diversion, which will find both its fans and its detractors through its unconventional concept. (02/15/2019)

A terribly chaotic affair. All those who found the film to be clear have my admiration, because all those exploding blocks made my head spin, and if someone hadn't shouted every now and then and commented on the situation, I probably wouldn't have had a clue what was going on. The worst thing was that the confusion almost suffocated even the few good jokes (I liked Han Solo and Chewbacca the best). The Simpsons episode that just made fun of this movie was a hundred times better. (10/20/2014)

A few really polished jokes and the overall originality and liveliness of the setting can't quite make up for the quality level of the story, which is at times childish and sentimental to the point of shame, and in the end tries to dazzle with an idea that I wouldn't have bought into even as a father after three beers. Next time I'll opt for the dubbed version, which I'm sure will allow me to concentrate better on the elaborate visual details. For the time being, however, 65%. (05/26/2014)

You don't have to be a master builder to realize that the film's most significant asset is its subversive revolt against the Danish tycoon who churns out one cube set after another, from which it's now virtually impossible to build anything based on your own imagination; the heaps of humor, the Bruckheimer-esque action races and the great balance on all audience target groups are just a nice bonus. 4 ½. (06/06/2014)