The Lego Movie

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I hate to break this to you grandad, but it's all about Lego Mindstorms nowadays, which is basically giving kids the technology to create customizable, programmable robots.

Listen up Grandson, Turtle robots date back to the late 1940s.  This isn't new shit.

[weekender]

Listen up Grandson, Turtle robots date back to the late 1940s.  This isn't new shit.

Were those the little robots that could draw circles on the floor because they were essentially a pen tethered around a circle that could be activated via some sort of remote control?

Well, grandad, all I can say is that you have set this evil technology in motion.  One year it's "If we get a turtle robot to draw a squirly thing on the floor, that would be cool, look - we can get four of them to replicate a Spirograph", and c100 years down the line we have John Connor - who was only 10 when this monstrosity happened, TEN! - getting abducted by a strange muscular man on a motorcycle which lead to all sorts of calamitous situations.

From what you're saying though, you seem to be accepting of the technological advances that happened either now or in your grandfather's time, or in your future, or in your entire familiy history, on the possible grounds that they probably weren't anything to do with you (and you can't know that at this stage because you don't know what the time travellers are doing).

Just seems like a bit of a cop out, if I'm being honest.

Or are you actually accepting responsibility?

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I personally think that Technic Lego is the future, rather than Turtle robots and Lego Mindstorms.

And I suspect that if you don't come to your senses, you'll finish up like John Connor in the bunker at the end of Terminator 3 going "Aaaaargh god I followed a red herring!!!"

[lazarou]

The future, yesterday tomorrow.

[billtheburger]

Here is the outtake reel.

[CaledonianGonzo]

This movie is utterly hatstand.  It's almost like the film-makers had a time machine, read Shoulders' moans about the very idea of this movie existing and then travelled back a few years to start work on something with the very intention of proving him ridiculously wrong.

EVERYTHING IS AWESOME

[Famous Mortimer]

Is it not an extended advert for Lego, the Lego brand and all the wonders of buying Lego and Lego products, then?

I mean, the absolute best advert I ever saw, one that won all the awards and was a technical marvel, was still designed solely for the purpose of getting people to buy stuff.

I've not seen the film and I'm unlikely to, so feel free to take all these opinions with a pinch of salt.

[billtheburger]

As an aside to usual marketing practices, is it not possible to bring joy to the world as an additional part of your business ethic?
Take the LEGO website for instance, it is packed with loads of content, all marketing, but all free and fun spreading.

[Replies From View]

As an aside to usual marketing practices, is it not possible to bring joy to the world as an additional part of your business ethic?

If it helps to sell the stuff then yes it is allowed.  If not then no.

[Urinal Cake]

It's not selling a product- it's selling a state of conciousness.

[Jack Shaftoe]

This movie is utterly hatstand.  It's almost like the film-makers had a time machine, read Shoulders' moans about the very idea of this movie existing and then travelled back a few years to start work on something with the very intention of proving him ridiculously wrong.

EVERYTHING IS AWESOME

Hurrah! I might take the kids to see it again this half term, so much of it shot past me first time round.

I'm not sure it even is a massive advert for Lego, to be honest, or even if it is, it doesn't quite work in that way. I mean I love the stuff, and have crates of it, but it didn't make me want to go and buy more of it, so much as find new ways of playing with the old stuff. And making exact replicas of the stuff in the film seems to go against its ethos, to be honest, so the kids and I started making pirate with robot body bloke, but then it turned into a weird spaceship with trees growing on it, which was fine.

[billtheburger]

I just went to look at the times, so I could take the kids, and the 13.10 seating is sold out.
This is the only time I ever witnessed this.

[Steve Lampkins]

Just got back from seeing this with the wife and five year old son (two separate people). We all loved it. A lot more funny than I thought it would be, and packed with so many little touches that I must have missed so many. Saw it in 3D (my son enjoys it, and actually it can work ok with animation), but it was barely utilised, so not really worth it.

[billtheburger]

I've just got back from the 2D showing, because my 3 year old won't wear the gegs.

I wouldn't change anything about it. I loved all the little touches, I loved the anti conformity stance. I got goosebumps in parts.
I was once

Spoiler alert

a president Business myself. But now my two lads have stopped all that.

[close]

Everyone was singing ♫EVERYTHING IS AWESOME♫ on the way back to the car park.

[Mini]

I just saw this despite having no children and therefore no excuse, and thought it was great. Funny, satirical and downright bonkers. Will Arnett's Batman was a glorious parody and as a general rule of thumb if something pisses off Fox News then it's good.

[Replies From View]

if something pisses off Fox News then it's good.

I suspect they're just playing along, to be honest.

[momatt]

As an aside to usual marketing practices, is it not possible to bring joy to the world as an additional part of your business ethic?

Yeah this.  I've not even seen the film yet, but I already want to buy absolutely every toy related to it.
The film's very existence is making me really happy.  Why is this bad?

A commercial product designed to sell as much as possible cannot 'sell out'.  It is impossible.

[billtheburger]

There is now the fact that this film is going to gross $billion, which actually makes it one of LEGO's most important and profitable products itself.

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I wonder what the sequel will be like.

[momatt]

I wonder what the sequel will be like.

They should do a really cool post-modern thing where they pull apart the first film and re-construct it into a new one.

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And wittily call it "Lego Too"[nb]It rhymes with "Lego 2" - which contains the number two because it would be the second film!!!!  CLEVER AS WELL AS FUNNY.[/nb] - because despite being rearranged the material will still be Lego!!!

[CaledonianGonzo]

I wonder what the sequel will be like.

Spoiler alert

It's (only semi-seriously?) set up at the end - in one of the movie's best jokes.

[close]

[momatt]

I wonder what the sequel will be like.

Not sure if you meant this as a joke, but a sequel is already in the works.

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I wonder what the third film will be like.

[momatt]

I wonder what the third film will be like.

Not sure if you meant this as a joke, but a threequel is already in the works.


_{Probably.  I dunno.}

[Bad Ambassador]

I wonder what The Playmobil Movie will be like.

[wunderbar]

This was all utterly brilliant. Inventive, funny, interesting, ridiculous.
...And then that shite with Will Ferrell and the kid at the end. Annoying overcooked sentimentalism in a film that already had brilliantly elucidated themes and points to make. Took me totally out of the actual Lego world, and arguably made it a less interesting film.* They could have had a 30 seconds reveal with a Dad and his son right at the very end, followed by the (brilliant) closing gag. Just didn't need the ponderous guff we ended up with.
Shame. 10/10 film up until that point. 8 in the end probably.


* For much of the filme I thought the whole anti-conformity stuff was partly taking the piss out of Lego's increasing tendency towards pre-designed sets and away from make-whatever-the-fuck-you-want. The introduction of Will Ferrell blunted that somewhat.

[Sexton Brackets Drugbust]

I'm a huge animation fan and while this film is receiving all kinds of hype and I'm always up for a crack at the hugely fun Lego videogames, I absolutely hated the movie trailer every time I had to sit through it. Detested it. The pacing, rhythm, style and tone of pretty much every joke felt identical to so many of the inferior, wise-ass Dreamworks animations and much of what annoys me about a number of US sitcoms. That said, it's not unheard of for a trailer to be hugely misleading, so is it worth me taking a chance and seeing The Lego Movie?

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a Dad and his son

How does Lego reproduce?

[babyshambler]

so is it worth me taking a chance and seeing The Lego Movie?

Have you read the thread? People are building lego phalli to orally copulate in honour of this masterpiece.