Hilarious toy tale plugs product but is nonstop fun.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 6+?
Any Positive Content?
Products & Purchases
a lot
It's a movie about Lego characters, many of which are merchandise tie-ins to movies, comics, and books, like Batman, Gandalf, Dumbledore, Superman, Green Lantern, Han Solo, Lando, and Wonder Woman. All of the new characters are also available in various Lego kits and minifigures.
Violence & Scariness
a little
Lots and lots of Lego action and peril, including gunfire and explosions; all are depicted with Lego pieces. Lego characters are "beheaded," erased with nail-polish remover, super-glued in place, kidnapped, captured, and "tortured" (their minds are probed for building instructions).
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Though the message doesn't come until the end, the importance of play, creativity, and parent-child togetherness is a big takeaway. Also, that you can be extraordinary if you believe in yourself and take action. There are some deeper messages about how bland aspects of popular culture are, when everyone sees the same shows, listens to the same songs, and drinks the same expensive coffee. Teamwork is another positive theme.
Positive Role Models
some
Vitruvius guides and encourages Emmet and leads all of the Master Builders. Like many other reluctant heroes, Emmet is hesitant to believe he can do anything helpful until he believes in himself (but he's always really positive and upbeat). Wyldstyle learns to have confidence in Emmet and be herself, not just her persona as a tough girl.
Educational Value
very little
This is an entertaining film not an educational one, but kids will still learn about various Lego characters, pieces, and instructions.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that The Lego Movie is an action-packed animated family-friendly adventure following original and existing Lego characters. Featuring an all-star voice cast and some of the brand's most popular figures (Batman, Superman, Gandalf, Wonder Woman, etc.), the inventive movie should appeal to all ages, from young Duplo players to teens who consider themselves Master Builders. Although there's nothing overly objectionable (a few mild exclamations like "dang," "heck," "stupid," and "darn"), there's definitely a lot of action and peril, plus quite a bit of violence with the villain's security forces shooting at the good guys, and a character getting "beheaded" (since minifig heads pop off) or erased (with nail polish remover). Kids will love seeing some of their favorite minifigures come to life, but of course they'll probably ask for the tie-in Lego kits after the movie. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
Funny, clever, action-filled caper with a nice message at the end
Our four-year-old daughter enjoyed this movie. We rented it and watched at home (3 times). If you are at all concerned about a movie's content, there's no substitute for previewing it and deciding if it's right for your child. I still haven't entirely forgiven Pixar for Toy Story 3 (or myself for allowing my six-year-old son to watch it without my vetting it first). With preschoolers, we wait for things to come out on DVD/streaming and rent at home. Movies are so much more overwhelming on a huge screen with booming surround sound. And even then, you can't always predict how they'll react. My now 13-year-old son didn't make it past the first five minutes of a home viewing of Finding Nemo until 2nd grade.
I was concerned about The LEGO Movie after reading some of the other parent reviews, but I'd seen it in the theater with my then 10-year-old son and didn't remember it being upsetting at all. Prior to viewing, I told my daughter it was a movie about LEGOs. They are toys that can be put back together if they come apart. None of this is real. This worked for our daughter who typically only watches PBSKids.
Our whole family really enjoyed the humor, sometimes clever, sometimes just downright silly. The animation of the LEGOs is, I have to say it, pretty awesome. It was cool to see how they animated bricks and other LEGO pieces to be an undulating ocean, running water, etc. The message at the end was a sweet one, and backed up my caveat that these characters are simply toys whose actions are limited only by our imagination.
We watched this movie when our oldest was too little to understand it and thought it was a great movie. Funny, great message, a creative view of the Lego world, and a reveal at the end which parents will enjoy. We attempted to rewatch it now that our older kids are in preschool and kindergarten (turning 3 and 5 in the next 2 months) and had to turn it off after attempting to fast forward through multiple scenes. There's a car chase scene between the main characters and the police, including lots of shooting, cars crashing, and fire. The villain wants to melt down the main character, they tell him he's going to die, and another character is erased. A bar fight includes kicking, punching, and using a bottle to hit someone.
It isn't graphic since it's made with Lego pieces, but it's a lot of aggression and violence for little kids who'll replicate it in their play. We'll wait a few more years before we re-watch this movie.
What's the Story?
THE LEGO MOVIE opens with the legendary battle between evil Lord Business (Will Ferrell) and noble Master Builder Lord Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman). Lord Business plans to dominate the entire Lego universe with a deadly weapon called the Kragle, but Vitruvius has a vision that a yellow-faced someone, the Special, will defeat the villainous Lord Business with the missing "piece of resistance." Years later, completely ordinary construction worker Emmet (Chris Pratt) spies a suspicious figure (Wyldstyle, voiced by Elizabeth Banks) on the construction site and, while following her, ends up finding the legendary red piece of resistance. Wyldstyle believes Emmet to be the Special and takes him to Vitruvius, but they soon realize he's more of a nice-guy rule follower than a visionary Master Builder. As Business and his cronies, led by a ruthless Bad Cop (Liam Neeson), attempt to steal the piece of resistance, Emmet must discover whether he has what it takes to be the Special and save Lego kind.
Movies based on toys aren't ever this good, and it's a testament to the veteran animation filmmakers that this one is so smart, humorous, and visually fun to watch. The perfect cast of voice actors completely embodies their Lego counterparts: Pratt's adorable earnestness is legendary to any Parks and Recreation fan; Banks is a go-to girl-power voice; Arnett sounds exactly like Michael Keaton's Batman; and Freeman, Neeson, and Ferrell are master voice actors. But The Lego Movie is not just your typical animated adventure; there are real messages and sophisticated criticisms of popular culture and consumerism (rather subversive -- or very, very smart -- for a movie tied to a multi-billion-dollar toy company).
Like Luke Skywalker or Harry Potter or Neo, Emmet embarks on the archetypal hero's journey -– complete with his own mystical guide (Vitruvius), intelligent and fierce love interest (Wyldstyle), and larger than life nemesis (Business). Along the way, Emmet bumps into a cadre of hilariously depicted minifigures, from superheroes to historical legends, like Shakespeare and Lincoln. The story contains various brilliant cameos, laugh-aloud one liners, and a live-action interlude that is surprisingly touching. Families with kids of all ages will love this reminder of the joy of playing and laughing together.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about movies based on toys. How does The Lego Movie compare to the others, like Barbie or Transformers films? Does it make you want to get the Lego characters portrayed in the movie?
The movie pokes fun at aspects of popular culture, like dumbed-down TV comedies, catchy pop songs, and overpriced coffee. What do you think the filmmakers are trying to say?
How can we all apply Vitruvius' lesson that everyone is special if we believe in our own talents and abilities?
How do the characters in The Lego Movie demonstrate teamwork? Why is this an important character strength?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
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Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Sandie Angulo Chen
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
