First off, I haven't seen The Monuments Man yet. But I'm pretty sure I'd like it, since I really like history, and at a certain point in time in my life I even considered studying archeology. And no, it wasn't because of Indiana Jones. It was because of games like Age of Empires, and Sid Meier's Civilization which made me fell in love with building up an empire from scratch and tactical and strategical warfare. Also because of Chess, now that I think of it. Furthermore, one of my top 5 movies of all times is Mongol, which is a historical drama about Genghis Khan and is not at all a light movie. So please understand that I'm one of the first people that would urge you to go see The Monuments Man and support such productions!
BUT. What I'm angry with is that the author states in the review that "The big theatrical release this weekend may be the animated romp The Lego Movie, but on At The Movies, Peter Travers highlights another film that requires a bit more from its audience: The Monuments Men."
In the video he also claims that "[...] the sad thing is that the big movie is the Lego movie". In my opinion it is uttermost arrogant and false to assume that The Monuments Men requires more from its audience than the LEGO movie and that there's an abyssal difference in quality between the two. In the following, I'll try to explain my views on the situation.
The LEGO movie can be enjoyed on multiple levels
The Lego movie contains various layers of perception and understanding. You might watch it as a kid, you might watch it as a lifetime geek (my case), as an oblivious adult... Depending on your background you see the movie in a completely different aspect. For example, from a geek standpoint, the movie is loaded with references and tributes. Let's not stop with the obvious ones, Star Wars, Batman, Harry Potter, My Little Pony, etc...
A ton of more subtle references happen almost unnoticeable. My personal favorite: in a fight scene in the movie where the Wyldstyle girl performs a Bicycle Kick [link not safe for work], signature move from Liu Kang where he flies onwards and kicks his opponent just as you would normally ride a bike. So, Mortal Kombat (one of the most violent games in existence) hidden inside a kids movie? I applaud that. But to many people this will just seem like a regular fighting scene.
I could go on for hours explaining all such little tributes, but I would have to watch the LEGO movie again, with the possibility to pause in between, to examine each scene thoroughly.
The vivid imagination kids have
The movie essentially shows what goes on in a kid's head while he's playing. That's how I've been living LEGOs as a kid, and other people have done it as well. Have you forgotten? This movie took me back to my infancy and let my mind wander in many different worlds which get presented during the movie's length. Even the method of filming suits LEGO perfectly. They used a kind of stop-motion technique (I'm not an expert, so I'll stop here).
A worrying outlook
The movie quite clearly criticizes our society. Starting with the protagonist Emet, the most generic person, living a regular and boring life, with a plant as his only friend. He likes everything generic, and has a routine that he follows each and every day - instructions - just as about most people nowadays. Everyone in this world enjoys a song titled "Everything is Awesome", which criticizes today's taste in generic all-alike pop music, awesome!! How can I claim this? Well, the guys who've helped with the song, The Lonely Island are those that took The Neverending Story and implied a sexual tension between the kid and the dragon. They also criticize today's generation YOLO slogan, and the blind sheep-like behavior, by still making parody songs that are catchy, funny and generally enjoyable. It makes that much more sense for them to be part of such a song in the LEGO movie (though to be fair, the song only gets played whole during the credits).
Furthermore, the world has been taken over by a man who hated chaos, and there are robots ensuing everything is in order. Meaning that we've been automatized, and deprived of our imagination, working in unison having generic tastes and liking everything that the masses like. One thought, one mind, one big great hive.
A wake-up call
The LEGO movie is a call-out for people to start using their imagination and realize what's wrong in the world we live in. I like it how George Bernard Shaw put it: "We don't stop playing because we grow old. We grow old because we stop playing"
So let me summarize this. On one hand we have The Monuments Men, that requires you to live a life of other people, see their suffering, their pain, see what they've been through. Admirable. What some people go through is just incredible. I'm not trying to diminish the value of their lives. So why am I upset about the author of the article basically saying that the Lego movie is not a quality movie, unlike The Monuments Men? Well, because the Lego movie asks you to use your imagination, and stop being a lifeless blob on its way to decay. Now which of the two requirements seem harder to you?
I hate it when people assume something is shit just because it's popular. Sometimes things are popular for all the wrong reasons. In this case, the LEGO movie is one of the most excellent and carefully executed critiques of society, master trolling (gamers will know) and most importantly a movie made with a passion and endless imagination rarely seen in today's movies, that gets sold under merits of being a movie for kids and families.
In my opinion, the LEGO movie is a spark that could help loads of adults reignite their sense of wonder and amazement, and give them a hand in unlocking the potential of their minds, which is our imagination.
What are your thoughts? Do you feel like me (and what I assume is the position of the authors of LEGO movie), or do you perhaps think I'm just defending a subject that's close to my heart and can't see the bigger picture? Something else entirely?
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