What Only Adults Seem To Notice In The LEGO Movie
Love it or hate it, "The LEGO Movie" is a modern-day classic. While it might be most appealing to LEGO fans, the movie really does have something for everyone to enjoy. This might be why it's so beloved, holding a tomatometer score of 96% on Rotten Tomatoes. With a PG rating, it's a bit more daring than your average kids' movie, but "The LEGO Movie" is still fun for the whole family.
That being said, there's a lot going on in "The LEGO Movie." The film features a story within a story and so many twists and turns that it might be difficult for younger viewers to keep up at times. There are also a lot of finer details in the film that will fly over the heads of kids, but that adults can't help but notice. From questionable clothing choices to the decision to make Batman kind of a jerk, here are some of the moments in "The LEGO Movie" that only adults seem to catch on to.
There's a surprising amount of LEGO nudity in The LEGO Movie
While none of the characters in "The LEGO Movie" are real-life humans – with the exception of Finn and his dad, of course – it's still a little strange that there would be nudity in a kids' movie. Kids might not think much of the fact that the film's protagonist, Emmet, strips down to take a shower and that the main character in the TV show he watches, "Where Are My Pants?," frequently pops up on screen very clearly not having found his pants, but adults might be wondering if all of this nudity in a kids' movie is really necessary.
It also brings up some serious questions about LEGO physiology, like where baby LEGOs come from, since it appears that LEGO figures are missing some pretty critical pieces of anatomy. Pushing the many questions we have about the LEGO birds and bees aside, it's a little weird that "The LEGO Movie" would feature any level of nudity. Even weirder is the fact that LEGO figures in real life have their clothes painted on, so they shouldn't be able to take their clothes off at all.
Is everyone in The LEGO Movie's Bricksburg brainwashed??
Emmet, the protagonist of "The LEGO Movie," is portrayed as an everyman who is mild-mannered, friendly, and happy to go with the flow and not question anything. While his co-workers view him as too unoriginal to be anybody, the other residents of Bricksburg aren't exactly trailblazers themselves. In fact, they're a lot like Emmet. While they think they're all memorable, they all seem pretty happy to go about their days without thinking of anything too deeply.
It all feels a bit like "The Stepford Wives," and, just like the wives in the film, it seems like the citizens of Bricksburg are under some sort of mind control or have been seriously brainwashed. Everyone is okay carrying out the same routine day after day, and no one even seems to care that there are cameras everywhere. Kids might just think that everyone in Bricksburg is simply happy and gets along, but, to adults, it's all just a little bit creepy.
Is there only one song in The LEGO Movie's Bricksburg?
If you need more proof that everyone in Bricksburg from "The LEGO Movie" is brainwashed, look no further than the one song that seems to play there: "Everything Is Awesome." The song plays for literally hours on end and is an anthem to conformity and not challenging the system, and everyone seems to love it. Are there really no other songs on the radio? We even hear it play at other points throughout the film, such as in the Wild West saloon where it's plunked out on the piano.
Controlling the media is, after all, an excellent way of controlling the populace. There also only seems to be one television show playing in Bricksburg: the utterly banal "Where Are My Pants?"
While "Everything Is Awesome" and "Where Are My Pants?" seem to be proof that everyone in Bricksburg has been deeply indoctrinated, it also feels like the film pushes back a bit at pop culture by spoofing derivative pop songs and sitcoms that are popular despite a lack of originality.
There are a LOT of franchises represented in The LEGO Movie
"The LEGO Movie" is, of course, about LEGOs, but it's also about DC superheroes, "Harry Potter," "The Lord of the Rings," and so many other franchises. The film brings together so many popular fandoms, which is a treat for viewers but had to have been a headache in terms of licensing fees.
Of course, some cameos were probably easier to secure than others. Some of the well-known figures seen in "The LEGO Movie" are actually historical ones, like Abraham Lincoln and William Shakespeare, and we're guessing it wasn't difficult to include them in the film considering they have both been dead for generations. Getting NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal to voice a fictional LEGO version of himself, on the other hand, probably cost "The LEGO Movie" a pretty penny.
Of course, the movie wouldn't have been the same without all the nods to the many franchises that have made LEGOs so popular with kids and adults alike. Some of their most beloved sets are, after all, based on popular franchises such as "Star Wars" and "Harry Potter." As noted by Wired, when the LEGO brand started striking licensing deals with these other brands in 1999, the popularity of the toymaker exploded.
In The LEGO Movie, how is there enough Kragle to destroy the universe?
The big mission in "The LEGO Movie" is to stop President Business from destroying the universe with the Kragle. The Kragle is a tube of Krazy Glue with some of the letters rubbed off, and President Business' plan is to immobilize everything in the universe with it, bringing everyone and everything under his control.
That's a pretty diabolical plan, in theory. There's just one problem: The Kragle is at least 8 years old, and it's missing its cap. As anyone who has ever used Super Glue knows, it dries out pretty quickly, and even unopened containers of it only have a shelf life of eight to 12 months.
There's also the fact that the tube is pretty small. Even if the glue has miraculously not dried out, there's maybe enough to wreak havoc on a town, but the entire universe? Nah. Unless President Business can get his hands on more Kragles, his plans to conquer the universe aren't going to go very far.
Are there LEGO therapists?
We know that the LEGO universe consists of a lot of different worlds, but we don't know a lot about its healthcare system. Hopefully, there's a robust one in place with universal healthcare, because the citizens of the LEGOverse are going to be dealing with a lot of trauma for years to come, thanks to the events that transpire in "The LEGO Movie."
Not only have they survived a dictatorship, some pretty intense fighting, and the near-annihilation of their universe, but many of them are also dealing with the fact that pretty much everything they knew about the world is wrong. Take Emmet, for example, who thought that the entire universe consisted of his home of Bricksburg, only to find out that the universe is much bigger. That's the sort of life-shaking event that is bound to leave some psychological scars. Hopefully, Emmet and everyone else who needs to is able to go to therapy and deal with all this trauma moving forward.
There are too many wizards in The LEGO Movie
For a movie that isn't about magic, there are an awful lot of wizards in "The LEGO Movie." To be honest, it's all a little confusing. When we're first introduced to the bearded and wise Vitruvius, he brings to mind two other famous wizards: Dumbledore from the "Harry Potter" franchise and Gandalf from "Lord of the Rings."
But wait! Several scenes later, Dumbledore and Gandalf both show up — in the same scene no less! The film's writers no doubt had fun orchestrating this wizardly meetup, but we can't help but feel like there are too many cooks at the cauldron. Just how many wizards does one film need? Things might have been a little less confusing if all of the wizards weren't embodying the same wise, old wizard trope.
Why not give us Harry Potter or even Ron Weasley? Or, for that matter, a famous witch or two? "The LEGO Movie" could certainly do with a few more female characters, and it would have been a treat for fans to see, say, Hermione Granger or Glinda from "The Wizard of Oz" pop up.
The LEGO Movie is pretty grim
While kids' movies have been known to incorporate a death or two when necessary (looking at you, Mufasa), unnecessary bloodbaths are typically avoided in such films. The casual way Vitruvius is just killed off in "The LEGO Movie" is pretty brutal when you consider this film's target demographic.
Then again, considering that Vitruvius seems to be based on Dumbledore from "Harry Potter" and Gandalf from "The Lord of the Rings" — both of whom die in their respective franchises — Vitruvius' death makes a lot more sense. He even comes back, in a sense, to help guide the hero on his quest — just as Dumbledore and Gandalf do. It's kind of poetic, when you think about it, but not really a parallel that kids are going to notice in "The LEGO Movie."
At least the blow of Vitruvius' death is softened when he makes a brief reappearance as a ghost.
Batman is a terrible boyfriend in The LEGO Movie
Batman is often seen as a paragon of manliness, but, in "The LEGO Movie," Batman's masculinity is pretty toxic. While he's still the superhero that generations of fans have come to know and love, swooping in to save people with his heroic actions, he's also kind of a jerk.
In "The LEGO Movie," Batman and Wyldstyle are a couple when we first see the superhero, but it's clear from the get-go that Batman is not exactly the world's greatest boyfriend. While Wyldstyle fawns over him, he doesn't seem to know a lot about her and isn't as into her as she is into him. You can't help but feel bad for Wyldstyle, who is a total catch and deserves much, much better.
The good news is that Wyldstyle doesn't stay in this unstable relationship. By the end of the film, she's with Emmet, who clearly appreciates her a lot more than Batman ever did.
It's pretty unfair — not to mention sexist — that Wyldstyle isn't the Special in The LEGO Movie
LEGOs are theoretically for kids of all ages, but "The LEGO Movie" seems to have been created primarily for boys. Most of the characters are male, after all, and while we do get some pretty cool and fierce female characters, like Wyldstyle, the patriarchy is very much in full swing here.
It's incredibly frustrating that Emmet, an average and unexceptional man, is deemed the Special who has the power to save the universe. Why couldn't Wyldstyle have been the Special? She's a trained warrior, a Master Builder, and an all-around boss. Even more galling is that we later find out that the Special is completely made up, so there was nothing stopping Vitruvius, the person who came up with the false prophecy of the Special, from declaring Wyldstyle as the person fated to save the universe.
Although "The LEGO Movie" carries an important message about believing in yourself and the truth that anyone can make a difference, it also sidelines its few female characters.
Gluing LEGOS is a bad idea
If you watch "The LEGO Movie" and come up with the idea that gluing LEGOs together is a great way of keeping them intact, think again. While the film portrays this as a villainous thing to do, there's a good reason for not gluing LEGOs together other than the fact that you can't do anything but look at them after that. Gluing your LEGOs is also really bad for them.
Gluing LEGOs is so bad, in fact, that the official LEGO website has a page advising people against doing just that. While you might be tempted to whip out your very own Kragle, the company says not to use Super Glue or any other glue on LEGOs as this "can make them change shape."
Plus, it's a lot more fun to leave your LEGOs glue free. The company recommends taking apart your creations and putting them together again in new and exciting ways.
Finn from The LEGO Movie is clearly very lonely
It's hard not to feel sorry for Finn in "The LEGO Movie." While the revelation that Emmet, Wyldstyle, and all the other LEGOs are actually part of a story Finn is playing out in the human world with his dad's Lego sets is a big one, the plot twist is quickly overshadowed by the fact that Finn is a sad and lonely kid.
He's clearly desperate for attention from his dad and feels overlooked by him, but is there more going on? Why does Finn spend so much time in the basement of his house playing with his dad's LEGO sets? Is this just a plea for attention from his dad? Or does he spend so much time in the basement playing with things he's not supposed to touch because he doesn't have other options? Is it possible that he's bullied, or that he doesn't have many friends?
Here's hoping that Finn and his dad start to bond over their shared love for LEGOs and that maybe he can make some friends through his new hobby.
How much money has the dad in The LEGO Movie spent on LEGO sets?!
As any LEGO aficionado knows, LEGOs don't come cheap. Sure, you can get some basic sets on a budget — and it seems the dad in "The LEGO Movie" has bought some of these for Finn — but the more complex sets with thousands of pieces are much more expensive and can cost hundreds of dollars a pop. A Batmobile, for example, will set you back $250, while the Imperial Star Destroyer from "Star Wars" costs $699.99.
While we don't know exactly which LEGO sets Finn's dad has in his collection in "The LEGO Movie," considering that they take up pretty much his entire basement, it's safe to say that he has spent thousands on LEGOs. No wonder Finn is so lonely and resentful — his dad is spending a ton of money on toys for himself, then sequesters himself in the basement away from the rest of the family to put them together on his own. Poor kid.
Kids probably don't appreciate the dystopian masterpiece that is The LEGO Movie
When people think of the dystopian blockbusters of the 2010s, their thoughts may turn to "The Hunger Games" franchise, or perhaps "Divergent" or "The Maze Runner." The decade certainly had its share of corrupt governments, nightmarish civilizations, and rebellions portrayed in films. Kids watching "The LEGO Movie" may not appreciate the contribution it makes to the dystopian genre, but adults will no doubt recognize the dystopian nightmare that unfolds in the film.
While it might not seem like a dystopian film on the surface, "The LEGO Movie" checks off all the great dystopian tropes. There's a power-hungry dictator, a scrappy and unassuming hero, and a wise mentor. The fate of the universe is at stake, and the hero overcomes incredible odds to save everyone. As The Week points out, "The LEGO Movie" even has a lot in common with George Orwell's famous novel "Nineteen Eighty-Four," one of the best-known dystopian works of all time.