The Lego Movie (2014)

written and directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller

story by Dan Hageman, Kevin Hageman, Phil Lord, and Christopher Miller

With a clever script by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (which made the visually striking Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs in 2009), The Lego Movie moves along efficiently, much like a Lego action figure itself. Big-name actors like Liam Neeson and Morgan Freeman have a grand old time voicing the animated characters, and there are several inspired kaleidoscopic moments, such as a walk through Cloud Cuckoo Land. But damn if I didn’t get exhausted from the fast-and-furious editing and confusing action sequences. And did we really need a live-action climax with Will Ferrell? Maybe I’m getting old. At least Lego Batman (voiced by Will Arnett) is around to liven things up: “I only use black.. and sometimes dark shades of gray.”

Rating: **

Carlos I. Cuevas