2014 in film: Why 'The Lego Movie' is the year's most successful original movie
'Lego' scored at the box office, becoming the fourth-highest grossing film of 2014, but it wasn't only a financial success 鈥� it also received praise from critics for how it poked fun at superhero conventions and prophecy-driven tales.
'Lego' scored at the box office, becoming the fourth-highest grossing film of 2014, but it wasn't only a financial success 鈥� it also received praise from critics for how it poked fun at superhero conventions and prophecy-driven tales.
In 2014, one of the best stories at the movies was one involving a bunch of your child鈥檚 favorite toys.聽
This February鈥檚 鈥淭he Lego Movie,鈥� an animated film about Emmet Brickowski (鈥淕uardians of the Galaxy鈥� star Chris Pratt) and his adventures with a group of superheroes and franchise characters, was the fourth-highest grossing movie of 2014, according to the website Box Office Mojo. It's also one of the only films in the top 10 with an original story. (We鈥檙e using the term "original story" loosely: Emmet鈥檚 adventures include encounters with comic book characters like Batman and Superman, but the central story of Emmet and Wyldstyle鈥檚 battles with the evil Lord Business is a new narrative for the movie.) Four of the highest-grossing films this year 鈥� 鈥淕uardians of the Galaxy,鈥� 鈥淐aptain America: The Winter Soldier,鈥� 鈥淴-Men: Days of Future Past,鈥� and 鈥淭he Amazing Spider-Man 2鈥� 鈥� were based on comic books, while the third-highest grossing film, 鈥淭he Hunger Games: Mockingjay 鈥� Part 1,鈥� is based on the book by Suzanne Collins. 鈥淢aleficent,鈥� the sixth-highest grossing film, is based on the 鈥淪leeping Beauty鈥� fairy tale and 鈥淕odzilla鈥� and 鈥淒awn of the Planet of the Apes,鈥� the tenth- and eighth-highest grossing films, are both based on previous movies.
Meanwhile, 鈥淭ransformers: Age of Extinction,鈥� the fifth-highest grossing film, is also an original story, but it wasn't well-received by critics. (Entertainment Weekly critic Chris Nashawaty voted the movie one of the worst of the year and called the film's story "as narratively coherent as your average funny-pages word jumble.")
In contrast, 鈥淟ego鈥� was praised for its story and humor. The movie鈥檚 jokes include tweaks on films鈥� prophecies about heroes (a wise character voiced by Morgan Freeman ends a prophecy with 鈥淎ll this is true because it rhymes鈥�) and villains having paper-thin disguises (represented in 鈥淟ego鈥� by the fact that the characters in the film apparently can鈥檛 connect that Lord Business and President Business are the same person).聽
Associated Press reviewer Jessica Herndon called the movie 鈥渦proarious yet touching.鈥�
鈥淸Directors and writers Phil] Lord and [Christopher] Miller nail the fuzzy 鈥榖elieve-in-yourself鈥� message and score with a spoof-heavy, yet engaging plot,鈥� she wrote. 鈥淭hey've created a delightful tale championing self-reliance and distinctiveness. And though it detours from a strict brick world in the final act, the cheery humor always clicks.鈥�