Howdy! This is PhantomStrider!
Pfft. That animation stuff's for chumps.
Let's look at...
Did you know there's actually more than just a couple of Lego movies?
In reality, there's a truckload of these Brickamations that have been sitting under our noses for 15 years.
I mean, obviously, some of them only exist to sell more Lego play-sets to kids,
but others use their brickamation style to give us immersive worlds and likable characters.
BENNY: I COULD BUILD A SPACESHIP!
BENNY: SPACESHIP!
While, also, shamelessly selling later play sets to kids,
but Lego's good fun.
So let's check out the
And of course, just as much as ever, if you do like these movies, that's great!
It's just my silly personal opinion.
And even the worst of these Lego movies are still childhood classics to many people!
And none of these Lego movies have particularly BAD messages for kids.
So, take this list with a pinch of salt.
Anyway, on to the countdown.
The 3rd WORST Lego movie is...
The word "Bizarro"... I-I never realized how annoying this word is until I said it, and heard the movie say it like 50 times!
Even the narrator in the trailer seems to be hating himself for saying it.
Narrator: (painfully) Lego Justice League vs. Bizarro League!
As far as Lego movies go,
"Bizarro" is certainly more on the watered down filler variety.
Rather than attempting to immerse us in the narrative or characters,
It feels like I'm just watching someone playing with a Lego set!
Even the cities feel empty and lifeless as though they just filmed a chunk of the built playset.
RANGER SCOUT: Look! A Monkey!
Both the DC heroes and the...
"Bizarro" League, tend to mostly deliver flat jokes and personality free cutouts of DC heroes,
clearly conceived by, SLEEP-DEPPRIVED comic book writers.
For example, the Lego Batman in this movie is a FAR CRY from the Lego Batman we're used to.
BATMAN: I keep my friends close... and my enemies closer.
He's void of pretty much any character traits beyond being overly suspicious.
The reason well, you know...
BATMAN: I'm Batman.
He's Batman. Yeah.
Justice League teams up with their... "bizarro" clones in order to beat Darkseid in his most generic form yet.
DARKSEID: I will deal with them... myself.
The action scenes feel listless and it never feels like there's any real significant threat on the line.
There's zero atmosphere in the scenery and zero tension in the story.
They even packaged it with a Lego "bizarro" figurine.
The whole Lego... "Bizarro" movie is the ideal example of a big flavorless Lego commercial to try and sell Lego toys.
The 3rd BEST Lego movie is...
H E Y
Oh, this is JUST what I needed to see. Just like the Robot Chicken Star Wars parodies,
This Lego Star Wars movie is full of witty parodies on an alternative Star Wars timeline.
HAN SOLO: What's curcial here, is the element of sur-
(Interrupting crash)
All the way through this Lego Star Wars movie, I was just feeling cheery and laughing heartily!
Frankly, I was just intrigued hearing the plot.
Luke's trying to go on a secret mission, but he can't stay in secret on his mission because he keeps getting chased by fans.
LUKE: I'M A JEDI IN TRAINING!
R2D2: (beeps)
LUKE: We're blocked, R2!
LUKE: 3PO, I need your help finding a way of this street.
PhantomStrider: After all, Luke's a celebrity after blowing up the Death Star.
There's no complex narrative being attempted here.
But we get treated to very clever, very affectionate, and very funny writing for a pleasant roam through the Star Wars universe.
DARTH VADER: Watto, my old master, it's me! Anakin Skywalker!
WATOO: Ani?
What I like about these alternative Star Wars universes is characters like Vader are 100 times more likeable than they ever were in the prequels.
Frankly, Anakin's treated more like a real person who screws up occasionally.
LUKE: Calm down. Use the force...
DARTH VADER: I'll show that yellow-eyed BULLY! Use the force..
LUKE AND VADER: Use the force...
I can comfortably say I enjoyed this Lego Star Wars movie far more than I ever enjoyed the prequels.
I 100% recommend the Empire Strikes Out.
STORMTROOPER: You're all under arrest!
C3PO: Oh, my stars! Han shot first!
HAN SOLO: Of course I did! It was me or him! Why wouldn't I?
C3PO: That is a subject of some debate.
And the 2nd WORST Lego movie is...
BENNY: SPACESHIP!
This is probably my most controversial choice for this list,
and I do understand if you personally enjoy it. And honestly, I really wanted to like this movie.
I mean, it has a Jackie Chan cameo!
But the Lego Ninjago Movie just felt so much like a cookie cutter, teenage drama to me.
LLOYD: YOU called ME.
LORD GARMADON: Hang on a sec..must've butt-dialed you.
And even when the movie isn't trying to take itself seriously, I don't like the dialogue or the jokes, they just seem to fall flat.
SENSEI WU: The Ultimate, ULTIMATE Weapon!
(a lot of explosions, screaming, and fat slapping)
LITERALLY EVERYONE: Woah!
It's like a teenage soap opera dressed up in Lego with Power Rangers mixed in.
And that may be what some people were looking for,
but the previous two theatrical lego movie set my expectations so much higher.
I was expecting something self-aware, smart, and something with substance for all ages.
I think part of when The Ninjago movie falls flat for me is I just don't like the characters.
To me, the main character, Lloyd, felt like an obvious mold of the average teenage high school loner.
But unbeknownst to the town, he's actually a superhero! A secret NINJA superhero!
(G A S P)
What a twist!
CROWD MEMBER: WE LOVE YOU GREEN NINJA!
And characters like Lloyd's dad, Garmadon, just feel sporadic and meandering in their delivery.
Even by the halfway point, I was finding him pretty irredeemably self-absorbed.
LLOYD: You ruined my life!
LORD GARMADON: How could I ruin your life? I wasn't even there!
(Sarcasm) Will Lloyd and his dad, Garmadon, reconcile and be father and son again?
Well, what do you think?
The other problem is is that the dialogue just doesn't have that elegance and wits that I've expected from the previous Lego movies.
LORD GARMADON: Where are your little ninja- ninja nerd- where are your little ninja nerds?
SENSEI WU: Looks like you need a lesson in learning how to shut your stupid face!
The problem is many of us know these characters and tropes before our rears have even warm the seats.
And when I talk to fans of this movie,
many tend to admit "Yeah, it's got its flaws," but they like it anyway, and that's a very mature perspective to take on it.
But personally, I couldn't get into the jokes, the characters, the fight scenes, or the dialogue.
And the 2nd BEST Lego movie is...
BATMAN: Computer! Overcompensate!
BATMAN: Who has the coolest gadgets?
BATMAN!
It's quite an age we live in, isn't it? Where a Lego Batman movie is more clever,
Self-aware, insightful, funny, and engaging,
Than it's 250 million dollar counterpart!
I'm sorry. I just don't think I'll ever forgive what a bad movie Batman vs Superman was! God, it's stunk! (it did)
This is what I call a multi-layered Batman movie.
While this Batman is silly, campy, and flashy enough to entertain the kids,
he's at the same time relatable to all ages in his personal challenges.
Things as simple as loneliness, struggling to make friends outside of work.
And it can convey Batman's loneliness without a word said to us.
For example: The Microwave scene.
(Microwave humming)
(Lobster munch)
I distinctly remember the microwave scene even now because he can so succinctly feel Bruce Wayne's loneliness in isolation.
And again, he's made of Lego! Bruce Wayne would obviously be lonely!
But it's done in a funny and silly way at the same time!
And all the way through, the movies chock-a-block full of affection of Batman references from practically every Batman movie since the 1960s!
ALFRED: I've seen you go through similar phases in 2016 and 2012 and 2008 and 2005 and 1997, 1995, 1992, and 1989,
AND, that weird one in 1966.
And every single character is a delight!
I like the Joker and Batgirl and Alfred.
Gotham is packed with atmosphere, yet It's refreshingly colorful at the same time.
The Lego Batman movie is just enjoyably ludicrous!
I never would have guessed 10 years ago that we would be in an age
where the Lego Batman Movie is one of my favorite superhero movies of all time.
And before we get # 1, let's go through some quick honorable mentions.
Oh, I can't make fun of this one!
And it's honestly a solid effort! Sure, Clutch feels a hair too similar to Indiana Jones,
but Clutch ended up being a childhood classic for many people!
I find a lot of people associate this movie with pleasant childhood memories and warmth, and I can't fault that.
This movie's atmosphere is too much of a road down memory lane for me to dislike it.
It's... uh... well... it's... uh... it's...
HARLEY QUINN: Some of these are still FROZEN in the middle!
I'm torn on this one!
On one hand, I love seeing an all female cast and want to encourage more movies like this, particularly for kids.
But the problem is is that it's really goofy.
These superheros honestly feel far more intriguing and interesting to me than the Lego Ninjago crew ever did
And clearly, the voice actors for this one were having a lot of fun.
HAMMY: I won't be stopped that easily. KRYPTONITES, Come to ME!
Like Tara Strong as Harley Quinn is just something you have to hear to believe. I actually recommend this one.
I kind of wish this one did fit into a best and worst list, though, so I had an excuse to talk about it.
This is another of those very first Lego, movies.
And, frankly, the atmosphere is sensational for the time.
Dark Lord: Their duty and their destiny...I must shatter.
PhantomStrider: The scenery in Bionicle give off this real sense of alien and unknown.
And for the early 2000s, this voice acting is really top-notch.
Back then, we just didn't take animation voice acting as seriously, yet alone for a Lego movie!
Anyway, on to the number ones!
And the #1 (random sneeze)
And the #1 WORST Lego movies is...
Yes. You heard me correctly. There's a Lego Scooby-Doo movie. 3 of them.
SHAGGY: Welcome ghost pirates to another episode of...
Ugh.. Of COURSE this movie exists. Of COURSE it does.
Because for a second there, I thought there existed a category of entertainment, which Scooby-Doo hadn't sold out on.
Combine the two-marketing conglomerates of Lego and Warner Brothers, and what do you get?
The most tedious snore of a sellout Lego Scooby-Doo movie I could find.
This must be the ultimate example of a sellout movie!
No part of this movie is not trying to sell me something.
And "generic" does not do justice to expressing how predictable and monotonous this story is!
How do you possibly make Shaggy, Scooby-Doo, and the mystery crew any blander???
Well, let's turn them into walking toy advertisements!
You already know the story! You can literally glance at the box and know the full story!
Scooby-Doo and the crew go down to the beach to have some fun. Hooray! (I sense sarcasm)
But there are... PIRATE GHOSTS on the beach that scared everyone away!
Oh, no, I wonder what's going to happen. Will it involve Scooby Snacks and running away from ghosts?
DAPHNE: 2 Scooby Snacks?
SHAGGY: YES! ABSOLUTELY! JUST GIVE US THE SNACKS! WE'LL DO ANYTHING!
Will Shaggy and Scooby look for FOOD in this movie?
SHAGGY: Let's see if there's anything to eat in this ship's galley!
Well Scooby and Shaggy be scared of ghosts? And run away? Oh look!
Yet another pirate chase scene. Joy. Even by Scooby-Doo sell-out standards,
this is among the most watered-down, boring, predictable Scooby-Doo movies I've seen!
I mean the animation budgets there, obviously.
But it's soulless brickamation with no substance behind it.
Lego Scooby-Doo Beach Party Bash is a formulaic, direct-to-dvd, bag of beans that's unsuccessfully attempted its way through a cow's digestive system.
If you've got really young kids, it's probably gonna entertain them.
And like the other Lego movies, there's no inherently harmful messages,
except the excessive consumerism and marketing.
But do we really want to give another pass to Warner's shameless selling out to kids?
If you're a Scooby-Doo fan, and I mean a REAL fan!
Like you'd give your right arm to give him a Scooby Snack, then maybe you'd enjoy this?
Maybe?
Personally, I consider Lego Scooby-Doo Beach Party Bash Blowout The #1 WORST Lego movie.
WHERE'D HE GO?
S P A C E S H I P !
And, surprising no one, the #1 BEST Lego movie is...
EMMET: OH MY GOSH I LOVE THIS SONG!
🎵Everything is awesome🎵
🎵Everything is cool when you're part of a team🎵
🎵Everything is awesome🎵
🎵When you're living out a dream🎵
I know it's a predictable choice, but The Lego Movie is like lightning in a bottle!
It just works so perfectly!
As we watch Emmet's journey, every moment from the beginning to end of this movie is a rush!
🎵Everything is awesome🎵
🎵When you're living out a dream🎵
S P A C E S H I P !
The songs are catchy, every scene is vibrant!
The only problem with this movie is maybe it set the bar TOO high.
We may never have another Lego movie like it!
You can tell a movie has brilliant writers when they manage to make Emmet, the most generic, average Lego character in ALL of the Lego world a likeable, charming, distinguishable protaganist.
But that's the thing! like the Lego Batman movie,
All the characters are likable and relatable. Wyldstyle is closed off, but earnest.
Batman just perfectly captures the public consciousness interpretation of modern Batman,
BATMAN: D A R K N E S S
BATMAN: It's about how I'm an orphan.
BATMAN: First try!
Even Lord Business is just obsessed with perfection to the point of losing sight of what matters.
Somehow, phenomenal characters, jokes, timing, and writing managed to turn the most rehashed plot you can imagine into something so enjoyable.
And behind it all is some nice social-political commentary that is never too overbearing.
CASHIER: Here ya go, that's $37.
EMMET: WHOA, HA, AWESOME!
And I can't overstate, this movie looks freaking beautiful!
Seeing the waves of oceans and blocks on the big screen, the massive cities and skyscrapers,
It's just amazing! The entire movie's a dazzling feast of multicolored Lego brought to life!
Probably my favorite scene in the movie is where Emmet confronts Lord Business.
But instead of fighting, he extends his hand and reasons with him. Then, in a moment of revelation,
they both become heroes!
Bad guys becoming good is one of my favorite tropes,
And I'm really looking forward to the sequel coming out soon!
I, personally, consider The Lego Movie the #1 BEST Lego Movie!
It's interesting that many of the Lego movies do a lot more than just being a kid-friendly rehash of the movies they're based on.
Through insightful writing, graceful animation, and tongue-in-cheek self-awareness.
Many Lego movies create their own unique, playful, silly identities that is refreshing, welcoming, and a good laugh!
And more often than not, the movies left me with a smile.
A smile that manages to cross age barriers!
And if you did like, or dislike, some of my choices,
I'd love to hear what makes them special to you or not so special.
Or if you think I missed one, feel free to leave your own thoughts in the comments!
And as always, thanks for watching, and I'll see you next time!
🎵Everything is awesome🎵
🎵Everything is cool when you're part of a team🎵
🎵Everything is awesome🎵
🎵When you're living out a dream🎵