Capitalist Legoland

Noah Kristula-Green responds to the politicization of the Lego Movie by, well, trying to score political points:

“the film does play lip service to political tropes, but what really makes the film work is that it represents the highest form of capitalist expression: it is a commercial.”

The film resists the temptation of toy-inspired movies, the temptation to “to insert products into the real world: the Transformers movie team cooperated with the Department of Defense to integrate U.S. military hardware into the lineup of what the toys could become. The new Battleship movie found a contrived way for aliens to be attacked by calling out grid-based coordinates. The G.I. Joe movies attempt to take slightly absurd character designs and translate them to live action.”

The Lego Movie eschews crass anti-commercialism: “It knows its products are toys and proudly advertises its products as toys. In fact, the film does not deserve an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Picture, it deserves a Cannes Lion Grand Prix – the award given to out to the best in advertising.”