If you don't know me very well, this journal might need some context. I am an arrogant and pretentious dragon. I am also not fond of movies. So if a movie endears itself to me, it's probably really bloody good.
I love creative media. But nowadays I prefer either video games or literature. The two are vastly different but their strong points is what makes me love them so much.
Video games are engaging. You don't have to follow the story if you don't to, and things can still be enjoyable. The interactive component stimulates that part of the mind that makes us want to use tools or mess around with things. You are a part of the story, you are part of the action, and you are the one to drive things forward. It is so compelling because you're part of it. Plus piloting a character drives sympathy towards them allowing for storytelling that was once impossible to be only super hard for the creator.
On the other hand literature gains its strength through its method of creation. Look at your hands, now your keyboard, now your computer. Those are all the tools you need to write a story. Works of literature are the cheapest in terms of production costs. Plus the ease of putting thoughts into words makes this a one person effort. You get the most direct form of story telling this way. This is the vision of one person and you are going to see that vision crystal clear. Literature can take the risks no other form of media can because writing is cheap. Plus if you don't like a story, you can just chose from the billions of others that already exist. There are more books than movies and video games combined. That's pure reliable speculation. But I love literature because it allows for creative control.
But movies... oy. This is a howling wasteland for creativity. Since movies are expensive to make, any sharp mold-shattering idea is stamped on by hundreds in the process. It doesn't have to be profound or amazing to sell. People buy what they're familiar with and the movie publishers need to guarantee a return on their investment. If you don't like a movie that just sucks, because all you have to do is just sit their for two hours in company of others that are socially pressuring you to be there with them (because watching movies is a social activity). Good and original creative property are so rare, that I normally have no hope for this medium as a whole.
But then I saw the Lego Movie tonight. That certainly shook my world. When I first saw the poster I thought this movie was supposed to be just a movie version of the not-so-spectacular Lego City video game for the Wii U. Boy, was I wrong. You should see this movie.
This is a movie for everyone in a strange way that hasn't deluded what makes it great to appeal to the common masses, but instead is just so amazing that it should appeal to everyone. The movie isn't pretentious or hard to understand, but instead delivers the message of the story in a powerful way that doesn't hold back or make mistakes. The message is creativity if you've never heard about legos before, but the story tells it so well that it impressed me beyond belief.
Plus the movie is amazingly funny. It's not predictable and is just has so much energy. You shouldn't try counting all the things this movie parodies because it's just a continuous stream of parody. Yet, it has an amazing plot that recombines it all to be something new and special.
Plus the well told story and all the hilarious moments make for one heck of a ride. I was getting flooded with emotions I haven't used for the past few years of my life. All the laughing and emotions made my head hurt it was so intense. No, I'm literally using an icepack as I'm typing this journal because I couldn't handle it all. It's never boring and is constantly visually stunning.
And for those of you annoying people that only see movies with your favorite actors, this movie has Morgan Freeman and Will Ferrell in it.
So take it from someone that doesn't like movies, this one is awesome.