4.09.2018

Critical Views and Postmodern Ideas on The Lego Movie

The purpose of the film

Film Comment’s David Filipi summarizes two sides of this debate when he asks: “Is The Lego Movie a surprisingly cheekycritique of consumerism and social conformity?  Or is it just a two-hour commercial for the titular products as well as the properties owned by its distributor, Warner Bros. (Batman, Wonder Woman, etc.?)” Characters in The Lego Movie fight capitalist oppression, but the film also functions as an advertisement for two multinational corporations: Warner Bros. Entertainment and The Lego Group.

Self reflexivity

The title “Lord” is used classify evil dictatorial rulers in popular fantasy films like The Lord of the Rings (Lord Sauron), Harry Potter (Lord Voldemort), and Star Wars (Lord Vader). By combining the title “Lord” and “Business,” Lord and Miller conflate dictatorial, totalitarian omnipotence with the dominion of multinational capitalism.

They foreshadow how, in their satirical diegesis, there is no difference between the private sector and the public sector: Megaruler and Megacorporation are one in the same.

Intertextuality

"This scene’s humour hinges on the ironic distance between Batman’s seriousness, as if he were in a Nolan film, and the character’s actual absurdity. By imagining Batman as a self-made musician, Lord and Miller effectively create their own fan fiction in order to answer the question: What does Batman do as a hobby when he’s home alone?"