Every LEGO Movie Ranked, Worst to Best (Including Piece by Piece)

The LEGO
Movie franchise expands with Piece by pieceAnd that means it’s time to rank the five animated LEGO Movies released in theaters from worst to best. After the initial announcement that Warner Bros. Animation would make movies based on LEGO, skepticism quickly mounted. These brick-and-mortar toys – despite covering many different time periods, realities and characters – are not known for their storytelling. That changed with Phil Lord and Chris Miller The LEGO Movie In 2014, which follows a son trying to change the strict rules placed on the LEGO land and characters by his father.

The success of The LEGO Movie Warner Bros. spawned sequels and spinoffs over the next several years. The four Warner Bros. Animation films have grossed over $1 billion worldwide at the box office, although not all have been met with the same level of critical acclaim as the original. That left Universal Pictures to acquire these LEGO Movie rights and develop a Pharrell Williams biopic known as Piece by piece. The release adds a fifth film to the LEGO Movie franchise, even if it is disconnected from the rest. Here’s our ranking of the five LEGO movies.

5

The LEGO Ninjago Movie

The Ninja spinoff didn’t work

Directed by Charlie Bean, Paul Fisher and Bob Logan, The LEGO Ninjago Movie Follows a group of teenage ninjas who defend Ninjago City. The city is constantly under attack by Lord Garmadon (Justin Thraux), and it is up to his son Lloyd (Dave Franco) and his ninja force to repeatedly stop him. When Lloyd tries to use the Ultimate Weapon (a laser pointer) to defeat his father, a cat named Meowthra levels the city. This sends the team searching for the Ultimate Ultimate Weapon to save the city from Meowthra’s attacks and defeat Garmadon once and for all.

The LEGO Ninjago Movie Keeps the light and fun tone that viewers have come to expect from the series up to this point, with the jokes and inclusion of real-world elements in Ninjago making it an easily digestible adventure. That said, it is largely accurate A less compelling rehash of everything covered in The LEGO Movie. A father-son relationship is once again at the center, but there is not much development on either side. The fractured dynamic provides material for some good gags, but the payoff isn’t there to make it truly satisfying.

The other Ninja Force characters don’t get substantial roles, so the talents of Kumail Nanjiani, Michael Peña, Fred Armisen and more aren’t properly utilized. The movie also doesn’t take place in the same LEGO Universe as the other entries in the franchise, based on Jackie Chan’s narration and introduction of the story, which makes it even more seamless. Ninjago After some enjoyable momentsBut it lacks the uniqueness of the other entries – making it the clear choice at the bottom of our list.

4

Piece by piece

Pharrell Williams’ movie is more biopic than LEGO movie

Piece by piece is easily the most unique of these LEGO Movies from a history perspective. Instead of keeping the imaginative story and world of the previous films, it completely shifts the focus to bring the real world to life, but in LEGO form, so it can tell the true story of ​​musician and producer Pharell Williams. Chronicle his rags-to-riches story, his thoughts on humanity, and much more, Piece by piece is nothing like the other movies in the franchise. If it wasn’t for the LEGO animation style, they wouldn’t have any real connections or similarities.

This dichotomy is what makes Piece by piece A strange entry in the franchise. The film works well as a standard Pharrell Williams biopic, showing most of the key moments and relationships of his life. It may not cover everything, however Piece by pieceThe soundtrack is stellar and keeps energy high as the movie adds new layers to Pharell’s life story. It is certainly informative about his career and perspective, so the film is Finally at its best as a biopic.

That makes the LEGO animation decision for Piece by piece Feels like more of a gimmick than a decision that was made to directly enhance the story. It looks like the others LEGO Movies, but the approach is completely different. Outside of several sequences that showcase Pharrell’s imagination, Piece by piece Does not use the creativity that comes with the brick-building toys In this format. The movie is still good and a great way to experience portions of Farrell’s journey, but it’s not as bold or original as the music he often creates.

3

The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part

A sequel about being yourself

The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part Brings back the characters, creators and world that audiences fell in love with originally. Mike Mitchell takes over as the director, while Phil Lord and Chris Miller remain heavily involved creatively to tell the next chapter of the story. The main part of the sequel takes place five years after the original, where Bricksburg has become Apocalypseburg due to the invasion of the Duplo aliens. When General Mayhem of the Sistar system takes Emmet’s best friends, it will be up to him and his new pal, Rex Dangervest, to save them and their universe.

The main story continues. The LEGO Movie 2 is a worthy follow And return for the franchise. This time, the relationship between the real-world brother and sister drives the story, as their different playing styles and ages rip apart the foundation of this LEGO reality. Filled with jokes and The Lego Movie 2‘s music, it adds new memorable characters, like Tiffany Haddish’s Queen Watevra Wa’Nabi. At the same time, there are moments where the jokes can be fired off too quickly and the balance of characters is not quite as strong as what the franchise has done before.

After the first movie tells everyone they are special, The sequel is here to remind them that the most important thing is to be yourself. It’s a valuable message that can be sent to a predominantly younger audience, and for those with siblings, the story resonates even more. The good of The LEGO Movie 2 Hardly outweighs the few areas in which it struggles, so while there’s a strong case it could be a spot higher on the list, it’ll just miss our top two.

2

The LEGO Batman Movie

Holy Great Spinoff Batman!

The first true spinoff in this universe, The LEGO Batman Movie Delivers a borderline spoof Batman film, but also one that treats the character’s long history with reverence. The movie features the return of Will Arnett’s Batman, who is off on his own adventure in Gotham City this time. Directed by Chris McKay, the story pits Batman and Joker (Zach Galifianakis) against each other in classic fashion, but one where Joker turns in all of Gotham’s criminals to prove that he is Batman’s greatest enemy.

After so many iterations of Batman on the big screen that range from campy to ultra-serious, LEGO Batman Arriving to remind everyone that you can still honor the Dark Knight and also have fun at his expense. It was a refreshing change of pace that Allowing audience to laugh at Batman’s lonely lifestyle and sympathize with him simultaneously. The children of Dick Grayson (Michael Cera) provide some of ​​the best comedy moments, and the comedy does not let up until the credits end. In between, viewers are treated to Batman Easter eggs and meta-commentary on the superhero genre.

The biggest drawback is that LEGO Batman It’s the finale, where The Phantom Zone allows Warner Bros’ full range of cinematic villains to appear. This brings Harry PotterS Voldemort, King Kong, The matrixagent smith, Lord of the Rings‘ Sauron, Superman’s biggest villain General Zod, and more in the picture. It crowds the movie and strips away some of the focus of the complex exploration of Batman and Joker’s relationship, which is a highlight of the movie Otherwise. generally, The LEGO Batman Movie is an incredibly enjoyable ride, but Batman’s solo adventure just falls short of his debut.

1

The LEGO Movie

The original LEGO movie is still the best

Directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller, The LEGO Movie Tackles capitalism, a child’s imagination, and much more through a comic lens. Emmet (Chris Pratt) is the most average LEGO in Bricksburg but soon finds himself as “the special one” who can save the world. The evil President Business (Will Ferrell) is determined to use TAKOS Tuesday to make the world and society look the way he wants permanently, and it quickly becomes Emmet and his fellow master builders’ responsibility to stop him.

The LEGO Movie Has yet to be beaten when it comes to quality. The sensibility of Phil Lord and Chris Miller can be seen throughout the movie as they breathe life into the concept and make it work. The creative world and quick wit still make it stand out to this day. The story that The LEGO Movie It ultimately tells is large in scale, but the film does an excellent job of establishing what you need to know for the story and not worrying about fleshing out every area. It features the strongest story, characters and the most memorable song, “Everything Is Awesome,” of the entire franchise.

The movie is incredibly clever from start to finish and even manages to take on the chosen one archetype without feeling too cliche. Using real-world elements is also the franchise’s best, with President Business Hall of Relics paving the way for a true exploration of the real-world setting. The LEGO Movie Does not waste this opportunity too, like The father and son relationship in the real world adds another layer to Emmet and President Business’ differing opinions. basically, The LEGO Movie is just special in this regard and showed that even a toy as simple as LEGO can be turned into an awesome movie.