Movies

Everything Is Cynical In 'The Lego Movie' Honest Trailer

Lego Movie Honest Trailer
By Germain Lussier

The latest Screen Junkies honest trailer is bound to set some people off. It's for The Lego Movie and while the beginning totally admits the film is sweet and entertaining, the rest does not. The Lego Movie Honest Trailer hammers home their idea that the whole film is just one big commercial for Lego.

This trailer mentions how the film was snubbed for the Oscar, lists every single playset released based on the film, discusses how the film helped boost Lego's sales, and even includes a brand new song called "Everything's a Product," set to the tune of "Everything Is Awesome." (Which actually was nominated for an Oscar.)

It's bitingly cynical, and yes Honest, but does it cross a line? Watch The Lego Movie Honest Trailer below and let us know what you think.

Thanks to Screen Junkies for the video:

Lego Movie Honest trailer

I think co-writer and director Chris Miller kind of puts this best:

Exactly. The video is funny, well produced and yes – that beat is catchy no matter what the lyrics say. But I think the biggest point Screen Junkies misses here is almost all those "Products" sold in the film were created for the film. Created by the filmmakers in service of telling a unique story that gets to the heart of what Lego means to both adults and kids.

Beyond that, everything Chris Miller and Phil Lord repurposed for the movie – Batman, Star Wars, etc. – is ancillary to new characters, new story and new Lego creations. It would have been super easy to just repurpose Lego sets of old for the movie and then resell them. Instead, they did something new and creative.

Then yes, those creations become products. But how is that different from Transformers, Marvel or Star Wars? If anything, Lego is way more upfront about it because Lego is literally a toy, while most other properties become toys after the fact.

Then again – maybe that cynicism is just a subtextual acknowledgement of the film's brilliance and the joke went over my head. If that's the case though, it's leans pretty hard on the surface interpretation.

Either way, another very interesting video by ScreenJunkies. What do you think of the Lego Movie Honest trailer?

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