The Lego Movie

The time has come: LEGO has released its first full-length theatrical film, The Lego Movie, and it is doing fantastically across the board. It has been the top-grossing movie in North America for the past three weeks, has an 82 metascore, an average rating of 8.4 on IMDb.com—and I personally have yet to hear a negative review since its release. It is a movie that can be enjoyed by people of all ages and I highly recommend it if you’re looking for a laugh.

The story follows a young LEGO man named Emmet (Chris Pratt) and his journey with a old mystic named Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman), a colourful rebel girl named Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks) and, of course, Batman (Will Arnett). Vitruvius prophesies that a special LEGO character will stop the villainous Lord Business (Will Ferrell) from destroying the LEGO world with an evil weapon called the Kragle by using the wondrous piece of resistance. According to the prophecy, the person who will find the piece of resistance will be a Master Builder—someone who can create anything out of LEGO with no instructions. Everyone in the party is a Master Builder except for Emmet, who finds the piece of resistance.

Lord Business is obsessed with order and instruction and wants to impose his views on the rest of the LEGO universe. He separates different LEGO worlds from each other, arrests Master Builders because they don’t follow instructions, and brainwashes his townspeople into following instruction manuals on how to live daily life. In his world, there is no place for creativity or imagination.

The party gathers all the other Master Builders (iconic LEGO characters we all know and love like Superman, Abraham Lincoln, and 1980-something Space Guy). They ask for help in their quest to stop Lord Business, but when the Master Builders find out that Emmet, the special, is not a Master Builder, most of them lose faith in the enterprise and leave. But the meeting is invaded by Lord Business’ police force, led by Bad Cop (Liam Neeson), and the party must flee to survive. During the chaos, the Master Builders build a submarine and Vitruvius tells Emmet to build what he feels the need to and ignore what the others are doing.

(Side note: When I first saw the character Vitruvius, I thought he was going to be the “God character.” He is old and wise—but I found out rather quickly that although Vitruvius has plenty of knowledge, he is in no way God. In a scene where he and Wyldstyle are exploring Emmet’s mind, Vitruvius mentions “the man upstairs,” whom he says created all the LEGO characters. This leads the audience to think that there is a God in this LEGO universe. (I won’t give it away—let me just say it is a very clever play on words that had me smacking my head with the palm of my hand. Very, very clever, Warner Bros.)

So Emmet ends up building a double-decker couch in the submarine—and everyone in the party loses faith in his abilities. Will Emmet be able to regain their trust in him, or will he become completely useless in the overall mission? Will Lord Business triumph over the LEGO universe? Will Emmet ever become a Master Builder? You’ll have to watch the movie to find out.

Overall, I was excited to see this movie going in—and it did not disappoint. The animation is phenomenal and every few minutes there are puns and jokes that keep you laughing. Despite the light tone and at times too frequent positive messages (“Believe in yourself!”), the story is deeper than you might think. The final twist is completely unexpected and changes the story—and what you thought it was about—in just a few moments. If you’re ready for some laughs and a great adventure, go see The Lego Movie as soon as you can.

Saint Kateri , Canada’s Protectress

This was the title given to Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, by Pope Benedict XVI, when he canonized her on October 28th, 2012, along with six others, in Saint Peter’ Square (she had been beatified by Pope John Paul II back in 1980). With Saint Joseph as our protector, along with the Canadian martyrs, we seem to[…]Continue reading→

Remembering Father Alphonse de Valk

(Today marks the sixth anniversary of the death of Father Alphonse de Valk, C.S.B., a faithful, courageous and indefatigable Basilian priest, pro-life-and-family apostle, and the founder of Catholic Insight magazine. Here is what we wrote those on his entering into eternity five years ago, as we continue to remember him in our prayers and thoughts)[…]Continue reading→

My Name is Bernadette

April 16th is a propitious day, for besides the anniversary of Father de Valk’s death, who founded Catholic Insight in its print form decades ago, and the commemoration of the ‘two Benedicts’, mentioned in accompanying posts, today we also recall Saint Bernadette Soubirous, the young visionary to whom the Virgin Mary appeared numerous times at[…]Continue reading→

Canonizing Sister Faustina and Divine Mercy

HOMILY OF THE HOLY FATHER  MASS IN ST PETER’S SQUARE FOR THE CANONIZATION OF SR MARY FAUSTINA KOWALSKA Sunday, 30 April 2000   1. “Confitemini Domino quoniam bonus, quoniam in saeculum misericordia eius”; “Give thanks to the Lord for he is good; his steadfast love endures for ever” (Ps 118: 1). So the Church sings on the Octave of[…]Continue reading→

Divine Mercy Sunday – An Echo of Every Mass

Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe’…  ‘My Lord and my God!’ (Jn. 20:18)). Today is Divine Mercy Sunday, and as we celebrate the end of the Easter Octave, we contemplate the wounded side of our Saviour, the Church’s source of life. On Good Friday in the[…]Continue reading→

First Holy Communion: Sermon from May 16, 1943

 Here is a sermon from the good old days by +Rev. Msgr. Vincent Nicholas Foy (August 14, 1915 – March 13, 2017), from 1943. Readers may recall that Pope Saint Pius X, by the decree Quam Singulari in 1910, lowered the customary age of reception of Holy Communion – after the rigours of the plague[…]Continue reading→

In the Glorious Light of Easter, Alleluia!

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory (Col. 3:3-4). The Resurrection of Our Lord and Saviour[…]Continue reading→

An Ancient Homily for Holy Saturday

The time between Good Friday and Easter Sunday is one of waiting, in silence, as the world wonders – anticipates – what will happen, after the death of Christ. We re-live this time each year in the anamnesis of our liturgy, and in turn look forward to the glorious re-creation of all things at the[…]Continue reading→

Europe’s Long Descent

(As we meditate on this day on Christ’s burial, and His descent into hell, it is fitting to ponder here with contributor Peter Marcus how the world seems to be heading there as well. The difference is that, although God cannot ‘redeem’ hell, nor those therein, He can and did redeem the world. There is[…]Continue reading→

Pope Saint John Paul II’s First Good Friday Homily

ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS JOHN PAUL II AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE STATIONS OF THE CROSS AT THE COLOSSEUM Good Friday, 13 April 1979   When we make the Way of the Cross from one station to the next, in spirit we are always at the spot wherethis journey had its “historical” place: where it[…]Continue reading→