Ta-metru_defender

I see that minifig head and all I can think is Trandoshan fig.

Not a bad thing. Not at all.

So in sixteen years I'll be able to afford oodles of Lego.

Awesome.

Also cheers to them for pursuing a sustainable option; it's actually really cool to see a company as big as Lego doing this.

Benny's Spaceship, Spaceship, SPACESHIP! is a clear win for me, and not just 'cuz of the nostalgia factor. Really digging the dropship too but, alas, money.

Ah well, these sets look great.

 

My friends think that it's ridiculous.

 

Step back - it's a movie about a specific brand of toy to promote said toy.

So? Still a fantastic story with some fantastic messages.

 

In this day and age, the merchandise tie-in is a big deal, especially for family films. That doesn't mean a movie based on a toy is inherently worse than the other way around (a movie with toys based on it). As long as there are quality stories to be told about a toy, a movie based on that toy will have the potential to tell a quality story. The same as with anything else you might base a movie on, be it a book, radio show, TV series, or video game.

 

This is especially true of a toy like LEGO that represents something other than the object it depicts. A LEGO brick is literally a building block of creativity.

 

I'm gonna chime in here too.

Movies like Transformers or what-have-you are based on toys and about toys too, technically. What sets The Lego Movie apart is its execution, not just that is so well (as Aanchir said), but that it plays with the idea of it being a movie about a toy. The movie knows full well it's about a toy and doesn't try to window dress it as anything else (and again, the Third Act Plot Twist no one wants to spoil drive home this postmodern idea all the more). It's a lot like Toy Story in that regard.

So yes. I'm glad to see this movie kicking butt at the box office.

Great review though, TMD. Looking forward to the movie and the inevitable rants essays that come out of it. =P

There's one up now, next week's should touch on it, one I have planned for a couple weeks for now is gonna explore The Hero's Journey through it.

Thanks for this review, I'm really glad to hear it actually is everything I could hope for. What do you think the odds are for a sequel?

 

~ (^{A V}_T^O_A^H_M^K_E^A_R^H)

One was greenlit, which kinda bothers me because it doesn't really leave room for one that could match its magic.

Wait so, there's a Bionicle reference? What is it so I know what to look for?

Don't blink during Wyldstyle's infodump.

 

They're making a sequel. That was quick.

 

It's the most obvious decision ever. This movie is going to print money for absolutely everyone involved.

 

I'm rather curious as to how a sequel would work. The way it's done doesn't really leave any obvious openings for a sequel, furthermore doing so would be like trying to capture lightning in a bottle twice.

I don't think I've read one bad review about this movie. (Though this is only the third review I've read on it, but oh well) I'm really glad that this movie is good. I may go see it if I get the chance.

Likewise, I've been keeping an eye on Rotten Tomatoes and such, eager to see what other outlets thought about it. Thus far it's been overwhelmingly positive. Score.

SO MUCH HYPE I HAD BETTER GET TO SEE IT FRIDAY

YES YOU MUST BECAUSE I WILL TOO YES YES YES

I simply cannot wait for this movie. Cannot. Wait.

I foresee a tie in this tic-tac-toe game

If we're lucky it'll end with everyone stabbing each other again.

Good luck with college, buddy. Always been a pleasure to have ya around.

Emzee chucked me at a Repair Nektann then began lecturing about unity or something. I was confused about his decision until the nektann (who I decided to name Jack) started repairing me.

And by repair I mean it was caulking my wound.

Clearly these things weren't made to repair people. But hey, I'll take potentially life-threatening infection over gaping bleeding wound any day.

Being stabbed feels a lot like, well, being stabbed.

"That's my blood," I said looking down at my gut and bloodied hands. "That's my blood... That's a lot of my blood..."

Fortunately, I wasn't hanging off a cliff in a train (this time), but still. Shanked by a freaking Global on an island. I mean, I'd expect this sort of behavior from a Reporter or Gatanui or someone (never trust a man that's comprised from more than one person/thing [eg: Takutanuva, Cat-Dog, Captain Planet]), but a Global? Now that's just, well, like a stab in the back.

About that.

I collapsed, into Emzee's surprisingly masculine and comforting arms. It was like we were plagiarizing the Pietà.

"You're really strong," I murmured while I may or may not have been stroking his bicep.

"We'll get you a doctor," he said with the commanding voice only an experienced RP'er could command.

"Will he be named Jack? And count to ten to not be scared?" I asked faintly. "'cuz I don't think he likes me. Something about a love triangle and stealing guns and just being too ruggedly handsome for him..."

You should've seen those lights dancing before my eyes.

Seven sticks left. Seven. Just seven.

I looked at them and grabbed TWO, leaving just 5 (FIVE)!

Stuff just got real.

"FOR XCCJ!" I roared as I leapt forth and grabbed TWO sticks.

I stared at the others, daring them to do something about it. Because now, there were only 17 (seventeen) sticks left.

"You were the greatest man I ever knew! You will be avenged!" I swore to the corpse on the ground, "You will be avenged! I will get the Avengers, and you will be avenged!"

Then The Call of The Puffin sounded around the island. Without the time to give the Dearly Departed a proper funeral (or to pursue the perpetrator for his departation of the departed) I hastily scribbled "DO NOT DISTURB (OR EAT)" on a rock and placed it by xccj's head.

And then headed to the landing area with the others.

Well, the brewery was working and the first batch of Schizo Kaita's Miracle Cactus Brew was... Well. See, there's store-brand beer from a Belgian minimart or plum-wine left our for a couple weeks and then there's a draft in Madrid or a fine port. Schizo Kaita's Miracle Cactus Brew fell in neither extremes, though if I had to say, it was closer to the minimart quality. That said, rule number seven of life was, if I may quote the wise sage Columbus, enjoy the little things. And we enjoyed the little things. Until we found xccj's corpse. Our firemaker was dead. The programmer-of-nektann-until-we-had-junkbot-do-it-for-us. The guy-I-called-boyscout-though-I'm-still-not-sure-if-he-really-is-one-oh-well-too-late-to-care-now. Dead. But who was behind it? I looked around, trying to find clues. A knife fashioned from a nektann in his chest, sacrificial runes drawn around him, blood on his Hau, Kakaru in red shorts, and a teammate just voted off... Of course. I fell to my knees and bellowed out into the jungle:

"SPIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINK!"

Happy burfday, bossman.

Who voted for xccj? Seriously, that man can make fire and program nektann.

How dare you...

Yessss, I just might get to have an official Lego version of my Ship On Fire XII.

I have seen some weird things in my life. There was that one incident the night before this whole Voya Nui adventure began but comes to mind. But I must say, seeing xccj's ANIMATED and FULL COLOR depiction of the building our nektann were building was probably the most amazing. Look at the way the sand shifted, man! "Nice work with the power stone," I told xccj. In retrospect, that grave marker I'd been strapping together from broken nektann probably should be thrown away. Or recycled. Into armored nektann or something. "This is why I decided to let you head out without me weighing you down." I got a Matoran Plushie to my head for that. So I gave it to Junkbot. The nektann seized it gleefully and began skittering around camp on its hind legs. I'm really not sure what to make of that.

Right. Distraction. I knew I should've finished the VNOLG. Nonetheless, the Blocking Lava Ape had realized our ploy and was now a Chasing Lava Ape. Admittedly, this was not the way I'd hope today would go. Maybe we should have told the canon to go screw itself and build our darn waterwheel. Because we're in control now and Bionicle is now (there, I said it!).

Lot of good that did us, what, with the Lava Ape blocking our escape.

Haha, see what I did there?

"Sneak into the other side! Genius!" yelled xccj. "Any other bright ideas?"

"Actually, yes."

Xccj gave me that look I get a lot.

"C'mere, Junkbot!" I yelled and jumped on the nektann. That's right: I was riding a nektann.

For a few moments xccj, Arpy, Bfahome, the Lava Ape, and I stood there blinking at each other. This was... I believe awkward would be the word to be used here. Sort of like when you run into someone and can't remember their name (though they remember yours) or when you realize that girl you've been hitting on for the past hour is your second cousin.

"Hey," I said tentatively. Trying to break the ice.

"Mom?" said Arpy in a dazed manner. Though that wasn't the relation I was aiming for, it was nice to see my ex-cuddle buddy again. "No, wait, you're not my mom. Dad?"

"This is our side of the island!" declared Bfahome.

"C'mon, what are boundaries but markings on rock by bored old men?" I said.

"I worked hard on that map, y'know," hissed xccj. I ignored him. Because sometimes I ignore people when talking to other people.

To my credit, Bfahome ignored him too: "Little too close to our camp, don't you think?"

"We want to scavenge the Matoran Village," xccj said diplomatically. Good for him, maybe he had a future in politics. Nah, politicians weren't diplomatic. Customer support, then.

"Well I want to go vampire hunting, but I tend to doubt that's happening."

"How about a deal, then?" xccj asked. Again, very diplomatic.

"Go on..." Bfahome said.

"You go get us the power stones and we'll reprogram a nektann to obey you."

"A nektann that you give us," I added quickly. Didn't want to help them any more than we had too.

Bfahome mulled it over.

"DANDY CAKES!" exclaimed Arpy suddenly.

Besides Junkbot, our erstwhile Guardian of the Flame© turned construction foreman, xccj and I had managed to scrounge up three working Repair Nektann. The boyscout and I, armed with our spears fashioned from short-curuited nektann, watched with pride as they began building the Schizo Kaita Distillery and Pub next to the river.

As for shelter, we had what basically amounted to a biggish leaf spread over a few twigs with another biggish leaf underneath. DeeVee's blueprints (blueprints here being drawings in the sand somehow transferred into a nektann's programming) had living quarters outlined for the second floor. Voya Nui might actually be on its way to becoming hospitable. Well, I'm not saying I'd want to build a summer home here, but the trees are actually quite lovely.

"We're gonna need a waterwheel," said xccj. Oh yeah, waterwheel. I'd forgotten about the whole powering-the-distillery thing. Wait. We were on Voya Nui. It was all Bionicle here.

"Wheels don't exist, man," I said. "That's what they said in the Legends of Metru-Nui commentary."

"What?" xccj gave me one of those looks that implied the speaker thought I was insane. I am very familiar with this look. "Fine, power stones."

"You mean those shiny gems you can use to transform into an armored thing and shoot rockets and stuff?"

Xccj gave me another one of those looks.

"Right. Power stones. Voya Nui. Got it." I said. I was only a little disappointed. A big little.. "So I'm guessing we can find those in the old Matoran village?"

"Isn't that on the other side of the island? The Supertramps' side?"

"Rule Number Three of life my friend, it's always better to ask forgiveness than permission."

Besides. We had spears.

I quickly filled Emzee in on xccj and my discovery of the freshwater river and reprogrammable nektann, then we and the rest of the I'd Settle For Thats got to work on the new fire. In the vein of the Death Star II, Mk. II, and Terminator II, it would be better than the first. It would be the Anduril of fires, forged from the remains of the old. Without a word I removed my Akaku and handed it to xccj. Who wouldn't want more smokey detailing?

“Are nektann waterproof!?” I yelled as xccj and I ran through the jungle, leaping over logs and around trees.“I don’t think I like where this is going!” xccj shouted back.Then suddenly we stopped. We’d ran out of jungle. And land. In front of us was a cliff. Not beach, a friggin’ cliff. I didn’t even know Voya Nui had cliffs.“The beach’s right over there!” I pointed a mile east of us. Behind us we could hear the nektann getting closer and closer.

“We’ll have to jump!” xccj said.“Like karzahni we will,” I replied. Wait. Jumping off a cliff into the ocean. This was an important part of any jungle/island/1890’s Wyoming adventure story. We were so going to do this. “Alright Sundance, I’m in.”I never got the chance to find out if xccj got the reference as I grabbed his arm and got a running jump off the cliff, yelling a certain word as we fell into the waterWe hit with a tremendous splash. For a minute I wondered if I was dead but I quickly realized that that was the usual response to falling into water. I was able to swim to the surface so all my bones were probably alright. Awesome! I surfaced only to be smacked over the head.“Are you insane!?” xccj said.“It worked!” I said with a big grin as I trod water. What a weird past-tense. “Look out!”Xccj and I ducked under water as four repair nektann splashed down around us.“Hey look, they float!” I prodded one.“Awfully convenient.” xccj grabbed two of them, holding on to them like someone using buoys as floaties.“Grab those and let’s get back to the beach.”