2019 UPDATE by Sid
Who expected this current trend of LEGO retro nostalgia? I, for one, did not, and couldn’t be happier. LEGOs encourage creativity and thinking outside the box, and the imagination it feeds alone makes it well worth the time. But never in our history have the little toy bricks been treated with the same fanatical fervor as they are right now. From video games to movies (with LEGO Movie 2 about to drop), the LEGO brand seems like a bottomless pit of awesome to grab from. And even with LEGO already thriving, the popular LEGO Movie and LEGO Batman movie have taken the toy bricks to a whole new level of awesome-city.
With the new LEGO Movie 2 coming out in February (as well as a slate of other LEGO movies in the future) we thought it a perfect time to think up the ultimate list of the best LEGO movies to watch before LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part. Or hell, these are perfect even if you DON’T go see LEGO Movie 2. LEGO brings joy wherever it goes, and the movies and shorts on the following list are a testimony to that.
Though Numbered, These Are Presented In No specific Order (Except 1 and 2, which are RIGHT where they belong).
1. Bionicle: Mask of Light
GET IT HERE
Many fans of LEGO are huge fans of the Bionicle series, though I thought I would only stick one on the list and start with it for a couple of reasons.
Bionicle is cool, but it tends to be more “cool” and focus less on the campy humor and self-awareness we love so much from our LEGO satires, so this one, though decent, tends to be appreciated more by the 10-14-year-old boy range, where most LEGO stuff appeals to all ages, from 1-99.
Bionicle was an impressive rebranding when LEGO needed it most, though, so the series deserves a shout-out here to kick things off, though it looks novice compared to what we get these days.
2. LEGO Star Wars: Revenge of the Brick
I could honestly have put all the LEGO Star Wars movies and shorts and TV shows on here and would have been happy, but I thought it best to give the readers a wider variety of LEGO movies to choose from than just Star Wars satires.
But as far as Star Wars satires go, Revenge of the Brick takes the somewhat crappy prequels and makes them far more amusing and enjoyable. I tend to hold this one in such high regard because it took the crappy prequels and made them interesting (in LEGO form) and that would’ve seemed impossible to me.
3. LEGO Hero Factory: Rise of the Rookies
GET IT HERE
The LEGO Hero Factory line is a lot like the Bionicle line in the sense that it seems to be more about badass robots who really don’t look very LEGO-esque conquering the galaxy from any impending threats, and it is a show so calling it a movie is pushing it…but people like this, so it makes the list.
Again, a little cool and intense and not quite the LEGO vibe many fans of LEGO go for, but I couldn’t make a list of LEGO movies and not include the Hero Factory line because it truly had an impact on the male fan base.
4. LEGO Star Wars: Bombad Bounty
I don’t care how short it is, I don’t care that I put it higher than full-length movies. I just personally found Bombad Country awesome because not only am I a Star Wars fan, but I am a HUGE Boba Fett fan, so to see him get the fan service he deserves in this short made me really happy. And sorry to say but Jar-Jar works way better as a LEGO than a CG character.
Related: Best LEGO Star Wars Sets
Who can argue that logic?
And Boba Fett always deserved his own flick anyway, just a shame it is so short.
5. LEGO DC: Justice League vs. Bizarro League
DC did something right when pairing off with LEGO. There is just something so divine that happens when DC’s roster of super heroes team off against their roster of super villains in LEGO form. What makes it so great is the self-awareness of it all. From Bane having his same, odd voice from the movie to the original Two-Face from Tim Burton’s movies playing Two-Face (Billy Dee-Williams, yo) there is just so much joy to be had.
This one is worth it for the priceless banter between heroes and villains during their battles. It is just the epitome of mindless fun in the best sense of the term.
6. LEGO: The Adventures of Clutch Powers
GET IT HERE
So LEGO though to themselves while covering all these other franchises, what if we made our own self-aware hero who was like an action movie star but also kinda cheesy like an action-movie star? And thus, Clutch Powers was born.
Sporting perfect hair (except for one mini-movie I won’t ruin here), perfect one liners and a penchant for excitement, the Clutch Powers movies are great fun for fans of action movies and 80’s cop movies alike. All the tropes are there and poked fun at perfectly.
Also, his name would be great for a porn star. Sorry, had to be said.
7. LEGO Batman The Movie: DC Superheroes Unite
GET IT HERE
The best thing about the DC LEGO movies is that they portray Batman as a man who does not know how to have fun. A man who refuses to let his guard down ever and the end result is riotous and great comedy fuel.
In this movie, we see Batman team up with many of DC’s other most famous superheroes and attempt to thwart another invasion of the world.
These are often worth watching just for the banter between Superman (all happy, all good) and Batman (all mopey, all angry). They have some truly “Odd Couple” moments that will have you LOL’ing.
8. LEGO Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Brick
Any awesome movie series that has been given the LEGO treatment has to get a shoutout here, and LEGO Indiana Jones is no different. It’s another perfect example (like Batman) where they take a character who is cool to the core and make him sort of socially awkward and less cool than we are used to seeing him.
But the funny part is, it doesn’t undermine any of the characters it lampoons whatsoever. If anything, you end up finding them more endearing because even as brick toys, they seem more human and life-like than how they are otherwise represented.
It is like LEGO put the fun back into these things.
9. LEGO Marvel Super Heroes: Maximum Overload
GET IT HERE
With so many DC examples on the list, you knew there had to be some Marvel comics love on this list of best LEGO movies, and you were right. Though DC and LEGO are a match made in heaven, LEGO does that to any brand they touch. Yeah, it may be a show but if you watch them all back-to-back it is a movie, so HA!
With Maximum Overload LEGO manages to stuff in massive amounts of Marvel characters and baddies into the show and just recognizing them all and seeing how they are portrayed is a blast. It is fun to see how LEGO spins the extra-manly Wolverine once he is LEGO.
Also, though I have yet to mention it on this list, some of the voice actors for these movies are the best voice actors in the business like John DiMaggio and Troy Baker, so you KNOW the vocal performances and voicework you are getting is TOP NOTCH, and that makes all the difference in a medium like this.
10. LEGO Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out
GET IT HERE
If I was giving awards on this list for best subtitles to a LEGO movie, The Empire Strikes Out would definitely win. And though it deals with a lot of the same heavy issues as Empire, it takes away some of the heaviness (all of the heaviness) of the second movie and replaces it with the humor and eccentricity we have come to love from our LEGO movies.
Honestly, all the Star Wars LEGO movies are fantastic, so trying to cut it down to just a few is impossible. Do yourself a favor and just see them all, in order, to truly appreciate how impressive and enjoyable this whole thing is, and the scope is nothing short of impressive.
Plus, Darth Maul for the win!
11. LEGO Batman Movie
GET IT HERE
Falling just barely a notch below the actual LEGO Movie, the LEGO Batman movie is the BEST BATMAN MOVIE TO BE IN THEATERS SINCE DARK KNIGHT RISES. Real talk. What makes it so remarkable is it puts Batman in the back seat and shows us a more vulnerable, human side to Batman (A.K.A they focus a lot on Bruce Wayne and hofmuch off a buzzkill he seems like, when he actually is just incredibly lonely).
Also, introducing Robin and making him like the son he never had was a fun dynamic to watch, as the two genuinely had comic chemistry.
It’s just so odd it takes a LEGO animated movie to show us the realest side of Bruce Wayne we have seen portrayed yet. Dude has to get lonely, and this movie addresses that with humor and brevity, which is not an easy thing to do.
Plus, he does the Battoozie in the movie. If you don’t know what that is, that just means you are not a Batman fan and we still (kinda) love you anyway.
12. The LEGO Movie
GET IT HERE
Yes movie, everything IS awesome. Ah, the movie that kickstarted modern society’s love for LEGO again. It honestly seemed like the impossible. To make a cute and funny LEGO movie aimed at kids, but to also have its appeal to all ages, from young to old, but they did it flawlessly.
From the simple fact that everything you saw on-screen CAN actually be built by LEGOs, to the star power behind some of the voicework, to the myriad of pop culture references and a catchy-as-hell theme song, the LEGO Movie hit the bullseye on the board when everyone expected it to miss entirely.
13. LEGO Ninjago
LEGO’s latest success in a strong lineup of theatrical releases, LEGO Ninjago has proven that it has more than what it takes to follow up the success of LEGO Batman and LEGO movie, that is a tall order. What’s more impressive is that Ninjago is a relatively new franchise and theme for LEGO, being introduced only back in 2011 as a television series and new line of toys.
Suffice to say, everyone who knows LEGO now also knows Ninjago thanks to the success of the Ninjago movie. What’s surprising about the film (and the TV series) is that it probably does Power Rangers better than actual Power Rangers instalments these days (we’re looking at you Power Rangers 2017).
It may not be as popular as Batman’s LEGO outing or the pop culture overload of LEGO Movie, but Ninjago proves that LEGO knows how to make something good out of its own standalone franchise. Did we also mention it features Jackie Chan?
14. LEGO Jurassic World: The Secret Exhibit
So, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, let’s just say it’s not the best Jurassic Park/World franchise movie. It has its shortcomings, mainly in the “trying to be serious” aspect. So when LEGO took a hold of the franchise, they turned it into something that is probably more digestible than Fallen Kingdom, not an easy feat by any means.
Along comes LEGO Jurassic World: The Secret Exhibit to save the day for the not-so-big splash which the Jurassic World franchise made. It is worth noting that The Secret Exhibit is more of a full-length TV special than a theatrical film. Nevertheless, it adds charm to a critically struggling franchise and features dino jokes that the internet will love. Jeff Goldblum will be so proud.
15. LEGO Marvel Black Panther: Trouble in Wakanda
You know what the LEGO universe needs more of? Marvel love. So as to even out the scales because Batman has been having a huge spotlight (or bat signal, what have you) in LEGO land. That is why LEGO Black Panther is something that is unique and does give Black Panther fans more to chew on after Marvel’s Black Panther left everyone wanting more last year.
It also has ticked everything on a Marvel checklist; Stan Lee? Check. Thanos? Check. Collateral urban damage? Check. Oh, and if you’re still grieving because T’Challa (and half the universe) bit the dust (lol) back in Infinity War, this will give you a much-needed reprieve.
It features the Avengers gang taking on a LEGO Thanos. No gauntlets, just brick-on-brick action. Sadly, like Jurassic World: The Secret Exhibit, this one is also just a full-length TV special.
16. LEGO Scooby-Doo! Blowout Beach Bash
Zoinks! If you ever were a fan of Scooby Doo (because who isn’t) then LEGO has you covered. It features the two most prominent characters of the franchise; the semi-literate great dane Scoobs and his Woodstock hippie friend Shaggy. Of course, the rest of the gang are also present because those two are not really functional enough to solve a mystery.
That’s right. This beach blowout bash film about the gang has an unsolved mystery too. However, it’s not something they are aftr, since they are actually just there for the vacation, it’s just that mysteries tend to follow wherever they go. Jinkies…
17. LEGO DC Super Hero Girls: Brain Drain
With the success of LEGO Batman, one would think that LEGO would also make a good film featuring Wonder Woman. After all, she has made herself single-handedly relevant amidst disastrous DCEU releases. Well, turns out LEGO did have something in mind not just for Wonder Woman, but also Batgirl and Supergirl. That’s the DC big three right there in terms of girl power!
It’s a lot more complicated, however since unknown villain made the three do some embarrassing out-of-character things. Plot twist, Harley Quinn is also here and everyone is in high school. Here’s hoping this movie leads to a bigger LEGO film opportunity for Wonder Woman and the others too. Just as soon as LEGO Batman is done hogging all the spotlight.
18. LEGO DC Comics Super Heroes: The Flash
The Flash is certainly one of the more overshadowed characters in the DC universe, often taking the backseat for characters like Batman or Superman. Sadly, this is also true to some extent in the LEGO universe. But hey, Flash has his own LEGO movie at the very least.
Flash fans will surely find plenty to like in this LEGO Flash movie, the most notable being Eobard Thawne, a.k.a. Reverse-Flash and he is every bit as evil and troublesome here as in the comics… without breaking PG parameters, of course. Anyone knows that pretty much every superhero in the DC universe, and not just Flash, is in trouble when Reverse-Flash appears, that’s how bad he is.
Think of it as a sign of good things to come or expect in the LEGO-DC team-up.
19. Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Aquaman: Rage of Atlantis
Well what do you know, the gang’s all here. This was probably a given though, seeing how successful Jason Momoa’s Aquaman is. It is worth noting that Rage of Atlantis was released before the live-action Aquaman movie made a huge splash. Hence why the Aquaman here is the traditional blond guy from the comic books.
That is also why they keep making fun of him probably, as you can see on the trailer. By the way, it seems the Jason Momoa version of Aquaman will be present in LEGO Movie 2, so keep an eye out because he is bound to show the old Aquaman who is the real deal.
I guess now the real question is, after LEGO Movie 2, what will be the next thing the LEGO Movies tackle? I’ll tell you what I would LOVE but will probably never happen….
LEGO Horror Movies.
Just think about how awesome LEGO Poltergeist would be for a moment. *Sigh
(Honorable Mention:)
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (in Lego)
I REALLY wanted this on the list, but am 99% sure it is unofficial and it is really short (even though there are a few shots on the list). This is Monty Python and the Holy Grail in LEGO form (obviously based on length it is far from being the entire movie) but being a huge fan of both the Holy Grail movie and LEGOs, this is like the perfect mix.
And honestly, I know I am not alone when I say that I think LEGO should do some movies aimed at adults. The cult movie crowd would go nuts over a whole version of this or Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.
Remember, it says up to 99-year-old people can use your toys, so why not aim the movies at a larger target demographic, too? Can’t hurt to try it, and if the above fan film is any indication, it would rake in gold.
MAKING LEGO MOVIES JUST GOT A WHOLE LOT EASIER
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