Batman Is My Boyfriend (A Review of The Lego Movie)

By Meg Hodson

It's refreshing when a movie both celebrates itself and pokes fun at itself a little, too. This is exactly what the new film, The Lego Movie, does.  My husband and I attended with our three young children on the night of it's premiere.  We even braved a snowstorm to attend opening night!

As the movie begins, we learn about the somewhat simple life of Emmet, a construction worker.  As we witness his daily routine of getting up and going to work, we are treated to many familiar Lego traits:  an elaborate "city" in which he lives, Legos being broken down and put back together again, a construction site dumping piles of random Legos here and there (sounds like my boys' room!).  He is unknowingly pushed into the role of "the special", entrusted to carry out a prophecy that was stolen by the evil president.  

Such a story line might be somewhat difficult for the younger set to follow.  While my 5 year old probably did not keep track of every detail of the story line, he enjoyed the movie on many other levels, too. My 8 and 10 year old were giggling throughout the movie.  Why?  Again, there was a nice mix between the story line and the "culture" of Legos.  One minifig had his face erased and later in the movie, drew it back on. There was an emphasis on being a "builder" and that masterpieces can be made from random pieces (again, I have tubs and tubs in my house of random Legos!) There was also a cute, humorous, and touching sequence in the end, paralleling Emmet stuck in real life (with a visit to Will Ferrell).

For me, the highlight came from Batman, voiced by Will Arnett.  Capturing the dark, slightly raspy voice of Batman, he jumps around the movie with his Batman toys and a few vehicles.  He's the boyfriend of Lucy, the main female minifig in the movie, hence the title of this post.  Kids will love the Batman toys and tricks; parents will love the subtle adult humor.

Throw in some good one liners and guest appearances from Chewbacca and Han Solo, a pirate, Superman, Wonder Woman, and various other character minifigs, and you've got one entertaining movie.  The PG rating comes from some very mild violence and a few references to death.  For me, it is about as family friendly as it gets.  

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Lego Snow Globes!

Tons of blogs have DIY snow globes.  I was excited to try this with the kiddos, but wanted to bring a fresh spin to the project for readers.  I came up with the idea for them to be Lego-centered.  We went to our local Lego shop and they all picked out the minifigure of their choice.  We came up with Jack Sparrow, a skiing girl, and Indiana Jones.  I am so pleased with the way they came out!

Here is what you'll need:

Distilled water
Mineral oil
Artificial trees (easily found at the dollar store or craft store)
Artificial snow
Glitter
Plumber's tape
A jar (I used old food bottles, like those used for pickles and olives, but mason jars work great, too)
Hot glue gun
                                     

Clean and dry your jar (if needed).  Heat the glue gun.  If the minifig your child has chosen has removable parts, be sure to put a dab of hot glue to secure those to the figure.  While drying, hot glue your tree to the lid of the jar.  Feel free to trim the tree a bit if you are using a smaller jar.  Then, glue your minifig to the lid, next to your tree.

In your jar, add distilled water and about 1/2 ounce of mineral oil.  Do not fill to the top; leave a 1 inch space.  Add the artificial snow (about a tablespoon, a little goes a LONG way!).  Add glitter (again, a little goes a long way).  Around the rim of the jar, add a strip of plumber's tape (this helps create a better seal on the jar).

Carefully insert the lid and screw tightly.  Invert and watch the magic happen!  You may have a drip or two; wipe dry and shake gently again.  If this continues to happen, you may need to add a little more plumber's tape.