The Lego Movie 2

The sequel to 2014's The Lego Movie, here we find everything is not awesome.  Five years have passed since the first movie, and the lego world has been destroyed.  Emmett and the whole crew are now surviving in 'apocalypseburg' any way they can.  And one day, a strange new visitor from another galaxy shows up, promising their greatest dreams if they would join her in her world.  Is it a trap, or the answer to their prayers?

The sequel has many of the first movie's features- zany humor, some of it geared towards adults, with a lot of silly things and a serious underlying message.  The overall point is to play with others who may have different tastes than you (here, it's brother and sister learning to play together, while the first film looked at dad including the kids and being willing to create new things).  And that's great.  I will say, though, this second film seemed less captivating, slow in places, and . . . overly bizarre, even for an intentionally zany movie.  My son said he liked it for that reason; it was a bit too much for me.

Rating: B

Legoland Deutschland

This past week, we got to experience Legoland to celebrate a birthday.  It was a blast.

Tickets for the theme park are ~45€ each, but coupons are easy to find.  Kids get in free on their birthday (bring a passport to prove it), and we had a back-of-cereal-box coupon for half off the entire family, so we ended up paying 99€ for the five of us to get in; not bad.

As it's in Bavaria, Legoland offered beer, schnitzel, wurstsalat (with Pretzel bread), and other regional delights- all reasonably priced.  I was shocked they didn't gouge you inside the park, and you're allowed to carry in backpacks with whatever food you like.  They even had water fountains to refill for free . . . a rarity in Europe.

Legoland is geared towards children, so the rides are pretty tame (they're about the level of Dutch Wonderland, for those familiar with the Lancaster park).  Three roller coasters, a log flume, a pirate water ride, big playground, and other standard fare dot the park.  There's also a Lego factory, where you can build your own minifigure or buy parts in bulk (paying by the ounce).

Of course, with Lego as the theme, there are plenty of dioramas, and they're amazing.  The two major themes were Star Wars (one diorama for each Episode) and European cities; the pictures below show the scope of these things.  I could have spent the day just enjoying them.  Recognize any castles recently covered on this blog?

We stayed for about 5 hours and had our fill- the youngest couldn't take any more.  We did a handful of rides (the average wait was 20 minutes), and enjoyed the Lego store at the end.  It's a great day out.

Still Too Much

legos sorted; image from here

I haven't blogged as much this month as I'd like, because I've been spending a good chunk of time sorting stuff (specifically, legos and collectible card games).  It's reminded me that I still have too much, plain and simple.

I've blogged about materialism several times . . . I won't bother recounting that here.  I'll say only this: who owns whom?  Do I own my things, or do they own me?  A look at the past few weeks would indicate the latter.  How many evenings and hours have I spent trying to get things in order?  I don't want to know the answer.  Though I believe I've made great strides in reducing my things over the past three years, it's clear I still have way too much.  A part of ownership is storage, and (when things get unmanageable) sorting can dominate a life.  It gets worse with children.  How much time do my wife and I spend putting away their things?

This situation has inspired us to start another reduction effort.  It should be easier than last time . . . and paring down is a routine we should incorporate into our lives.  Join us if you like- take on that closet that you've been meaning to get to for years, or that garage, or that attic.  The less you have, the better you'll feel.

“Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” - Luke 12:15

The Lego Batman Movie

Three years ago, The Lego Movie captivated children (and adults alike) with its wit, fun, graphics, action, characters, and uplifting message.  Now, we get The Lego Batman Movie, featuring the Dark Knight himself (who had a side role in the first movie).  How does it hold up?  Quite well, actually.  

Batman works alone.  He doesn't need (or want) anyone, and shuns any attempts at relationship (with friend or foe).  After a typical Joker take-down, Batman basks in self-love and retreats to his isolated life.  Things take an odd turn, though, when Mr. J- and his whole baddie crew- turn themselves in.  Suddenly, Batman has no purpose; Gotham has no need of him.  The new police commissioner, Barbara Gordon, thinks something's amiss, though, and asks Bats to help.  Will Batman lay down his pride and be part of something bigger?

This move is about the necessity and reality of relationships.  Surprisingly poignant in places, it shows Batman (and all of us) that we can't do it alone, but that doesn't mean it's easy.  There is pain and loss in this world, and getting close can mean getting hurt . . . but we cannot retreat from the need for each other.

Overall, the movie is excellent.  It has all the elements of the original, and though it doesn't quite reach the same heights (the first is a shade better), it's still well worth a look.

Rating: A

The Best Lego Sites

There are many cool websites out there regarding Legos; this post goes over the best.

Current Sets for Sale
Where's the best place to buy Legos?  The obvious place to start is the official Lego Shop.  There, all current sets for sale (from the Lego Corporation's point of view- other stores may have older sets still in stock) can be purchased.  This is a good resource to see not only what's out there, but what Lego says is the MSRP- the recommended price.  Most other stores also sell Lego sets at MSRP (with miniscule discounts from places like Target and Wal-mart), meaning you can shop at multiple places and expect to see the same prices.  However, some- like Toys R Us- can sell sets at 10% above MSRP.  So do your homework, and start at the official source.

Past/current/upcoming Sets
Brickset is an amazing resource.  It lists all past and current sets, including their instruction manuals (yes!).  It also shows upcoming sets, if it can obtain pictures (often, new sets are previewed at toy fairs and the like).  For all of them, you can filter by year or theme.  For example, if you want to know what 2016 Marvel Lego sets are out there (and coming), two simple filters produce the result (here).  Brickset also shows price (at the time of release), which is a helpful baseline, especially when looking at old sets (the older the set, generally the more expensive it is to buy on places like eBay).

ToysNBricks is also a good site for upcoming Lego set news and rumors.

Parts for sale
Do you have an old set missing a piece or two?  Or, are you a few parts short of completing your custom creation?  Look no further than Bricklink.  Buy (or sell) individual Legos here, and join thousands of other sellers around the world doing the same thing.  This is an indispensible resource for the Lego enthusiast.

Sets Reviewed
Does a Lego set intrigue you, but you're on the fence about purchasing it?  Jangbricks, on Youtube, is an excellent resource.  "Jang" has hundreds of videos, covering both individual set reviews and his custom creations (which are impressive).  For the former, he shows in detail the set and minifigures, going over all the little 'gadgets' and items of interest that make a set appealing.  He's a good resource and always kid-friendly; highly recommended.

The Lego Movie

The Lego Movie is the story of Emmett- a nobody in the super-controlled world run by President Business- who breaks through his self-imposed limits to save his friends from the Kragle (the doomsday weapon Business plans to unleash on the kingdom to ensure permanent order).  Along the way, he is helped by a list of colorful characters, to include WyldStyle, Batman, Superman, Shaquille O'Neal, and other amusing Lego figures from the days of yore.

The movie is fantastic.  Those familiar with (at a high level) pop culture and Lego sets of years past will find this especially amusing.  After viewing, I was wondering if this was really intended for kids- a lot of the jokes seemed geared towards adults.  It's extremely colorful- almost overwhelmingly so at times- but it's surprisingly well-done overall.  Well worth a viewing- or more.

Rating: A