Lego House: Home of the Brick

Lego is everywhere. Toys, construction, video games and other merchandise. Suffice to say the family company has grown considerably in size since the birth of the Lego brick in 1958. This documentary follows the construction of the public Lego House in Billund, Denmark, as well as exploring the history of the company. A relatively short runtime at 47 minutes long, yet manages to pack several pieces within its construction set. Just enough to bring out your inner child as your jaw drops to the floor at marvelling masterpieces such as the gargantuan "Tree of Creation". However it's not the construction of the actual Lego House that captivates, it's the origins of the company itself. Unfortunately, it's not as thoroughly detailed as one had hoped but feels relevant given the archived vault of classic sets within the building. Again, the actual construction of the building is not detailed enough and rarely raises any doubts or issues as if it was a seamless process. With the monotonously robotic narration and obvious narrative segmentation, the whole documentary felt more reminiscent of a training programme one would watch during education as opposed to entertainment. It irrefutably heightens your adoration for the company and its brand, which will most likely leave you wanting to purchase a product or two. But that's my point. It resembles an extended advertisement for their products and why you would want to work there instead of an insight to the company itself. That's not to say I didn't enjoy this, in fact I completed the film coming away learning various facts that I was not aware of. Although the clunky structure, abundance of optimism and lack of focus detract from the general entertainment to be had. Just buy the ridiculously expensive Lego Death Star instead...

These plastic blocks are completely addictive, the house is simply enthralling, I was dying to get to know it, I never played LEGO, I never had it, as an adult my students played with the generic and that's when I got to know the game, the snapping pieces most famous in the world... He knew how to do his marketing and created a mega company...

About 10 minutes into the film I realized that not a single woman spoke, every person that contributed is a man. They constantly interview people who work there and show how the lego house was built. Every single person is a man. Strange. You'd think the Danish, who have an image as being the pinnacle of fairness and equity, would have a single female employee at one of their large companies. One of the world's largest toy companies. Girls not allowed? Strange. See for yourself. Dozens of creators and other people interviewed. All men. 24 minutes in you get to see the first women but it's not clear who they are.