There’s a popular gif from the first Marvel’s The Avengers movie that shows Captain America—only recently thawed from 70 years in the ice—reacting to a Wizard of Oz-related comment, “I understood that reference”. . .
. . . It has become a kind of shorthand for the way a lot of contemporary popular culture, particularly from major franchises, has seemed overly concerned with inserting jokes and Easter eggs targeted at congratulating fans on their insider knowledge.
All of this is prologue to the way that The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special plays out as 47 minutes of “I understood that reference.” Built on a premise designed to maximize winking at the 40-plus-year history of the Star Wars franchise, it certainly offers some laughs and enjoyable self-critique, but in a way that feels inviting exclusively to those who are already in on all the jokes.
That premise finds Rey initially trying to train Finn in the ways of the Jedi, but finding the task surprisingly complicated. Frustrated and uncertain, Rey finds her way to a hidden cave, and a jewel that allows her to travel through time and space—which just happens to land her in various scenes from the nine Star Wars feature films.
If you’re missing the “holiday” part of the Lego Star Wars Holiday Special from that synopsis, the story’s events take place on Life Day, which is itself a reference to the notorious 1978 live-action Star Wars Holiday Special. The action occasionally shifts from Rey’s time-traveling back to Finn, Poe and others preparing to host Chewbacca’s family for the Wookiee holiday, but there’s literally no reason why this particular concept needed a holiday theme.
That’s because it really is all about Rey’s visits to Lego-ized versions of iconic Star Wars moments, with plenty of snarky gags along the way. Young Obi-wan bangs his head against a table in an Episode callback, lamenting “Bored, bored, bored … who cares about a trade dispute?” Hux becomes a bit distracted by a shirtless Kylo Ren. Literally every cinematic episode gets a callback of some kind, plus a nod to a more recent addition to the Star Wars universe.
It’s all generally amusing stuff, and there’s certainly nothing inherently wrong with a piece of entertainment aimed squarely at long-time fans. My frustration is more from the fact that most of the jokes aren’t particularly clever or inspired, and at times the scenes—notably the climactic Death Star attack from Episode IV—don’t seem to include a joke at all. While it’s kinda cool seeing Lego versions of these moments, plus Lego-specific gags like Rey having to empty water out of her plastic hair after crash-landing in the swamp of Dagobah, that’s really the primary appeal, unless stuff like BB-8 responding to Rey’s “you can say that again” with an identical series of squeaks and beeps is the kind of comedy you’re looking for.
If you, as a kid, used action figures or actual Legos to re-create your favorite Star Wars moments, the appeal of The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special will be understandable. But maybe we still deserve a bit more than creators assuming that we understood that reference.
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Let’s Hear From You
LEGO movie fans. . . Star Wars Fans. . . Let’s hear from you. Is LEGO Star Wars a match made in the stars or something you could live without? Are you looking forward to this one? Let us know your thoughts!
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