418. Playmobil - The Movie; movie review

PLAYMOBIL - THE MOVIE
Cert U
99 mins
BBFC advice: Contains very mild fantasy violence, threat, language

Who knew? Playmobil has been selling children's toy figures since 1974!
It would appear that I must have been more of a Lego-child and parent because until watching this movie I had never heard of them.
Having just read up on the company's impressive history, I am wondering whether I have been in a parallel universe to be unaware of it.
Apparently, it is Lego's main competitor and it has continued that fight, albeit unsuccessfully, on the big screen.
Its movie surrounds Marla (voiced by Anya Taylor-Joy) who is struggling to bring up her much younger brother Charlie (Gabriel Bateman) after the death of their parents.
He runs away into a toy expedition, she follows and, hey, presto and without any explanation, they are dragged into the magical, animated world of Playmobil.
His Playmobil alter-ego disappears and she must go on an incredible quest to bring him home.
Her journey cuts across different worlds and she meets many characters (presumably all of which can be bought from your local toy shop).
These heroic new friends include a hippy truck driver (Jim Gaffigan) and a dashing secret agent (Daniel Radcliffe), a wholehearted robot, a fairy godmother (Meghan Trainor) and even a villainous Roman Emperor (Adam Lambert).
While there is nothing especially wrong with the premise of Lino DiSalvo's film, it can't reach a bar which has been set by Lego.
From its heroes to the jokes for adults which are deliberately intended to go over children's heads, it is second best.
Worse still, it engenders a sense of "I've seen this before but better."
If it had stood alone, it would have been a hit. As it is just a pale imitation, it has been a resounding flop.

Reasons to watch: If you are into Lego-style movies
Reasons to avoid: Jumps around a heck of a lot

Laughs: A couple of chuckles
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 5.5/10

Did you know? The father of Playmobil was a German inventor called Hans Beck who wanted to develop model aeroplanes. He pitched his business plan to the German company Brandstätter who told him to come back with a toy which combined “the maximum amount of play value for the minimum amount of plastic".

The final word. Daniel Radcliffe: "I was literally just looking at him (Rex Dasher secret agent) in the poster there thinking, I could never be that suave in a million years! I’m being out‐cooled very much by this plastic version of me." National Geographic Kids

Share this post