Review: LEGO Marvel Avengers: Time Twisted

Overview (Spoilers Below):

When Thanos steals the quantum tunnel, the Avengers embark on a mission to stop him.

Our Take:

We played with LEGO toys to express our creativity and imaginations back in the day. Nowadays, we let the media do the imagination for us. Video games, television, and movies. You name it, the world of LEGO has it covered. This latest television special is no different as the brand is bringing its fans back to the world of Marvel’s superhero team for a time-traveling adventure. It’s a pretty bizarre way to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, but I’ll gladly take anything that has LEGO and Marvel’s Avengers in the title.

The special involves the Avengers on a brand new mission: retrieving Ant-Man’s van, which contained the quantum tunnel. The culprits behind this theft are Thanos and Red Skull, who plot to travel through time to gather the Avengers’ most formidable foes for their army. As a result, the team, consisting of Captain America, Iron Man, Black Widow, and more, travels to their headquarters to stop them.  

If you’ve watched the previous LEGO television specials, you’ll quickly know what you’re going to get from Time Twisted. It’s a short, harmless, and comical adventure that features LEGO characters interacting in ways that no kid could accomplish in real life. If that’s what you’re hoping for, chances are you’ll be somewhat happy with the result. If not, well, you’re better off watching the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies.

Speaking of which, the plot takes many cues from some of the MCU installments, ranging from its character designs to its specific scenes. The time-travel element allowed the story (and the villains) to revisit some memorable moments from Iron Man, Captain America: The First Avenger, and Avengers: Age of Ultron. Because of this, It becomes more of a trip down memory lane for young Marvel fans…if memory lane is full of LEGOs. Unfortunately, this element didn’t go anywhere else after that. Following the villains’ time-traveling scenario is a straightforward showdown between the Avengers and Thanos’ army on a HYDRA island resort. Now, I wouldn’t say there’s nothing wrong with a good old-fashioned final battle, but I thought it would make the special more enticing if the showdown takes place through different parts of time.

The animation in Time Twisted offered the same CGI style as the previous LEGO television specials, and I’m saying that as a good thing. While nowhere near as creative and immersive as The Lego Movie and its follow-ups, the style still delivered plenty of smooth and well-textured sequences in its action and comedy. It always makes me happy to see the effort put into the cheap animation for these specials, including this one.

Overall, LEGO Marvel Avengers continues to provide some tolerable pieces of kid-friendly entertainment, thanks to Time Twisted. It doesn’t take full advantage of its concept regarding its simplistic plot, characters, and third act. Thankfully, it has enough merits in its animation and humor to keep me attached to the LEGO mania presented in the television special. It won’t impress many Marvel Cinematic Universe fans, but it serves as a passable diversion for the young viewers who enjoy the two brands: LEGO and Marvel.