| The young fans of LEGO's Hero Factory line of toys and its four-episode animated miniseries are most likely to be the most responsive audience for this feature-length adventure that stars the line's robot fighters. The plot is basic--grown-up hero Stormer (voiced by John Schneider), who was betrayed by his partner during a mission in his rookie days, now leads a team of fresh metallic faces, including Furno (Eric Christian Olson), who naturally reminds the veteran of himself. When the team faces a new set of enemies, Stormer discovers that the enemy is someone from his past. A mix of video game pacing and action and well-worn military movie clichés, Rise of the Rookies will feel fresh and exciting to youthful viewers who are tuning in for the robot-on-robot mayhem; all others will find the frenetic pace, leaden dialogue, and mawkish emphasis on teamwork and friendship (the film's raison d'être is action, pure and simple) tiresome. The bonus short, LEGO Atlantis, is a cheerier mix of tongue-in-cheek humor and action featuring the toy line's Deep Sea Salvage Crew in search of the fabled city and encountering monsters and undersea warriors. --Paul Gaita |
