Brick, bricks, and more bricks. While Netflix already has a wide variety of LEGO-based series, like LEGO Ninjago and LEGO City Adventures, it seems the streaming platform is just now stepping into toy-themed films. 2014’s The LEGO Movie was just added to the library at the beginning of this month. Because this title is considered one of the best animated films of all time by Rolling Stone, Empire, and a few others, this was the best pick to start with. But as much acclaim as this Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, and Elizabeth Banks-starring movie receives, it largely overshadows another LEGO movie, LEGO: The Adventures of Clutch Powers, which deserves your attention and rightfully needs to be picked up by Netflix too.

Surprisingly, the name is not some kind of satirical play on Indiana Jones or any other swashbuckling, adventurous hero. The name/slogan in question is an official term the LEGO group uses to describe how well the studs and anti-studs on physical pieces stick together. LEGO: The Adventures of Clutch Powers was released four years before The LEGO Movie and was the first brick-branded feature to come out on DVD. Talk about nostalgia. As much as The LEGO Movie dazzles audiences with its seemingly endless franchise crossovers (DC heroes, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, etc.) and smooth animation style, The Adventures of Clutch Powers is much more faithful to the LEGO brand, only using characters, settings, and weapons from the toy line.

This LEGO Movie Doesn’t Need Endless Cameos

LEGO: The Adventures of Clutch Powers

Release Date

May 28, 2010

Runtime

81 minutes

Director

Howard E. Baker

Writers

Tom Rogers

Producers

Jimmy Ienner, Joshua Wexler, Lawrence Kasanoff, Patrick Gunn, David Cragnotti, Jill Wilfert

Cast

• 

  Paul Michael Glaser

  Kjeld Playwell (voice)

• 

  Ryan McPartlin

  Clutch Powers (voice)

• 

  Roger Rose

  Brick Masterson (voice)

• 

  Jeff Bennett

  Bernie von Beam / Artie Fol (voice)

There are rock monsters, skeletons, trolls, and, of course, a first look at LEGO City (a much more crowded and futuristic version than the ones seen on Netflix these days). Regarding Clutch Powers, this rather obscure character has the same number of appearances — if not more — than The LEGO Movie’s Emmet Brickowski. This famed adventurer is name-dropped in LEGO Ninjago and makes semi-frequent appearances in later seasons of the show.

While he’s best known for being a collector of invaluable artifacts, this movie showcases him, along with a firefighter named Brick Masterson, biologist Peg Mooring and an engineer by the name of Bernie von Beam, on their quest to recapture Malik The Malign, an evil wizard who has escaped the Space Police prison planet. As you can see, the premise mixes science fiction and fantasy elements.

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Speaking of the story, this early LEGO-themed adventure holds true to its source material. In many instances, characters try to build vehicles or weapons with various blocks (just like children would). Most of the jokes in the movie harken back to how the toys actually are in real life (Bernie’s legs come off without killing him, and studs haphazardly attach to various characters, and they can’t detach themselves).

Unlike the 2014 theatrical rendition that relies on so many other theatrical franchises for memorable and humorous moments, Clutch Powers brings it all back to a time when LEGO was based on the originality of the toy and nothing more. Just seeing the protagonist’s team fumble about trying to quickly build something that helps them achieve their goal reminds us of the fun we used to have with LEGO ourselves way back when.

‘Clutch Powers’ Is a Timeless LEGO Movie

Don’t be fooled by the fact that Lego: The Adventures of Clutch Powers was a straight-to-DVD release in the US (only theatrically released in South Korea). The 82-minute action comedy has a powerful voice cast that will surely surprise you. Clutch and Peg were voiced by Ryan McPartlin and Yvonne Strahovski — two regulars from NBC’s spy drama Chuck. Brick and Bernie were brought to life with the help of two mainstay voice actors in the cartoon world: Roger Rose and Jeff Bennett.

Both these names have been heard in classic Cartoon Network shows like Johnny Bravo, Cow and Chicken, and Dexter’s Laboratory (among many other titles). Kjeld Playwell (Clutch’s boss) is played by Paul Michael Glaser, a mainstay on the original 70’s Starsky and Hutch as well as having a role in 1971’s Fiddler on the Roof.

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The names behind the first LEGO movie may have come from different Hollywood backgrounds entirely, but this variety helps make each character stand out. This initial cinematic entry into the LEGO universe has a 65% score on Rotten Tomatoes, with reviews coming in from just last year. Not only that, but video essays are still being published on YouTube discussing the iconic main character and his origins (with the most recent being made just five months ago).

Even though the animation might not be as refined and sleek as the Warner Bros’ vision from 2014, the Universal-distributed film that came before it should not be forgotten by Netflix or anyone. While it’s not yet available on the world’s most popular streaming service, The Internet Archive is currently streaming Lego: The Adventures of Clutch Powers for free.