The Lego Movie

Reviewer: Luke Walkley

Directors: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller

Stars: Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Ferrell, Morgan Freeman, Will Arnett

Released: 14th February 2014 (UK)

Many a beloved childhood pastime has been the subject of Hollywood adaptations over recent years, some have fared well at the box-office yet lacked the heart those of us would associate with our favourite toys (Transformers, GI Joe…) Others have been more child-accessible yet too watered down for their original, now fully grown, fans (Smurfs, Garfield). With Wreck-it Ralph significantly raising the bar in this category The Lego Movie certainly had a lot to live up to.

We follow Emmett (Voiced by Chris Pratt) a construction worker happily following the instructions set by President Business (Will Ferrell) until a chance encounter with the mysterious Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks) leads him to the ‘Piece of Resistance’ a powerful object that Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman) prophesized a Master Builder could use to defeat President Business and his ultimate weapon, the ‘Kragle’.

The first thing you will notice from The Lego Movie is that the standard of animation is simply fantastic, everything is Lego and I mean everything. It would have been easy for the animators to skip over simple things like the bottom of Lego bricks, however the detail is intricate throughout the entire film. Incorporating as many Lego characteristics as possible throughout – the interchangeable hair and outfits, the way the Lego people move and perhaps best of all the infamous ‘claw-hand’.

The story itself pokes fun at some aspects of current world affairs – a country ruled by an overbearing, unpredictable leader, generic boy-bands and music ala ‘Everything is Awesome’, yet it does remarkably well to not become too embroiled in the adult politics and allows a child friendly film to blossom.

The Lego Movie features an impressive cast of voice actors that duly deliver the high-quality dialogue written by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. The jokes are well timed and the balance between child and adult-accessible humour is finely balanced. The lesser characters deliver as much, if not more, humour than the main group. Whilst Freeman, Banks and Pratt all provide wonderful voice-acting, but it is Will Arnett as Batman and Bruce Wayne, that provides the best comedic performance. With celebrities like Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum providing cameos, the final product is certainly one of the strongest all-round animations of recent years.

As with the humour throughout the movie, the overall feel has both children and adults in mind. Reminding us that we were all children at one point, be it five, ten of fifty years ago. The Lego Movie has far more heart hidden beneath the surface than perhaps was expected, though its message shines through.

The Lego Movie has provided the green-board for sequels to  build upon. As with the Lego series of games, we are sure to see more and with a sequel already rumoured to be written it could only be a matter of time before we have an entire series of Lego movies. The possibilities really are endless and as long as the quality from this film continues, that would be very welcome.

The Lego Movie provides good solid family fun with genuine laugh-out-loud moments. Everything fits perfectly into place and the attention to detail is something to behold.