MPAA Rating: PG/Genre: Animated Adventure-Comedy/Voices of: Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Morgan Freeman, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Nick Offerman, Alison Brie, Charlie Day, Liam Neeson, Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Cobie Smulders, Anthony Daniels, Keith Ferguson, Billy Dee Williams, Todd Hansen, Shaquille O’Neal, Will Forte (credited as Orville Forte), Dave Franco, Jake Johnson, Keegan-Michael Key, Christopher Miller/Runtime: 100 minutes

I think it’s safe to say that if you at any point in time during the 60s-early 2000s turned on your television during that iconic period of time known as Saturday morning, there were at least two things you knew you would see. The first took the form of shows such as Pokémon, Scooby-Doo, G.I. Joe, and The Real Ghostbusters to name but a few of the many examples that permeated the airwaves at one time or another. The second took the form of a literal onslaught (at least in the eyes of parents) of toy commercials that we as kids would all watch with awe and glee only to then, as soon as they were done, pester our parents to buy them for us until either they gave in or their ear drums burst. Snarkiness aside dear reader, as beautiful as that time period was there is no denying that it also resulted in something quite unexpected as well. That being that we have seen since at least the 90s a slow yet steady rise in the number of toy-rooted cinematic adaptations and truthfully the results have been as mixed as you might expect. This is because on one side of the coin we have the Toy Story franchise which not only is perhaps the finest tribute to toys and the relationship they can have with an owner that I think we will ever get, but is also rightly viewed as the benchmark for all future toy-related cinematic efforts to aspire to. On the other side however is such franchises as the G.I. Joe and Transformers movies respectively. A pair of franchises that, to varying degrees, might offer up a form of mindless entertainment, but don’t really seem to have remembered what made the original toys so beloved by young people of the era and even beyond in the first place. This brings us to the slice of cinema I am reviewing for you today, The Lego Movie from 2014, and honestly this movie managed to surprise me dear reader. I say that because yes this movie definitely has no qualms about operating as the most product-focused cinematic effort I have seen in quite some time. At the same time though, it also does something else. Namely, it also manages to remember the joy, enthusiasm, heart, and practically limitless creativity that both kids and even the adults who at one time were those kids all possess when given the chance to play with this iconic toy and then showcases it for us in a cinematic format. As a result, what could have been a truly excruciating sit is transformed into a truly vibrant, lively, and thought-provoking viewing experience. Suffice it to say that it might have its issues, but with phenomenal work being done both behind and in front of the camera, The Lego Movie is an (for lack of a word) awesome and even heartfelt tribute to both one of the most iconic toys ever created as well as the impact it has managed to have on generations of people the world over.

The plot is as follows: Taking place in the vast and seemingly infinite Lego universe, The Lego Movie gets underway as witness a skirmish between a brave wizard named Vitruvius and his nemesis the diabolical Lord Business and his minions. A skirmish incidentally that tragically ends with Vitruvius being blinded and Business acquiring a superweapon known only as the Kragle. As his foe is leaving seemingly victorious however, we see Vitruvius go into prophecy-delivering mode where we, along with Business, learn that a person known as “The Special” will find the mythical Piece of Resistance and use it to stop Lord Business and the Kragle. From there, our story moves forward about 8 ½ years and takes us to the city of Bricksburg where we are introduced to our main character who takes the shape and form of a seemingly ordinary albeit way too happy at times for his own good construction worker by the name of Emmet Brickowski. Yet for as ordinary as life has been for our hero up till this point in time, we see that is very quickly about to change. This is because one day, upon seeing an enigmatic woman looking for something at his construction site, we see that our hero decides to give chase only to come across the Piece of Resistance and be drawn to touch it. A choice that soon sees our hero getting the Piece attached to his back and being interrogated by Lord Business (or the seemingly affable and decent President Business as he is known by the more than slightly clueless denizens of Bricksburg)’ lieutenant Bad/Good Cop. Yet just when things look dire for our hero, we see that he is soon rescued by the mystery woman, named Wyldstyle, since she erroneously thinks he must be the foretold Special and taken to Vitruvius who proceeds to fill Emmet in on Business’ dastardly plot. Thus can our trio, plus a group of other Lego figures including Batman (!), a hyper-excitable 1980s-astronaut named Benny, a pirate named Metal Beard, and a unicorn/cat mix named Unikitty, find a way to stop Business and help Emmet become the Special mentioned in the prophecy or is this the end of their collective world as they all know and love it? That I will leave for you to discover for yourself dear reader…..

Now right off the brick, it should be noted that the team behind the camera is genuinely phenomenal in every sense of the word. This starts with the wonderful way the animation department behind this ensures that the movie moves at a pace that also is able to incorporate a swift and straight-to-the-comedic bit style. Indeed much in the same vein as the show Robot Chicken (or something called Adventure Time) this slice of cinema expects the movie goer to not be able to stay focused on one thing for very long. As a result, the movie is consistently taking the action beats to new and distinct locations whilst also making fun of almost everything and anything that Lego is all about with particular regard to both the other properties that have had a Lego tie-in as of late, or least those that are part of Warner Bros. vast library, as well as some of the goofier oddities done by the company. As a result, not only are we able to see Green Lanter be in the same frame as Shaquille O’Neal, but we also get such delights as seeing Dumbledore and Gandalf argue with each other. Perhaps the most crucial element to this is that, given how this slice of cinema acts in a very playful manner, it also means that no other corporate entities are willing to be overprotective of how Batman or some of the other characters in this are showcased to such an extent that nowhere to be found is a group of vicious humanoid piranha (or lawyers as they are also called) who then proceed to sap some of the fun from this. Rather, every single element is lovingly at the mercy of the dynamic helming duo’s wonderfully goofy style, with particular regard to the narrative which beautifully feels like it was lifted straight from the Cliff Notes on disaster movies. Yet even when you are able make it through the abundance of positivity that the film’s quartet of writers all contributed to this film’s particular narrative it is also worth pointing out that the mission undertaken by the main character also has another positive going for it. That being that it manages to teach something to kids that is also able to make an impact in the lives of their adult counterparts as well. Yes, upon first glance, the character of Emmet may seem like your “regular ol’ Lego figure”. Yet in his attempts to fulfill the prophecy so he can become the foretold “Special” who is meant to save everyone and everything, we see that what Emmet learns in his pursuit of this goal is able to be both genuinely heartfelt as well as emotionally inspiring in both teaching kids not to be afraid to forge their own path in life and reminding the adult viewer to reclaim the sense of imagination that they might have felt they had to lock up the moment they started growing up respectively. Suffice it to say then that the work done behind the camera is not only downright mesmerizing in the level of skill and craftsmanship on display. Rather, it also makes me really want to dare you not to give in to the urge to go immediately to Walmart after the movie is over and buy yourself a box of the titular product, head back home, and watch it again whilst building a Lego masterpiece of your own.

Of course, the other big thing that helps make this slice of animated cinema as awesome as it is would undoubtedly be the fantastic cast of players who have been assembled to utilize their vocal talents to bring the various characters in front of the camera vividly to life. This starts with Chris Pratt in the lead role of Emmet and honestly he is terrific. Indeed I have enjoyed Pratt’s work as an actor since his time on Parks and Rec as lovable goofball Andy Dwyer and here is perfect as this ordinary, happy-go-lucky guy who finds himself having to grow and become more than anyone, let alone himself, even thinks possible of him simply because he is so…well normal. Suffice it to say that Pratt has always presented himself less as a Hollywood star and more as just an everyday kind of guy and it is that level of down to earth affability that makes him brilliant in this role. Of course, a hero is only as good as the villain that they are going up against and in this film’s case the work done by Pratt is matched quite admirably by Will Ferrell in the role of Lord/President Business. Indeed when it was first announced that Ferrell was going to be playing the villain in this I was worried we were going to get a very over-the-top man child-like performance that would really undermine the rest of the cast. Thankfully, we see that Ferrell brilliantly decides instead to put that on the backburner for this film and instead play this guy as a blending of Mugatu from Zoolander and the character of Megamind respectively. A blending that, in theory, should cause me to want to raise a Dwayne Johnson-style eyebrow, but in reality manages to work a lot better than even I would have thought possible. Suffice it to say that this is easily one of the better comedic efforts, Anchorman 2 aside, that Ferrell has given us in awhile and I really hope we as movie goers are able to get one more good comedy out of him because there is no denying that with the right material the guy is genuinely funny. I also really dig the heck out of the work done here by Morgan Freeman in the role of Vitruvius. Indeed Freeman has for awhile now been one of my favorite actors see play the wise man of sorts and here Freeman is having an absolute blast in a role that can best be described as a parody of that character archetype right down to delivering questionable bits of advice and hilariously quiet signs of exasperation at both Emmet and the situation in general. Finally, I also think praise should be given here to Liam Neeson in the two-faced role of Business’ lieutenant of sorts Bad Cop/Good Cop. Like a lot of these other actors, I have long been an admirer of Neeson and his work, but here he manages to be both genuinely funny in a role that even in the name of the character is having fun with certain law enforcement tropes as well as also even a bit genuinely menacing as well like he’s about to go after those darn kidnappers in Taken again. Suffice it to say that when you also factor in top-notch efforts from such talented individuals as Elizabeth Banks in the role of Wyldstyle, Will Arnett (whose vocal take on Batman is easily the second best one we have ever gotten after *of course* the great Kevin Conroy), Charlie Day (who is perfect in the role of 1980 space guy Benny and whose constant desire to build a spaceship is truly hilarious), Alison Brie, the always brilliant Nick Offerman, Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, and Colbie Smulders to name but a few it’s clear that this slice of cinema may hit a few brick walls, but one area they certainly don’t is in regards to the work done by this cast of players.

All in all and at the end of the day, it’s weird to point out, but if you really stop to think about it dear reader the art of crafting a slice of cinema is eerily similar to crafting a masterpiece out of Legos (something I had the pleasure of doing yesterday with my little cousin). Indeed, not only do both of these activities leave the door open for a seemingly infinite range of creativity, but both also operate as champions of the joys to be found in individual expression as well. Indeed, aside from the moments where you wind up becoming the laughing stock of the med clinic due to them having to pull one out of your foot, I really am of the belief that Legos are a wonderful toy so perhaps it should come as no surprise to learn that The Lego Movie is equally as magical cinematic entertainment that every single person in your family will enjoy. Indeed on a brick by brick basis, the smile that is consistently left on peoples’ faces by this brand manages to carry over into the cinematic format wonderfully in the form of not only side-splitting comedy, but also a potent and emotional message about locating and tapping into the Master Builder that resides in each and every one of us to positive rather than negative effect. As a result, younger adults (or kids as they are often called) will be enchanted by a mile-a-minute adventure with a cast of delightfully witty and likable characters, some incredible Lego designs, a theme song that I promise they will play in an effort to drive older kids (or adults) stark raving mad, and a main character that will hopefully inspire them to be the best they can be. On the other side, those aforementioned adults will enjoy not only some of the more adult themes on display in this film, but also get more than their fair share of chuckles due to some fairly adult comedic bits that operate as wonderful throwbacks to cinema of ol’. Suffice it to say that to the more extremely cynical minded out there, The Lego Movie might be viewable as no more or less than corporate propaganda at best and pandering to a corporate overlord at worst. In the eyes of this reviewer however, not only is this slice of cinema (for lack of a better word) awesome. Rather, it is also no more or less than a wonderful example of movie magic at its finest and a top-tier example of adapting a property for the silver screen done right. Make of that what thou will dear reader. On a scale of 1-5 I give The Lego Movie “2014” a solid 4 out of 5.