A mind-bending trip into the psychedelic minds of Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. Scott Gentry reviews "The Lego Movie".

"The Lego Movie" (U)
Directed by:  Phil Lord and Christopher Miller.
Starring (voices only): Will Arnett, Elizabeth Banks, Charlie Day, Chris Pratt, Morgan Freeman and Will Ferrell. 
Running time: 100 minutes.
Rated: U for containing mild fantasy violence, and very mild language.
Out now in UK cinemas. 

"The Lego Movie" is a story that revolves around the fantastical world of Lego, in which our lead character named Emmet (Chris Pratt) comfortably resides. One day however, our unlikely hero is mistaken for the fabled saviour of the Lego universe, the Master Builder. Soon Emmet joins forces with a seemingly unstoppable group of friends, including Batman (Will Arnett) and the god-like Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman); to stop an evil tyrant named Lord Business (Will Ferrell) from destroying their world, through the use of super glue. 

A Lego film had been in the pipeline for many, many years. From countless straight-to-DVD films and shorts including the “Bionicle” films, the prospects of that actually happening seemed very dim. 

However in recent years, Lego has grown considerably in not only variety, but popularity. Videogames based around popular films and comics soon began to spread and send a shockwave through the gaming industry; whilst Lego sets became bigger and bigger. From tackling franchises such as “The Lord of the Rings” and “Indiana Jones”, the Lego Company definitely seemed set on staying the leaders of the constructive toy market. 

“The Lego Movie” soon became a reality due to the creative minds of Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. Resting safely in their hands since 2008, this popular pair of directors were sure to produce a hilarious piece of animation and they have most definitely succeeded. Due to the success of their film "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" back in 2009, Lord and Miller were able to pitch their film to Warner Bros and in 2011, the film was finally green-lit.

Animated by the Australian company Animal Logic, “The Lego Movie” was soon to become one of the largest animation projects for quite some time. Whilst preparation began on “The Lego Movie”, the pair of directors found the time to direct and write their live-action debut, "21 Jump Street". An excellent comedy with a particularly interesting plot line, “21 Jump Street” reached critical acclaim and proved that the both Phil and Chris could tackle adult comedies and animations intended for children. 

Having spent six years in production, "The Lego Movie" has definitely been a film that I was particularly looking forward to viewing, and not just because I'm a total geek, but because of its excellent cast of directors, writers and voice actors. The film did not disappoint and instead succeeded my level of expectation. 

As I previously mentioned, "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" was an excellent film, which many people decided not to watch and instead, became an indie-animation hit. Thankfully, in terms of "The Lego Movie", this is not the case. Already having surpassed box-office and critical expectation across the pond, this big-budgeted animation is both hilarious and exciting. 

I personally believe that the reason behind why the film is of such a good quality is because of the film's writers and directors. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller fortunately have a unique ability to entertain both adults and children, through an anarchic style of animated films. This is most definitely evident in "The Lego Movie", as it uses certain hilarious lines and situations in perfect conjunction with the storyline. It's obvious that children will enjoy the colours and characters, but it's the adults who will receive the full benefit of the film, through its expertly written script and animation.

The voice cast are excellent, with Chris Pratt heading up an all-star cast which includes the likes of Morgan Freeman, Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill and Charlie Day; who not only bring a great style towards all of their roles, but include the ability of fantastic comic timing into their performances.

Verdict

Despite the constant use of the film's main theme tune "Everything Is Awesome!", "The Lego Movie" is in many ways the perfect family film. Wild, different and highly anarchic, this hilarious animated film is definitely worth watching. 

8 stars out of 10.

Written by Scott Gentry.

Film Rating Key

1-2 stars out of ten = Awful.

3-4 stars out of ten = Average.

5-6 stars out of ten = Good.

7-8 stars out of ten = Excellent.

9-10 stars out of ten = Amazing.