I wrote this off as another attempt to sell a product. How wrong I was...

Rating: 9/10 (2 September 2014)

Two lists I want to bring to your attention on Wikipedia: Movies based on Video Games and, more relevant here, Movies based on Toys. If you look at the films on these lists and look for their Rotten Tomatoes scores, you will notice that very few are rated 'Fresh' - a startlingly low number, in fact. Why is this? I think this is because video games and toys often don't have plots that translate well to films, because they involve you doing things to them, and not characters as much. I will accept that video games are now a bit different, and that many are now far more plot based, but this was certainly the case in the past. When I first found out about "The LEGO Movie", I very quickly wrote it off as another attempt to sell a product within a shoddy plot framework. Thank goodness I was unbelievably wrong.
"The LEGO Movie" is funny, intelligent and exciting for the entirety of its runtime, and so many elements contribute to its outstanding success. The film tells the story of standard mini-figure Emmet (voiced by Chris Pratt), who teams up with the 'Master Builders' in order to save the universe from the evil Lord Business (Will Ferrell). In that simple form, it's an ordinary "chosen one" plot line, but the writing and details ensure that it's anything but ordinary. Along the way, Emmet meets a host of different Lego characters, including the blind wizard Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman) and many superheroes (Will Arnett's Batman is particularly great), and they travel through loads of different Lego landscapes on their quest.
You're probably still not sold on it, which is understandable - the film's plot isn't really its greatest quality. What makes this film so great is the writing and animation, both of a consistently high quality throughout. Everything in the animation is made of Lego, and is therefore animated like Lego. It's incredibly detailed, and through this you notice charming details throughout that make you appreciate just how much care has gone into the film. The visuals are great, and are the main thing that young kids will appreciate. The reason adults will see it is for the humour. I found myself laughing far more than my 6 year old cousin, and that's because it's written with the adults in mind. The song "Everything is Awesome", the ridiculous 'follow the rules' state that Emmet lives in, the references to Lego of the past, characters such as Liam Neeson's Good Cop/Bad Cop and the noticeable cameos are all things which adults will love and appreciate. The real genius of the film is that it appeals so easily to both age groups.
"The LEGO Movie" had the potential to be something so much worse. It could have been a thoughtless attempt to sell more Lego by constructing a shoddy, uninteresting plot around some bland characters (c.f. Transformers), but enough love and attention has gone into the film that you can't help but enjoy it. Phil Lord and Chris Miller, from '21 Jump Street' and 'Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs' fame, are the perfect people to helm this film, with their irreverent and sharp sense of humour, especially visual humour. With a final quarter that is both surprising and poignant, this is undoubtedly a film that will touch adults and children alike, and leave them 100% satisfied.