A refreshing animation which does practically everything right. An instant classic.

Rating: 9/10 (11 June 2017)

I wasn't sure what to expect as I sat down to watch this movie, was it to be too childish, or will it be geared towards impressing adults also? Too heavy on the Lego promotion? Was it to have a solid story or be a weak mish-mash of brainless money spinning tripe? As the credits rolled at the end of the movie I can honestly say I have not been so pleasantly surprised by a movie in a long, long time. Hands down, it is fantastic.
The Lego Movie has heart, it has substance and great energy. It's clever, really clever and I appreciate the level of effort and thinking that has gone into making this movie. It is laugh out loud funny, not only in a slapstick way but also through witty dialogue and intelligent, sharp humour. The universe created for The Lego Movie is one of the greatest aspects, the attention to detail is fantastic and nothing ever looks out of place with some brilliantly witty props and surroundings. With spot on casting the Lego characters are brought to life, Liam Neeson, Will Ferrell and Morgan Freeman all play their part especially well in their supporting roles. The story is a simple one, easy to follow but is told in an imaginative and well paced with a good array of characters, clichéd but pleasant. It's the classic unassuming hero story, good vs potential evil with friendship and loyalty the driving points being the mission. There are plenty of funny moments, some surprisingly downbeat scenes and some well choreographed action sequences.
My only real negative is that I feel it was geared a little too heavily towards 3d viewing and when viewing in standard 2d it can feel a little over the top and choppy at times. It's clear which parts would look great in 3d but when viewed standard some scenes can look like quite poor animation.
Towards the end, the movie makes a bold move, a move which could quite easily have backfired and undone all the greatness. Thankfully it was pulled off extremely well, delivering just how they wanted it to and didn't feel remotely wrong in any way.
The creators got it spot on. Promote Lego to the hills, kids will love so many aspects of it, adults will love it too and the money will come rolling in for sequels, this is a new Universe for the animation genre and I can see it continuing for many years to come. The Batman Lego Movie was released this year and with such an array of characters at their disposal, I expect to see plenty more movies in the future.
A very solid 9/10