Everything is Awesome? Um... Not quite a joy but certainly a pleasure.

Rating: 6/10 (5 March 2014)

I had little interest in seeing The Lego Movie until I heard Mark Kermode's verdict in his blog about Liam Neeson. Even then it wasn't enough to make me buy a ticket. It took Roocayke, the nephew who last month subjected me to Walking With Dinosaurs 3D, to force me into it. Would this be two strikes against him or could he earn a redemption?
Emmet (Chris Pratt) is a bog standard, Lego mini-figure construction worker who smiles, sings, follows instructions and is completely unremarkable until he is mistaken for the Master Builder, the chosen one, who will fulfill an ancient prophesy, find the Piece of Resistance and thwart the evil plan of the tyrannical Lord Business (Will Ferrell). Accompanied by Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks) and her egotistical, vain boyfriend Batman (Will Arnett), Emmet journeys through every conceivable Lego theme in its universe on a mission to save their world from being glued together, and of personal discovery.
Without doubt, The Lego Movie is a fantastic merchandising film. It is one long, feature length video catalogue that you can be thankful was released in the spring rather than prior to Christmas. But whereas The Internship was just a horrible, humourless Google commercial, The Lego Movie is a clever idea that entertains first and foremost. Oh, it's far less subtle than the product placement of Toy Story but you won't emerge feeling bludgeoned by the marketing bods.
The plot is simple enough for the youngsters to follow but there is little time for boredom as the screen is constantly filled with action and movement and the dialogue rattles along with little time to reflect on the gags as they whiz by. As you'd expect, the scenery is beautifully constructed with Lego, the model numbers of bricks and components tumbling across the screen like Sherlock's (the BBC Benedict Cumberbatch incarnation) thoughts.
The Lego Movie's 100 minute running time is perhaps too generous for the plot and its demographic, and there were too few children's giggles and too many shuffling bums but, if Roocayke was anything to go by, it will be a big hit with the under tens and an acceptable movie for the parents to enjoy rather the endure, as is more often the case. There are plenty of gags, references and in-jokes that sail over the youngsters' heads to entertain the adults and, though there is nothing to make us laugh out loud, The Lego Movie contains plenty to amuse.
The vocal talent, too, will be of little interest to the kiddies but there is an impressive roster of stars having fun including half the cast of Star Wars and, in the battle of the scene thieves, Morgan Freeman (Vitruvius) narrowly beaten by Liam Neeson as Good Cop/Bad Cop. Add to that Alison Brie, Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum...
The Lego Movie is no Fankenweenie but it is a lot of fun. Just ask Roocayke. In amongst the gabble of enthusiasm that accompanied us home were two gems:
"I really liked the lady (Wyldstyle) but I don't want to marry her."
and
"Uncle Yed, I seriously want to see that again!"
The Lego Movie is not quite a joy, though it's certainly a pleasure. But be warned, it contains the nastiest brainworm on the big screen so far this year. It's a marketer's dream but an accompanying uncle's nightmare! Trust me on this: the drive home is a painful experience with a six-year old singing non-stop Everything is Awesome!
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