Everything is Awesome

Rating: 9/10 (23 March 2014)

Everything in "The Lego Movie" is, indeed, awesome.
Awesome as in the sort of silly yet wily kid-appropriate PG-rated film. In my opinion, this is the best performance by Will Ferrell that I've been waiting for ever since "Elf" came out more than a decade ago.
It is exceedingly cool that a major-studio family film refuses to simply capitalize on merchandising spin-offs by offering an oppressive 100-minute commercial. Instead, "The Lego Movie" manages to be a smartly subversive satire about the drawbacks of conformity and following the rules while celebrating the power of imagination and individuality. It still might be a 100-minute commercial, but at least it's a highly entertaining and, most surprisingly, a thoughtful one with in-jokes that snap, crackle and zoom by at warp speed.
I had no interest in seeing this film; however, all my friends that saw it said it was a great movie, and I decided to give it a watch. This is the best film of the year and, as far as I'm concerned, the best film I've seen if a couple of years. It is also the most subversive, pro-liberty film since (I kid you not) "V for Vendetta" with smart, well-deserved swipes at the head of the government. Bring your adult friends if you don't have children of your own.
It is a wonderful movie, I had the same reaction to it as I had seeing "Shrek" and "Toy Story 3". If you do not have your own child, now is the time to offer to babysit a niece or nephew. It's nice to see that imagination can still show up and surprise you in the best way possible. It was way better than it needed to be, for a toy-based movie. With a message at the end that should be seen by many parents.
Best movie of the year, so far.