Fun for adults and kids alike, but it still hammers the audience over the head with its message

Rating: 7/10 (14 November 2014)

THE LEGO MOVIE is a very entertaining, funny and, in the end, rather poignant film that will appeal to kids and adults. The story is about a nondescript, fit-in-with-the-crowd nobody named Emmett who accidentally happens upon a mythical "Piece of Resistance." Aided by the Master Builders, he tries to stop the universe from being ruined by Lord/President Business. Having only just watched this now, as it makes its way onto home video, I didn't watch it in theaters although I was aware of the hype and positive reactions to it, both from critics and audiences. However, I must say that I wasn't too impressed with it. The story is rather ho-hum and bland, not unlike the main character is for most of the movie. What kept me invested was all of the in-jokes and pop culture references. Nothing was laugh-out-loud funny, but it did make me chuckle consistently. The best bits were probably from Batman, Superman and Green Lantern (voiced by Will Arnett, Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill, respectively). Another strong point was the large ensemble voice cast, which included Chris Pratt (Emmett), Will Ferrell (Lord Business), Elizabeth Banks (Wild Side) and Morgan Freeman (Vitruvius/The Wizard?). Despite the rather bland story, things were practically saved near the end when it takes a rather poignant turn which I won't spoil (for the few people who haven't seen it yet). The end makes everything that came before it worth watching. Still, I can't quite bring myself to forgive everything else completely. Among those things is a ridiculously catchy earworm that gets repeated ad nauseam. In the end, it is something that both kids and adults can get enjoyment out of, even if it's more fluff than substance