Most everyone played with Legos as a kid. The versatile toys were a huge part of the childhood of people all around the world and are now being presented in a way that’s never been seen before: on the big screen with “The Lego Movie”.

The Lego franchise has done several other projects that bring to life the colorful world we all know and love (video games, 30 minute shorts, etc), but never something on such a large scale.

The movie follows Emmet (voiced by Chris Pratt), a simple figurine following the status quo and living his life as a construction worker in a Lego City building set. He is ordinary in every way, until he happens upon the “piece of resistance” and dubbed “the Special” by Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks) a fearless Masterbuilder who aids him on his quest to save the day.

From who? Why, from President Business (Will Ferrell), a villain who has his mind set on glueing the world together brick by brick in a desperate attempt to have order and peace in the Lego world. They are joined by several other memorable characters, such as Batman (Will Arnett), Unikitty (Alison Brie), and Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman), who aid them on their quest and provide a message about originality along the way.

The animation in this movie is simply stunning, a brilliant blend of digital editing, stop motion, and live action that brings the characters and their world to life in a way that doesn’t seem too polished or clunky. Detail is not forgotten in this film, as everything from water to dust looks to be composed out of Lego bricks. 

The fight scenes were fast paced and daring, and it’s all-inclusive humor keeps both young children and their parents laughing. While many children’s movies find the need to use crude and immature humor to entertain their audiences, “The Lego Movie” presents a refreshing change. This isn’t to say there was no immature humor whatsoever (unfortunately including the butt photocopy cliche), but it keeps that sort of thing fairly short and miraculously quick.

For a movie that’s biggest theme is originality, the romance plotline was disappointingly executed. The romance between Wyldstyle and Emmet felt forced and unnecessary, taking up screen time that could have been used to further delve into a few of the much smaller plotlines, such as (no spoilers) a father-son connection that tied the entire film together.

This movie blends the originality and fun spirit behind “Wreck-It Ralph” with an almost “1984”-like villainy, a chilling feeling that you are being watched and must conform to what society tells you.

Although it puts a whole new spin on a cherished childhood toy, you don’t have to be a Lego fan to enjoy it. The story line can be enjoyed by a person of any age, gender, race, or religion, and is one of the rare movies that can truly be “enjoyed by the whole family!”

As a teenager myself, I found it to be quite funny, laughing in the theater along with the 3-year-old boy in the row in front of me. I would highly recommend this movie, if, for no other reason than the hilarity that is Lego Batman.

–Feb. 7, 2014–