What constitutes a five-star movie? Usually the highest of ratings is reserved for the types of films that are telling profoundly powerful stories, with great actors and directors already making space on their mantelpiece. But what about pure, old-fashioned entertainment? Doesn't that deserve some special recognition? Because that's exactly what The LEGO Movie is; five-star entertainment.
Emmet (voiced by Chris Pratt) is an ordinary, run-of-the-mill builder figure that has been mistaken for a prophesied hero who will bring down the evil President Business (Will Ferrell). He must leave his safe metropolis and travel across distant worlds – The Old West, Middle Zealand, etc. - to meet up with the leader of the good guys, Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman), and formulate a plan that involves the likes of Batman (Will Arnett), Superman (Channing Tatum) and loads more.
The core message of the movie is all about using your imagination and how everyone has the ability to be special. While that might sound incredibly trite and saccharine, it turns out to be anything but. Overflowing with a unique type of wide-eyed, joyful sarcasm, everything that "the masses" enjoy and consume en masse is poked at here, but never in a mean way. The EDM tune that everyone loves - "Everything Is Awesome!" - is infuriatingly catchy, the hit TV show "Where Are My Pants?", the over-priced coffee that people are all too willing to pay for; the good-humoured subversive nature will have the adults laughing more than the young'uns.
Not that they're not being catered for too, with more loveable characters, instantly quotable lines and eye-bursting visuals than a year's worth of other animated movies. The highlights on offer are endless, from Liam Neeson's Bad Cop/Good Cop and his running gag with kicking chairs, to the supressed bipolar nature of Alison Brie's UniKitty, or Charlie Day's Benny who just REALLY wants to build a spaceship; they're all instantly loveable and unforgettable.
Another sure-fire sign that you're watching a five-star movie is that the second it's finished, you want to watch it again, immediately, which of course you'll have to do, because you'll have missed so many of the jokes while you were laughing so hard at the previous ones.
The LEGO Movie is without doubt one of the best, smartest, funniest animated movies of the decade.