*** out of ****
The Lego Movie easily could've been an excruciating commercial posing as a film like The Internship. However, it's the most pleasant surprise of 2014 (yes, it is essentially a commercial, but every new Disney film is basically a commercial for Walt Disney World, too).
A spectacularly average construction worker (Chris Pratt) discovers he has actually been chosen for greater things and ends up battling the sinister President Business (Will Ferrell). On paper, the premise doesn't sound different from many other kiddie films, but directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (21 Jump Street) imbue it with enough manic energy and subversiveness to make it fun. At times, it is a little too frenetic and all-over-the-place and naysayers could make a valid point that the non-conformist/anti-gentrification messages ring hollow coming from a glorified commercial. Still, it's an imaginative, well-executed commercial.
The film takes an interesting turn in its climax (no spoilers here). Fans will argue that the finale adds poignancy and resonance to what preceded it, while detractors will say that it's a cop-out excuse for sloppy storytelling. Most people seem to think it's the former and I agree. Check it out..