The Lego Movie needs no introduction—it is sheer delight; every scene of every sequence, it seems, was thought out meticulously by the movie’s collaborators, from each individual brick to each individual character, then executed flawlessly using only set pieces that one would find in the Lego aisle of a local store. It needs only praise and hype and viewers to see the years’ worth of efforts by this exceptional design and animation team. The Lego Movie pleased on every level, in both and energy and exuberance, comedy and action. If you have not seen the Lego Movie, stop reading this and buy a ticket.

The Lego Movie follows Emmet, a regular Joe Schmo who discovers the secret to saving the universe in the construction field he works in. Although a mostly ordinary plot, it is expanded in extraordinary ways because Chris Miller and Phil Lord direct this spectacle in their own unique way, each with two movies worth of hilarious experience in absurdity yet lovability.  Lord and Miller had previously directed the animated fest, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and the R-Rated comedy, 21 Jump Street, both movies opening to critical acclaim. The same smooth-type animation was used to direct the Lego Movie and is put to genius use, as every motion is illustrated in gorgeous CGI yet smoothed into a stop-motion feel. Although relatively obscure in the public eye, these two bold filmmakers may make quite a splash in future funny films.

Forefront in the Lego Movie’s efforts to please its viewers is the abundant energy and youth to each setting, from the neon-sprinkled night of Lego City to the dark and morbid yet illustrious tower of President Business. The landscape plays to the audience’s every sense, pulling their mind into the World of Lego and allowing them to visualize themselves in the character’s struggle, but without effort or force. The movie simply beckons the individual to create and play within themselves at their own will, opening them to endless possibilities and infinite universes, as the ultimate experience in movie fantasy. Through all the colorful displays though, through all the joyousness and even the occasional sappy movie, the Lego Movie will appeal to adults in even more areas than it will kids. The Lego Movie somehow manages to mix razor sharp humor, stylized action, and adventure to rival that of Indiana Jones, with enough heart left over to bind all of the glorious aspects of the ambitious extravaganza.

In addition to the comedy and action that would already be enough to sustain any willing viewer, the Lego Movie, this animated film made for seemingly for children with children’s toys, is also the smartest movie I’ve reviewed all year. Not only is the entire film dynamic enough to double as a heart-filled morality tale, but the message presented throughout urges the viewer, young or old, to embrace their inner creativity, using a scathing yet ultra-subtle satire of internet-age America as the model. Miller and Lord’s depiction of times in America now is almost chilling in its similarities to Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 and the attitudes of its people. You pay to think while viewing this movie—a surprising and startling delight. To top off its esteemed list of magnificent ideas, the Lego Movie has hired the most dead-on voice performances to bring their creations to life. Liam Neeson, Jonah Hill, Elizabeth Banks, and Will Farrell could not possibly be cast in more appropriate roles for the ones they voice, and the energy they bring fits nicely to the already-established hodgepodge of greatness.

Despite a small stretch of overdone sentimentality to end the film, The Lego Movie remains the most well-liked of all movies previously reviewed. I have nothing significant to fault and was overjoyed by the time the credits began to roll… and to conclude my review, I will now visit my local vendor to buy a box-full of the wonderful little bricks.  9/10