Popcorn? Check.

Small child? Check.

One adult (pretending to be disgruntled)? Check.

I guess this makes us ready to settle down and watch a new movie on TalkTalk Box Office. Not just any movie either. It’s the block-buster that is The Lego Movie!

Yep, the same day that the movie goes to DVD, TalkTalk are making it available for all its customers - grown-ups and kiddies alike. At just £4 for rental (watch as many times as you like for 48 hours) it saves you trekking to HMV with an over-excited toddler in tow.

Here’s what we made of it!

I loved it. I’m usually the animation-grinch (Disney makes me break out in a cold sweat), but this was full of subtle adult humour, and cute little nods to my own childhood and fighting over bricks with my brother. I loved little details such as Wyldstyle’s movable hair-do, and the fact that Will Ferrell’s character (President Business) really looks like him. Emmet’s early shower scene where he was pelted with plastic bubbles also had me sniggering.

All this was, of course, lost on Dexie. The only film he’s ever managed to sit through without wandering off to cause chaos and destruction was Toy Story 3. He’s just not ready for films yet. Pulling out wires, hitting his baby sister and pulling off his nappy and peeing on the carpet is just too appealing. It was a little tricky to follow too and I’d say it’s definitely more suitable for the 5+ crew.

The plot is fast-paced. It opens with Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman) a wizard and “master builder”, who is blinded by Lord Business (Will Ferrell) having failed to protect a ‘secret weapon’. Before Vitruvius is kicked into the abyss by Business, he foretells of a hero, the “Special” who will save the Lego Universe from the eternal stagnation that Lord Business will inflict upon them.

We see this stasis for ourselves as the film kicks into action some 8.5 years later. It takes the form of unrestrained chirpiness which takes on a positively incendiary quality. The Lego kingdom follows a set of rules dictated by Lord Business, characterised perfectly by the irritatingly upbeat theme tune “Everything is Awesome”. All of the characters are seemingly unaware that they are, in fact, living in an imposed form of hell.

The unwitting hero is ordinary Lego construction worker Emmet (voiced by little-known Chris Pratt), who is thought to be the prophesied “Special”. The film follows his epic journey to defeat Lord Business and bring autonomy back to the universe. It’s littered with pop culture references to enthuse young and old alike, from Star Wars, to Long of the Rings, to Harry Potter. There’s also an all-star cast of voices including Elizabeth Banks, Morgan Freeman and Jonah Hill.

I recommend it to anyone who has ever played with Lego. You’ll be surprised just how relevant this movie feels. Maybe not Mega Blox though, hey Dexter?

The Lego Movie Review has been written as part of a series of posts in conjunction with TalkTalk. We are trialling the tv, phone and broadband package for 18 months (free of charge in exchange for our thoughts).