IT was only a matter of time before Lego got in on the action of turning a successful toy franchise into a film.

Transformers, GI Joe and Barbie (in Toy Story) and others have laid the foundations.

Now, one of the most successful toy companies in history has come up with a big screen treatment.

The biggest challenge facing the makers of this film, would be trying to appeal to children, while persuading the adults who took them that this wasn’t just about selling even more Lego kits.

Emmet (Chris Pratt) lives in a world where everything has been created perfectly, and it is important for everyone to work in unison and obey the instructions that get created by President Business (Will Ferrell).

However Emmet’s life get turned upside down when he discovers the mystical Piece of Resistance that makes him the legendary Special, who will save the world from being destroyed.

Unfortunately for Emmet he’s actually quite ordinary and rather a disappointment to the Master Builders who are relying on him.

Also the girl he falls for is already going out with Lego Batman (a hilarious Will Arnett), who is a bit of a jerk.

The Lego Movie is surprisingly rather brilliant, funny and highly entertaining.

The young will love the silliness and the adults will love the film - the plot feels almost like it was written for the benefit of an older audience, albeit one with a sense of humour and a working inner child.

There’s certainly a lot of nostalgia in the film, and there is an unexpected twist to the ending, which works really well.

This is a film which celebrates the power of imagination and is well worth a trip with the family, or at least using them as an excuse to see one of the more original and clever family films for a long time.

8/10 Andrew Shepherd