Yeah, Duplo is the "entry level" LEGO.
Here's a full review on it from me:
The LEGO Movie
My Grade: B+/"08"
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LEGO has been a staple childhood toy for three generations but in the last 10-20 years has really hit a deep stride and an explosion in popularity. Now with several acclaimed video games and a slew of tie-ins to licensed properties from Marvel to DC, to Harry Potter and many others. It probably seemed inevitable that a movie would be made and Lego's first outing into the world of movies comes out pretty good, nearly (but not quite) reaching a level of quality in story telling and reaching to both adults and children since Toy Story. And I do mean "just", Toy Story is an A or A+ movie whereas Lego: The Movie is a B+. per this reviewer.
Technologically the movie is wonderful combining special effects work in both stop-motion and remarkable CGI, the CGI "gimped" a bit to better fit in with the CGI parts. Other than the "stiff" movements of the characters (due to Lego figures limited articulation) it is all a wonder to look at. A LEGO enthusiast's dreams and play times come to life.
A wizard named Vitruvius (voiced by Morgan Freeman) seeks to hide and protect a powerful weapon known as the "Kragle" (a tube of "Krazy Glue" with certain letters covered by dried glue. The LEGO people apparently have the same thinking as the aliens that found the Voyager probe in the Star Trek universe) from Lord Business (voiced by Will Ferrell.) His efforts fail and as Business leaves Vitruvius prophesizes that one called "The Special" will one day find the "Piece of Resistance" that will be able to stop The Kragle.
We'll come to learn that Lord Business has taken the LEGO worlds and separated them all from one another (each world representing a line of LEGO toys. City, Old West, Medieval Times and others) and has ruled over them with a heavy fist. His next plan is to use the Kragle to freeze the worlds just as they are in an order of perfection.
Enter Emmet. Emmet is a construction worker LEGO minifigure living in the "City" LEGO world which appears to be a fascist state of Business's idea of perfection. The point everyone is virtually the same under a mental control via TV programming, music. Everyone happily fills their role in society, even Emmet who happily drives to work, pays $35 for his morning coffee and drives to the construction site. (Where the building plans are large LEGO construction manuals manipulated by cranes.) At the end of a workday Emmet goes to investigate a suspicious person on the site and accidentally finds himself falling to a hole and finding The Piece of Resistance (a Krazy Glue bottle cap) and meeting Wyldstyle, a female minifigure who is part of the resistance against Lord Business. Since Emmet has bonded with the PoR she believes him to be "The Special" and brings him to meet with other "Master Builders" (including characters and figures from all of LEGO's line of toys) in order to help defeat Lord Business. Unfortuantely Emmet turns out to be less than expected for everyone who believes in the prophecy.
The movie has a lot of great, fun moments in it as it explores the various LEGO worlds, makes some popular culture references and even has some nice surprises in what the movie aims to be about and what everything means.
It's amazing how great and interesting the visuals are as everything from the buildings, to the water and the fire are made with LEGO bricks and pieces. And, besides, what other movie are you going to see Batman, Abraham Lincoln, Michelangelo the Ninja Turtle and Han Solo working together to save the world?
Great fun movie that really should be seen.
