The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (Review)
The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part Shows That Not Everything is Awesome, But There’s Nothing Wrong with That.
The first Lego Movie was probably one of the best animated films to hit theaters in the past ten years, which is why I was pretty excited to see The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part. It’s fool hearted to think that lightening would strike twice, but while it might not be quite as catchy as it’s predecesor, this new sequel proves to be a worthy succesor. In fact, it might just be the best movie I’ve seen so far this year.
The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part features a pretty impressive voice cast with a lot of the actors from the previous film returning to reprise their roles, including the likes of Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, and Will Arnett. They’re also joined by new comers Stephanie Beatriz and Tiffany Haddish who take on the new villainous roles in the film. There are also a ton of minor characters we all loved from the first film returning to make cameos. All the actors are at the top of their games and easily breath life into their characters. This is especially true with Pratt who pulls double duty as Emmet and Rex Dangervest, characters that seem to encompass the two sides of the actor we’ve come to know. If Emmet is Pratt’s Andy Dwyer of Parks and Recreation, then Rex is the equivilant of Star Lord or Owen Grady (he does have plenty of pet raptors). The thing is that while the cast does a tremendous job, none of the new characters prove to be quite as memorable as the originals and it feels like we don’t get enough of the old ones to really satisfy me.
If anything The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part proves that Phil Lord and Christopher Miller are truely a force to be reckonned with as producers. Of course, they worked on the previous Lego Movie, but they’re also responsible for last years Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Smallfoot, both of which where thoroughly enjoyable. While they might not have been in the director’s chair this time around, it’s easy to see their keen sense of humor all over The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (probably because they were co-writers). The film is filled with puns, quirky self aware references, and even a few humerously bleak observations. Because of this, the film has a little something for everyone. Kids will enjoy the bright lights and catchy songs (including one adptly names Catchy Song) and the adults will enjoy some of the finer details, such as a cameo by Bruce Willis.
Despite the birght and cheery visuals in The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, it has some pretty grownup themes. It’s been five years since the last movie and it seems as though its done some maturing since then. The only thing that has stayed the same is Emmet’s childlike innocense and optimism, something that everyone else seems to look down on him for. So, Emmet has a lot of “growing up” to do, especially in the face of a new threat he and his friends are facing. As he sets out to change in order to protect those he cares about, it slowly becomes clear that the changes he undergoes aren’t for the best. In fact, it soon becomes evident that maybe he was the only one that had it right the whole time, and it goes to show that while growing up might seem inevitable, being true to yourself and who you are is the most important thing you can do.
Perhaps the greatest weakness of The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part is that director Mike Mitchell seems to be following the playbook the first film wrote. Because of this, there are certain parts of the film that feel a little repetitive. Most notably it’s the musical numbers that seem to wear thin before the credits get a chance to rol, which is strange considering just how enjoyable the credits prove to be. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of earworms in this films sound track, but it feels like its trying a bit too hard at times to win audiences over. The same could be said for the overall story, which desperately attempts to recreate what worked in the first one without trying to blaze its own trail. Even then, there’s nothing in The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part that truely detracts from the enjoyment. It just never manages to quite reach the same level as the original.
That being said, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part has a little something for everyone, which makes it one of the first truly great movies of 2019. It’s one that families will love, but kids aren’t a requirement to fully enjoy. In fact, this might just be the kind of movie that adults will enjoy even more than their children, especially given it’s lengthy runtime of an hour and 46 minutes (kids have notoriously short attention spans afterall). Still, this is definitely a movie that you’ll want to catch on the big screen. It might not be quite as catchy as the first Lego Movie, but sequels rarely surpass the originals. That being said, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part manages to capture everything that was so wonderful about the first movie, which makes it a pretty big success in my book.
