I got roped into seeing this with my friend and our kids, and I went in with a bad attitude prepared to hate it. I think I actually liked it more than the kids!! It's really funny, well written for the kids to enjoy but also a lot of adult jokes in there with a great cast. Really recommend.
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bangel33229 February 2019
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Personally, I didn't go see this movie with very high expectations. Because, whilst the first Lego Movie could work with the fact that the audience wasn't aware of the origins of the movie's story (this origin being a child's imagination), this movie had to work with an audience aware of this origin. The movie accepts this and integrates scene's with real actors in the movie. This, luckily, isn't done to an extend where it would be annoying and distracting from the story being portrayed with Lego bricks. It does, however, try to replace the reveal of the first movie, with another reveal. Sadly, this reveal isn't even close to being on the same level as the reveal of the first movie. It turns out to be a bit cliché, which I felt a bit disappointed about. Once again, the filmmakers have some great references to other franchises. These references make for some great laughs. The jokes in this movie are simple and not too hard to understand, but aren't childish. This makes the movie a fun ride for child, teenager and adult. As a standalone movie, I feel it lacks world- and character-building. The movie throws characters at you, without (re-)explaining their origins to you. I feel like you are expected to have seen the first movie, because of this. This movie overall does a really good job for people looking for a fun ride. It is far from a bad movie, but there were some possibility's for it to be a better one.
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Rectangular_businessman3 April 2020The first Lego movie was surprisingly good, despite its bizarre premise.
This sequel, while not as great as the first film, managed to be a fun follow-up.
Mike Mitchell directed plenty of bad movies in the past ( Such as Deuce Bigalow, Sky High and the third part of Alvin and the Chipmunks) but this is (for me, at least) the best thing he had ever done.
Shame the movie wasn't very succesful, since these Lego movies were charming and fun. In terms of quality it was much better and not as dissapointing as "Ralph Breaks the Internet". -
ethanbeard6 February 2019I absolutely fell in love with The LEGO Movie. It was creative, unique, and surprisingly heartfelt. Unfortunately, none of these words could be used to describe The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part. While it is a far cry from bad, it never manages to recapture what made the original so special.
Let's start with the pros. The animation is still as excellent and smooth as it was in the last film, and I continue to marvel at how the animation team is able to replicate the stop-motion look. The voice-acting is still top-notch and I enjoyed the performances from the few new characters. As well, many of the jokes were very funny and, although Phil Lord and Chris Miller did not write this film alone, it is apparent that this is still their specific style of humour. The concept of the film is very interesting and provided some smart scenes that drew parallels to the real-world aspects of the film. Finally, the film was very fast-paced and moved along quickly, therefore I was never bored or felt as though a scene went on too long.
Now, time for the cons (and unfortunately, there's plenty). What made the first film so unique in my opinion was its heartfelt ending and message about creativity and being yourself. This film tries to replicate that with its own emotional message, but fails mainly due to the storyline feeling very messy and unfocused. It doesn't feel as cohesive as the original did because, unlike the first film, this one has its characters split up for the most part, encountering different obstacles and trying to reach different goals. The writing didn't feel lazy by any means, but didn't feel as creative or special as the first. Also, many of the jokes were bad. REALLY bad. Luckily, the movie moves so quickly that it never lingers on any one joke for too long, but I was left thinking about some of the worst ones even after they ended. There are a few new characters in this film and, while I said that the performances were good, I didn't love these new characters. Rex Dangervest is the most interesting out of the bunch and his interactions with Emmet are a highlight, however Queen Whatevra Wanabi was SO annoying. It was hard to get through scenes with her. What made it even worse was that they had a pretty cool new character that could've taken the Queen's place in the story: General Meyhem. Unfortunately, she doesn't do anything in the film and is around for little to no reason, yet she has an interesting design and the helmet on her head adds a mystery that could've been interesting had it been explored more. Another thing that left me scratching my head was the inclusion of a few musical numbers. They were catchy songs, I'll give them that, but they had no place in this film and made it feel like a completely different world than the first one. As well, there is a twist that is very obvious to anyone paying attention, though after it's explained a little more it becomes more interesting.
Overall, the film is still funny, charming, and better than a lot of crappy animated films you'll find out there, it just suffers from an unfocused story and a director that cannot live up to the standards set so high by Lord and Miller. Not bad, but not so awesome either. -
TheBigSick10 March 2019Actually the first lego movie and the lego batman movie are quite awesome, with interesting dialogues and original stories. Yet, this lego Movie 2 essentially kills the lego franchise. The screenplay is chaotic. The singing and dancing are merely noisy. The subplots are just irrelevant. The structure is very loose. The plot does not have any sense of credibility. I hoped that it could have become thrilling at some point, but it never did. There is neither anything new nor anything intriguing in the screenplay.
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cricketbat21 May 2019This sequel tries so hard to be awesome-maybe a little too hard. The humor feels forced and the plot doesn't make a lot of sense. They also try to shoehorn in a message at the end that seems unnecessary. I enjoyed Lego Movie 2, but it's missing the solid structure of the first Lego movie.
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bastille-852-7315476 February 2019I loved the first "LEGO Movie" and really liked "The LEGO Batman Movie." I was skeptical about seeing this one since the trailers looked far inferior to both of those (and would not have paid full price to see it in theaters,) but attended an advance screening. While it's not as good as either of those two films, it's still a really enjoyable sequel for those who like this franchise. The voice cast is excellent, and the film's pop culture references are (surprisingly) for the most part just as fresh and clever as in the first film. The voice cast is great again, especially Chris Pratt as Emmett.
The film picks up right where "The LEGO Movie" left off, as Duplo (larger-size LEGOs intended for very small children) aliens invade Bricksburg. While the film's plot ends up being all over the place by the end, viewers just roll with it and enjoy the ride, since this franchise relishes in its own self-aware and sometimes absurd (in a good way) nature. Despite this, the film always feels properly paced and never drags. The animation is great, although it doesn't feel quite as unique as when the first movie came out. However, given the overexposure of the LEGO brand over the past five years, that is to be expected. Despite these positive elements, the film has a few notable weak spots: a glaring cliché mobilized into an attempt at a plot twist, and less clever writing than in the first movie or in "The LEGO Batman Movie" (although there are still plenty of witty laughs for both kids and adults.) While I don't think anyone who disliked the first film would care for it, this is an entertaining film that exceeded my expectations for it. Recommended to those who like the franchise. 7/10 -
kainegardner-1551013 February 2019Lego Movie 2 is the type of sequel which does not require you to have seen the original to understand what's going. Which is lucky for me as I still have not even seen the first one yet, but I am now very interested in doing so.
I might have given a higher score, but I wasn't a fan of all the musical segments. Although I loved the not so subtle jab at the pop music industry in the song "This song is gonna get stuck in your head".
The film was funny, colourful, very well animated and most of all memorable. I think I'll remember this film way more than I'll remember all the other schlock in the theatres. What was that ginger girl in jurrasic world called again? Ah who cares.
All in all I found this a refreshing and inviting film that neither condescendes to the young or alienates adults. -
wesbdavis8 February 2019I was sceptical that a sequel to The LEGO Movie could be pulled off, given that movie's twists and turns in the final act. But Lord & Miller's script pulls it off again. It doesn't have the same surprise, but it retains the heart and love of the product that makes it go beyond a "toy commercial" in to a true heartwarming, entertaining, and most of all, funny movie with a great theme embedded in it. It doesn't quite reach the heights of the predecessor, but it comes so very, very close. It'll be hard not to find something or someone to love in this movie.
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Robert_duder11 February 2019The good part about Lego Movie 2 is that it's just as good as the first one. For me that means it was okay. It's entertaining, it has some okay laughs but it relies on the same humor and "Dad-jokes" the first one did and it panders to nostalgia in a very minuscule way for parents who are watching. The addition of the "real-world" was probably the best part of this sequel as it added some unique qualities to it and gave it a bit of a "toy-story"-esque spin which was appreciated. I also felt like they made this feel a little more like actual lego which was lacking from the first movie in some sense.
Chris Pratt returns in a dual role as the lovable Emmett and the new sidekick bad @$$ version of Emmett. Pratt's voice is perfect for this role and while in most animation I've seen it doesn't matter who is doing the voice, he really does a good job at this. Elizabeth Banks is also quite good as Lucy though I never felt she brings anything unique to the role that is a must have for her. The supporting cast are all good. Will Arnett's Batman has a large role in this and he has some of the best lines (again Dad-joke-esque) but funny. A small cameo by Bruce Willis as himself was the funniest part of the film for me but that's a personal bias.
The new music is fun and catchy (but not as incredibly catch as "everything is awesome") which still makes an appearance and will end up stuck in your head all over again believe it or not. Mike Mitchell is a great choice of director as he has a ton of animation experience and directed the amazing Trolls. All in all, it's fun, the kids will enjoy it again, it's more of the same and if you enjoyed the first you'll like enjoy this one too. Everything is mediocre, everything is cool when it's all the same, everything is just okay, it's not like living a dream. 6/10 -
dmshrmed16 June 2019I'm having trouble figuring out exactly what it is, but this film is severely lacking in something the first one mastered.
Let's start with the easy stuff. There are way too many references and bad puns. Some reviewers would call these references "jokes the adults can understand", and while that is true, they aren't funny. They're just kind of there. They are references that exist for you to say "I get that". There is no "ha" preceding that. Yes, the original also had references and bad puns, but they were used well and there weren't nearly as many.
The first LEGO movie was very self aware, but it had a soul that really seemed to care about what it was saying. The second LEGO movie was so self aware that it was very difficult to take seriously.
There was an obvious message about how growing up should be about learning to work with different people, but it kind of fell flat beneath the veil of "play with others even if you don't like how they play". It honestly made me a little angry. Maybe it wasn't intentional, but the film seemed to suggest that traditionally masculine things are incapable of being used in an imaginative way. I couldn't help but feel a pinch of modern social politics biting for my throat.
The first film felt very apolitical, and I believe that's fitting for a film about a franchise of toys that cradled our imaginations before we cared about politics. This film certainly didn't "ruin my childhood" by any means, but it was a disappointment. -
gaspari-alan9 February 2019As I accompanied my son to the movies I wasn't expecting much for myself but boy was I wrong. This movie is hands down one of the best animated movies I have watched in a long time if not ever. Funny parts for kids as well as adults, with deep, emotional, heart warming story that makes you think about the movie for a few more days.
I see lots of "critics" mark this as a toy commercial. It sure may be a commercial but makes you think how such a refreshing story (in a commercial) puts all other animated movies to shame. -
Back to the world of small, plastic, animated building blocks, where imagination rules and the fourth wall is occasionally bumped, elbowed and/or run straight through like a freshly-wiped sliding glass door. I guess I'm in the minority here, but from my POV this played as a sequel that wasn't as fresh, nor as inspired, as the original.
In the first film, half the fun came from learning the rules of the world, admiring a string of wildly different settings and identifying the slew of cheeky, energetic celebrity cameos in a long parade of licensed characters. Every one of those elements is clamped down, if not outright eliminated, in the follow-up. It's funny, it's entertaining, there's a lot of winks for the parents and silly slapstick bits for the kids, but as a whole it's much more forced and cramped. Although we spend time exploring new galaxies, meeting alien queens and defending post-apocalyptic landscapes, the universe is smaller and far less diverse. The same voice actors reprise the same roles for the same cameos, but this time it's more of an obligation and less of a spontaneous surprise. "I know that guy!" becomes "I remember that guy."
I don't want to sound too harsh here, because the story does represent a logical continuation of simmering themes that were present in the original, and the music is once again a major highlight, but it's not a great sign when the film's most clever, imaginative scene takes place during the credits. Maybe a growing pain for the franchise; there's still plenty of fertile ground here, but it's going to take a little more effort to re-bottle that jolt of lightning. -
I guess I'm that one person who didn't like this movie because it has an insanely high score on Rotten Tomaotes. I loved the first movie and actually quite enjoyed Lego Batman. Didn't see Ninjago but I was still excited for the Lego Movie sequel. I attended an early screening a couple weeks ago and I'm sad to say I was pretty let down by it. I was actually shocked that Phil Lord and Chris Miller we're still heavily involved in the script because I had vibes that a writer's room made this movie, but nope they wrote the screenplay. Don't get me wrong, the script has great ideas about unity and friendship in dark times like we live in right now, but the story just wasn't as smooth as it could've been leading into that big theme of the film. It might be because I got older since the last film but the jokes fell a little flat for me and the action scenes were just no where near as memorable. There's an ongoing joke between Batman and the supposed villain who wants to marry him and she sings songs to persuade the main characters. But the song just isn't funny and it's really bizarre. I would've been more forgiving of the jokes if the story had been more interesting too but it lost steam for me pretty quickly. The big twists were either predictable or not as impactful because of the surprise factor the first film had. I really don't know what went wrong here. I just wasn't moved by any of it like I was with the first film and even Lego Batman to a certain extent. It seems like WB has aimed this movie for even younger audiences than before which is fine that's what the movie is made for, but when the first one was so genius it's just hard to like this movie. I personally enjoyed How to Train Your Dragon 3 more than this and highly reccomend that for your next animated film instead of the Lego Movie 2. It's not a terrible film, but it severely lacks the humor and surprise factor the first film did so well. 6/10.
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The concept is gone.
We are in a golden age of concept folding and our experimental loft is popular film. When the filmmakers hit a sweet spot and adventure in self reference is carried in a hit movie, the whole society becomes more cognitively elaborate.
The original was folded in a few new ways. 'Folding' in general are techniques that play with the filmmaker/viewer contract for cocreating a narrative. In a straight film, the onscreen narrative is distinct from the viewer's world and the filmmaker is simply delivery. When you read the plot description, the film is nothing more but conveyance. A folded film places the viewer somehow in the film, for example a traditional mystery has the viewer co-create the narrative, often with an on-screen surrogate.
The first Lego film was genius. First, a counterpoint to the Pixar philosophy of realism in animation, and the long tradition of animals as humans, this was in your face alternative. The plastic pieces were themselves rendered hyper-realistically and the motion (in that first one only) unusually choppy. These were characters that many of us physically animated and the effect makes us at least potentially comakers.
Add to that another two layers of creators. The main one of course is the storyline about the master builder. It did not matter that it was couched in that old 'kid who is unknowing the saviour'. It had folding power. And then the extra layer at the end. Corny and poorly done, but so effective because it was yet another layer of folding, and unexpected. And the side folds of characters from other films. All pure genius, but only because it caught us by surprise.
That element of surprise folding only works the first time. After that, you get Scooby Doo. -
SnoopyStyle24 April 2019Father forces Finn to play with his sister Bianca. Everything is not so awesome with the arrival of her Duplo aliens. It's five years later and only Emmet continues to see everything is awesome. The world is an apocalyptic H.E. double hockey sticks. When Lucy and others are kidnapped by the aliens, Emmet finally see that everything is not awesome. He goes to rescue her and encounters action adventurer Rex Dangervest.
This should be the Third Part. Let me explain. When the movie opens with the introduction of the sister, I figured out the story line of this sequel. Mostly that's what this is except it unnecessarily advances five years. It should have stayed in the beginning. Bianca kidnaps Finn's figures and force them to have a tea party. Sibling rivalry ensues until everything is awesome again. The Armamageddon and storage bin premise gets into a different aspect which needs its own movie. The kids pushed to give up Lego should happen in part three. I still love the characters, the animation, the concept, and the joy of it all. It's still fun. If it doesn't have five years later, everything would be awesome. -
ironhorse_iv22 February 2019These are the best words to describe how good, this sequel, really is! I truly do like this movie directed by Mike Mitchell, a lot. However, I do understand, those in the audience whom found this animation motion picture, somewhat underwhelming. Not everything in this film is truly awesome. The 2019 computer animated adventure comedy film produced by Warner Animation Group does seem to have some problems. For starters, the live-active parts for this motion picture written by Phil Lord & Chris Miller is very similar to the first film to the point that it seem somewhat recycled or rehash, even if they introduce that concept in the original 2014 movie. While, the struggles between siblings learning how to work together is compelling and emotional, doesn't go against Lego's founder, Ole Kirk Christiansen's policy of non-violence. It does felt a little less impactful, knowing now, that the story within the animation Legos world are told through the imagination of young children playing with them. The shock and awe of seeing live subjects in an animation movie is not as astonishing as it once was. It doesn't help that these sequences are also a little too over present and pacing really drawn out. In the end, that concept doesn't really seem that fresh. Nevertheless, I still have to give props to the film for going somewhere ambitious with the 'growing up' cynical & angst type narrative, even if the complex storytelling techniques involving intergalactic time travelling seem somewhat convoluted, vague & making little to no sense. Nor could I hold the film, against, the whole rushed marriage subplot, because, after all, in story, these parts are coming from a mixer of childlike fantasies from two different kids trying to cope & act more mature with each other. The story of Emmett Brickowski (Voiced by Chris Pratt) having to rescue his friends from alien kidnappers is supposed to be, somewhat sloppy. However, this choice somewhat ruins the big twist toward the end of the film; to the point, that became somewhat predictable. Regardless of the story, I still love the voice cast & its many wacky characters. Pratt is loveable in both the duo roles, he has here. Elizabeth Banks as Lucy was alright with the performance, she gave. As for the supporting characters like Benny (Voiced by Charlie Day), MetalBeard (Voiced by Nick Offerman) & Princess UniKitty (Voiced by Alison Brie). While, their characters weren't given much to do, the voice work for them were also fine. I also dig seeing the various Lego characters, either original or from licensed properties, make cameos or play bit parts. All of them both old and new, including their voice performers were decent, both in acting and in singing. Nevertheless, it is Will Arnett as Batman that takes the cake for me. Arnett's gravelly tones and deadpan delivery are excellent; especially with the scenes with Tiffany Haddish as Queen Watevra Wa'Nabi, the shape-shifting alien queen. I'm one of the few people that love 'the Gotham City Guys' musical number. As for the other songs, including one about why the evil queen isn't evil and another that's an ode to the movie's closing credits. It's all very silly, but very likable stuff. The movie has own frantic sense of humor with inside jokes, sight gags, innuendos, breaking the fourth wall humors, slapstick, and pop culture references. Some of them, might goes over the head of certain people, whom hasn't expose to the source materials in which, the film is satirizing or making parody of. Other jokes might fall flat, due to the fact that they essentially, just callbacks to the first movie. Regardless of that, this motion picture is beautiful to look at. I like how the animation team recognized that how kids would likely not only use Lego bricks, but also incorporate other materials, such as fabrics and paper. It has that glitch prone stop motion characteristic of what a Lego movie might look like. However, the combination of quick moving CGI with stop motion characteristic is a bit hard to follow during a few action scenes. There were a few things on the screen, going way too fast for me, to figure out, what is going on. Still, for the most part, the movie's animation is top notch. Overall: This sequel is one block party worth going to! Everything about this flick is catchy. It reminds us, how powerful, imagination and teamwork can be, in the process of building and creation. That's a good message for all ages. This movie shows that Legos are still pretty awesome. Recommend to the highest degree, no matter who you are or how old you are. Go see it.
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jjgarza_jr6 April 2019How many minds can create good stuff like this? Keep these coming. Been inspired to watch the 1st one as well have been to Disney-world & saw the marketing campaign to inspire a lego park as well as build with mi sobrino bb8. When some evil band of general mayhems plan arrive on Pittsburgh the long lost hope of freedom if looming. The anti-hero portrayed emmet is lead by his crush wyldstyle meet their new adversaries with shock & awe. Undar the dryar system is the secret to success. The coffee is the only thing hot & boiling before arrival. Intermission "Let's all go to the lobby" song nice touch of chrome on the Chevrolet. Stephanie Beatriz (get @ me Frida Cinema, Santa Ana, Orange County, ca with the story of your LEGO folklore when a child) Pretty much sums up a good childhood. Taken to the layer to be executed by queen whatevra. These universe changers are now at the hands of pure defeat. Until the good pours through & big brother Finn not only creates disruption with intrusion of invaders. Yet he takes this galaxy outside to share. Of course with mom ordering him to get ride of entire set to the basement. "2 thumbs up" (Siskel & Ebert) This unusual tracker meter tracking unusual things are the types of tools emmet has fighting this group. Until emmet new Friend takes charge to restore order & peace. "...nothing to be embarrassed about, I sometimes go by my maiden name." Lt. Frank Drebin - Naked Gun 2-1/2The Smell of Fear-(1991). Their tatics mirror a familiar source that personally enjoy to watch whenever on the tube. Comes to bloom that sharing is caring no matter what galaxy is arrived from. Great film with 22nd century technology. "...Until then, the balcony is closed" (Siskel & Ebert)
The Garza Car Club Frida Cinema Santa Ana, CA -
allan-1493111 February 2019A sweet family movie, but obviously not as original as the first LEGO movie, and unfortunately also nowhere near as funny.
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jayham-999758 February 2019The Lego Movie 2 is very well crafted, and once again did a clever job at its emotional message just like first one. It's what I've always wanted for a sequel to do and that Catchy Song did its job perfectly.
🎵 This song is gonna get stuck inside your head 🎵 -
ThomasDrufke18 February 2019As hard as it is to make animated movies, I have to believe the huge box office drop from the original to this movie is related to the 5 year gap. Quality wise, this one certainly took a dip as well. Lego Movie 2 is good, and I'll admit I was laughing out loud for a good chunk of this movie, but I do think it unfortunately falls closer to the Minion movies than it does to some of say, Pixar's most creative adventures. It's the same problem that Spiderverse had last year, where the animated action sequences are so hectic/chaotic that you sort of lose touch with a story that is actually heartwarming. Especially after seeing How to Train Your Dragon 3 a week or two ago, it's hard not to see the huge difference in quality here. Alas, there's a lot to enjoy in what may be Warner's last attempt at bringing the famous toy product to life in a movie.
7.6/10 -
Gresh8546 February 2019The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part-written by this decade's legit greatest animated movie screenwriters, Chris Miller and Phil Lord (who make most of Disney's recent attributes seem like child's play),-comes off as a passably tolerable, vibrantly decorated childrens' feature that later on blossoms itself into a flamingly witty childrens' AND adults' feature that's bound to electrify the little ones while maybe even stuffing the parents with un-toughening amounts of misty-eyed, raw emotion.
So a little background on my experience with the first one. Most people seem to have deemed it as "one of the best animated movies of the decade" back in 2014. I'm not messing around though when I say that I wholeheartedly think that The LEGO Movie IS the best animated movie of the decade! To this day, I view it as the most unexpectedly "awesome" movie I've ever witnessed in my entire life. So as prophesied, I was pleading for this sequel to live up to its predecessor-despite disliking the watery trailers/teaser trailers/teaser teaser trailers/whatever configuration of a trailer I left out-and not bail-out like Hollywood's most popular, trivial, hop-scotch prequel/sequel/spinoff cash grabs.
For the first half of this movie, I can't lie, I was getting a tad concerned that this movie was going to suffer from major sequelitis due to its awfully turbo, too-meta-for-it's-own-good formula-that might I add, has become quite established already since we've seen this recipe fabricated more productively in three other LEGO movies. This mundane scheme appeared to be leading this movie off into oblivion. But, once the film gets kicking, it GETS kicking. The nucleus of this film starts to reveal itself as an emulate of the original LEGO Movie, thanks to its deftly kiddie-like version of a Christopher Nolan screenplay.
The Second Part decides to traverse off into another domain of family morals that sharply resonates as another clever parallel between the real world and the LEGO world that had me, by fair means, moved. Additionally, there are boatloads of themes that are acutely wholesome-although, slightly trite-that kids can blissfully digest. Also, there are some good, good twists in here which ultimately, sustains the LCU's (LEGO Cinematic Universe's) streak of surprises.
Yes, it's not quite as authoritative or proficient as the original but, gosh-darn it, I can't deny that I was meticulously spellbinded by this rib-tickling sequel. Everything is totally not not awesome this time around. (Verdict: B-) -
DeonhasMoved30 November 2021I saw this for the first time last week after re-watching the first, and while I don't think it's quite as good as the first, I don't care, I still love this movie almost as much. It retains a lot of the charm the first one had, and I love how the plot connects to the ending of the first. It even has a really good message about how kids should play nicely together.
Sadly, this film was a box-office bomb, and while it's upsetting that this was the final movie from the Lego Movie franchise, I honestly think the ending to this film wrapped everything up really well, and I'd rather we have only two absolutely fantastic movies than the franchise to overstay it's welcome, similarly to how people feel about the Ice Age franchise (I need to re-watch all five films someday). Regardless though, this movie was a really nice closure. -
Marco_Tontodonati10 March 2019Really fun sequel to what is probably my favourite animated film, sucks that there was barely any marketing so it went under most people's radar.
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thirtyfivestories8 February 2019Five years removed from the infectious first installment, comes a serviceable extension of a story that already had a proper ending. The subtitle The Second Part is surely a half truth considering how this narrative slapped together by the original writers Christopher Miller and Phil Lord seems tacked on in a "Oh let's take a victory lap then" sense. The new director Mike Mitchell is planted into a zero sum game as he tries to reignite the novelty of the first film while propelling a more mature plot that Miller and Lord insisted on being needlessly convoluted. This sequel comes off as a afterthought worthy to stand beside the other spinoff LEGO films, but lacks all of the magic of its predecessor.
The magic present in The LEGO Movie resides in the playful allegory of capitalism mixed with the earned nostalgia of the animation's medium. Not to mention the brilliant reveal of a child's imagination directing the entire story. These are all elements revisited the second time around, but the trick has already been explained by the magician. The world of Brickville goes through sufficient changes almost immediately once toddler-sized LEGO creations attack with unrivaled fury. The brick civilization reverts to a Mad Max world after the invincible fat-bricked organisms regularly search and destroy anything colorful or shiny.
Through some less-than-subtle live action mirage shots early in the film, its apparent that Finn (Jadon Sand) the boy mastermind in the first film is being plagued by his younger sister Bianca (Brooklynn Prince). Her entry-level LEGO creations clash with his more involved and complex structures, and the result is a sibling pair never learning to play in symbiosis. Of course this conflict is merely implied before the lazy live action finale that resolves the paper thin dispute, and wholly lacks the gusto of the first movie's twist. The jig is already up from scene one of the sequel, because we are aware of the children's narrative dictatorship, so none of the LEGO characters' sentience ever feels authentic.
Chris Pratt returns to voice Emmet a happy-go-lucky construction worker who retains a life of cheer in the apocalyptic wasteland. Elizabeth Banks also reprises her role as Lucy, the brawn and brains to Emmet's fumbling optimism. Lucy desperately attempts to calibrate Emmet's persona to something more appropriate to the ruined world they now live in, but he maintains the "everything is awesome" outlook that figures problematic in a much more adult environment. In a hardly tongue-in-cheek fashion, a character outright states the thesis of the movie to be "a statement on the waning affects of adolescence on imagination." This stands as the most egregious example of "meta exploitation," but several runner ups tail close behind.
Falling victim to exhausting cleverness, LEGO Movie 2 doesn't know when to edit its goofs. When you merely reformat the first film's plot to fit another child builder, new additions need to elevate the otherwise regurgitated formula. These additions include ramping up the meta meter to 11 and including two more banger tracks to hopefully burrow into the viewers' minds. The main attraction song here has a hook the repeats endlessly, "This song's gonna get stuck inside your head." Oh and I mustn't forget the cameos, which come with This is the End regularity, and if you can imagine, with far less originality.
I didn't waste your time by running you down a plot synopsis for good reason. The film plays with your expectations in a cheap and unearned fashion without offering any reasonable explanation upon the conclusion other than, "We just wanted to plant red herrings, because...reasons." Screenwriters will go to great (and absurd) lengths to make an unoriginal script appear more interesting. This parasitic sequel will deliver many chuckles and feels to audiences that have already surrendered to the committee-made trajectory of the LEGO universe, but I feel somber for those choosing to double feature this lackadaisical copy with its bold predecessor.