Summary
This is a fun creation which shall no doubt entertain children and adults alike. It may not capture the same buzz as before but there’s plenty to enjoy.
Phil Lord and Christopher Miller; the genius pair behind hits like 21 Jump Street, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and of course The Lego Movie, which kick-started a Lego cinematic franchise, may not be directing this follow up, but their writing ensures that it’s a sequel that is no less awesome.
The ending of the first feature saw the citizens of Bricksburg facing possible danger from the arrival of Duplo characters. Now, five years later, Emmet (Chris Pratt), Lucy (Elizabeth Banks) and their plastic pals reside in Apocalypseburg; a place rough and ready in the hope that the Duplo invaders won’t be drawn there. However, due to the kindness of Emmet, General Sweet Mayhem (Stephanie Beatriz) captures his friends and takes them away, leading the supposed Special One to try and save them.
It might still be difficult to forget the travesty that 2014’s The Lego Movie only scooped an Oscar nomination for its insane ear-worm of a song but never picked up a nod for Best Animation when it was clearly one of the best animated features to come out for quite some time. So, there’s no doubt that you could have some fearful trepidation before seeing this second part, as sequels always have that worrying attachment of high expectations and unsatisfactory reward, but this film is not one of those times because Lord and Miller and director Mike Mitchell have made sure to keep the soul of the first well and truly intact.
An argument could easily be made that the first fifteen to twenty minutes of the film don’t get the ball rolling too well and it feels samey and unexciting and generally the originality isn’t as fresh as the unexpected hit from first time around, but the more the film continues the better and stronger it becomes, so much so that by the time the credits blast on you have a perfect beam on your face and you don’t want the movie to finish. Well, at least there’s some clever and amusing credit inspired lyrics to listen to, to keep you in your seats for a bit longer.
Speaking of songs, this film loads more poppy tunes into the jukebox and as one track correctly states it will definitely get stuck in your head; whether that’s in a good way is still to be determined. This shouldn’t be the only song to mention because all of them are sparky and catchy, and thanks to YouTube comedy-rapper Jon Lajoie, they provide great humor and a sweet bond to the over-arching narrative of the film.
The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part utilises the smart notion of growing up wonderfully demonstrated from the first film and explores it a smidge further, with the whole notion of fun and playing together used beautifully, further proving these are no cheesy toddler-appeasing flicks, but products stuffed with heart, beating with a timely tale of teamwork and accepting change.
The animation itself is soaring with color and it zings with an energetic pizzazz. It’s a movie rocketing from cartoon to the real world and back again in a starry way that would delight Benny the Spaceman. It isn’t only the visuals that are popping with an explosive liveliness, the gags are just as perfect. It’s a comedy feast of zany jokes that fly brick and fast, incorporating meta humor, superhero sass and a Hufflepuff burn I’ll try and overlook.
This is a fun creation which shall no doubt entertain children and adults alike. It may not capture the same buzz as before but there’s plenty to enjoy.
You can check out Rob’s thoughts on The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part by clicking these words.
