Review: THE LEGO MOVIE 2: THE SECOND PART – Pukes Sparkles
Movie Summary – Warner Bros
“The much-anticipated sequel to the critically acclaimed, global box office phenomenon that started it all, “The LEGO® Movie 2: The Second Part” reunites the heroes of Bricksburg in an all new action-packed adventure to save their beloved city. It’s been five years since everything was awesome and the citizens are now facing a huge new threat: LEGO DUPLO® invaders from outer space, wrecking everything faster than it can be rebuilt.
The battle to defeat the invaders and restore harmony to the LEGO universe will take Emmet, Lucy, Batman and their friends to faraway, unexplored worlds, including a strange galaxy where everything is a musical. It will test their courage, creativity and Master Building skills, and reveal just how special they really are.”
The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part is a fairly average sequel. It is set after The LEGO Movie, The LEGO Batman Movie, and The LEGO Ninjago Movie. It hits the mark for a kids movie: it’s cute, has a great overall theme, some great laughs, and it has some great songs, (that definitely will get stuck inside your head). For the parents, it has some fantabulous easter eggs, takes some shots at fandoms, and misses the mark on plot when it comes to a close.
The movie really amps it up this go-round in terms of a quasi musical. The first movie made heads spin with the song “Everything is Awesome”. People have been singing that song ever since, and it always manages to turn up a smile. This movie tries to hit that same mark, and while the songs are quite catchy, they won’t live on as long as “Everything is Awesome” has, and will continue to do. They will get stuck inside your head though, I can promise you that.
As far as laughs, Part 2 does not have as many as the original, but when there are laughs, they’re great. They’re more aimed for the adults, with subtle easter eggs I won’t go into, and shots at fandoms. I will say, it is nice to see the DC Films cast pop in for some of their characters. Margot Robbie, Gal Gadot, and Jason Momoa return for their respective roles of Harley Quinn, Wonder Woman and Aquaman. It’s a cute movie, with a theme focused on the saying “sharing is caring”. It meets measures of cuteness, but still has elements to keep the kids involved and listening the entire movie. The theme works well into the plot, but the plot fails to meet expectations of originality.
Most of the turns and “surprises” in the movie are predictable. Everything seemed to be pulled from a different movie, so if you’ve seen a lot of movies, don’t expect to be surprised. Shock is not something to be had in this movie. There are more live action segments in this movie, and they actually tie into the overall LEGO-reality rather well. The movie is a nice escape into a child’s reality, and a reminder that imagination should never leave us. Most of us can relate to playing with LEGOs or action figures or dolls and pretending they were real. Seeing childhood playtime brought to life on the big screen has been (and still is) one of the greatest features of this series. The camera work and CGI is still phenomenal, as it was in the original.
The character development in this movie is ok, but not as phenomenal as the original. We see more growth out of Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks) than any other LEGO figure, Emmet (Chris Pratt) included. Finn (Jadon Sand) and Bianca (Brooklynn Prince), the children of “The Man Upstairs” (Will Ferrell), also do some growth in this movie, being the main focus of the live action segments.
Overall, the movie is ok. If you’re looking for something that matches the original, or even LEGO Batman, definitely lower your expectations because it doesn’t hit all the marks. But, if you want a return to an imaginative place, and your childhood, definitely check it out.
Character Development: 3/5 stars
Plot: 2.5/5 stars
Cuteness: 4.5/5 stars
Music/Laughs: 3.5/5 stars
Overall: 3.5/5 stars
The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part is out February 8th!
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