REVIEW: ‘The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part’

The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part is the latest adventure in the ever expanding Lego movie universe and a direct sequel 2014s Lego Movie. Unfortunately, it is also the textbook definition of an unnecessary sequel, that tries to capture the magic and creativity of the first film, but only ever ends up a being just OK. The movie suffers from a directionless plot, stale characters, jokes that fall flat, and an overall message that never really goes anywhere.

The story picks up directly after the end of the first movie, with the Duplo aliens attacking the heroes and destroying the city of Bricksburg, turning it into Apocolypseburg. Everyone has become more tough and gritty to survive in their new environment, well, except Emmet (Chris Pratt). Keeping with his character from the first film, Emmet doesn’t lose his optimistic outlook on life, even after all of his friends tell him he needs to get tougher. It’s only when his friends get kidnapped by aliens from the evil Systar System that he decides he needs to get tough to save them.

While the idea of a kind and naive character having to adapt to their surroundings in order to survive has promise, it is not executed well in this film. It comes across as cliché and derivative. Plus, none of the emotional beats really land. This is especially frustrating because the first Lego Movie was so original, interesting, and emotional with a message that really mattered — how creativity and individuality are important. However, this film tries to get multiple messages across and they all end up muddled and not fully developed.

While the plot is all over the place, the characters and cast are still as charming as ever. Chris Pratt is a joy to watch on screen and Elizabeth Banks does a great job as Lucy. The supporting cast of Batman (Will Arnett), Unikitty ( Alison Brie), Benny The Spaceman (Charlie Day), and Metal Beard (Nick Offerman) are fun but they don’t really get a moment to shine like they did in the first film. New characters, Rex Danger Vest (Pratt), General Mayhem (Stephanie Beatriz), and Queen Watevra Wa’Nabi (Tiffany Haddish) were welcome new additions and my personal favorite part of the movie. Tiffany Haddish, in particular, was fantastic, providing a lot of laughs and some surprisingly emotional moments.

The visuals are gorgeous but after Lego Batman and Lego Ninjago, they aren’t nearly as exciting as they once were. The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part doesn’t add anything new to the visuals, and while that’s not necessarily a bad thing it is pretty disappointing considering how impressive they were in the first film.

However, my main problem with this film is that it didn’t feel like a Lego movie. The first film’s narrative was intrinsically tied with building things and creativity, ideas heavily associated with Lego. This just feels like a generic kids movie adventure that would work with or without the Legos.

All that being said I think kids will end up enjoying this movie, but I also think kids deserve better than this movie. It is a fun lighthearted adventure, but it could have been so much more, like the first film was. I would recommend buying yourself or your kid a Lego set before paying to go see this movie.