The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part

It can be exceedingly difficult task for an animated sequel to carry on strong quality when its predecessor made a great impact with its unique environment. In this case, The Lego Movie debuted in 2014 to great success to where it continued as a film franchise with spin-offs released in 2017 that makes the series feel like its overstaying its welcome (Batman's high octane energy isn't easily consumable and Ninjago being too underwhelming). This brings us to the sequel to 2014 hit, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, directed by Mike Mitchell (Trolls) and written Phil Lord & Chris Miller (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Lego Movie). The marketing campaign for it has been rather underwhelming with how it has showcased the premise (similar to its predecessor). It received positive critical reception upon its release but hasn't had much of social media buzz surrounding. I went into the auditorium in the opening weekend ready to see what this can bring to the fascinating universe and left enjoying but noticing a slight downgrade in quality.

My thoughts on The Lego Movie (2014): This adventure follows the protagonist teaming up with new allies to find a MacGuffin to resolve a conflict. Rewatching this 5 years later shows how well this holds up with how fresh it was and the impact it carried over to family entertainment since then. The emotional beats are effective, the slapstick is good, the lead heroes are unique enough to standout, and the upbeat energy is great. The twist shown in the third act, along with how it all ties together, was such a game-changer in show that this is much more than just a commercial for the toy-lines. One minor gripe is how some of the jokes can be hit or miss on occasion. ⭑⭑⭑⭑1/2

Plot: Taking place immediately after the predecessor, the lead protagonist must go onto a rescue mission to save his kidnapped friends while undergoing unexpected character growth along the way. One good advantage to this story is how it utilizes their environment regarding the real life situations to shape how the characters behave the way they do (how boys and girls play with their toys). The metaphorical journey in that aspect allows the leads to somewhat branch out a little bit in being more vulnerable with themselves. The themes being explored are certainly unique in how not many modern family films take chances to taking on those angles. There's also an expansion on the figurines used that adds new flavors to the franchise. The new song additions gives off even more upbeat energy that has fun with cliches their goofing around with (such as one commenting about being "stuck in your head after hearing it" and another about "how cool the end credits are").

However, for all of the solid developments in the story, the stumbling blocks are more apparent this time around with the comic relief. Considering how family oriented this sequel is, the screenplay has pacing issues where it feels like it drags a bit more during the second act. The comedy is noticeably hit-or-miss and affects the consistency in bringing in the audiences attention (which was apparent to me considering there was a little girl who was talking to her mom sitting right next to me).

Characters: The leads to follow are Emmett (Chris Pratt) and Lucy (Elizabeth Banks). Chris does a good dual performance here as he manages to make these individuals distinct from one another. One minor drawback, however, is if his optimistic positivity might be annoying for some audiences as it's also part of his standard schtick. Elizabeth gives a good performance that isn't as intriguing as it was before but the weight of her material given the subject matter here works to a benefit this time around. Honorable mentions go to Rex Dangervest (Chris Pratt), Queen Watevra Wa-Nabi (Tiffany Haddish), Batman (Will Arnett), and General Sweet Mayhem (Stephanie Beatriz) for their respective acting chops that helped mix with the comedy and story elements pretty well.

Overall Consensus: The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part offers entertaining wackiness fans of the predecessor have come to expect with a great story, interesting themes, and a cheerful tone, despite suffering from consistency issues with the screenplay. ⭑⭑⭑3/4🎟 Runtime: 1 hour 47 minutes PG

Reasons to watch it: You like any of the aforementioned actors. You are a fan of this animated franchise. You want to be cheered up by a solid family friendly comedy. You like peppy funny songs.

Reasons to avoid it: You dislike any of the aforementioned actors. You aren't a fan of this animated franchise. You are bored with family friendly comedies. You hate peppy funny songs.