Welcome everyone to my first of hopefully many reviews to come in the year 2019, and what better way to start than with a review of one my most anticipated movies of the year. The LEGO franchise has proven to be one of the best franchises animated or not around with their brilliant humor, dazzling animation, and compelling stories. Now before we begin talking about this new movie already out, let me tell you guys my thoughts on the past three entries. The first LEGO Movie is one of my favorite movies of all time that I have re watched on so many occasions, and I just get never get bored of watching it. The LEGO Batman Movie I consider one of the best superhero movies of all time, and it combines two of my favorite things so well. The LEGO Ninjago Movie is not quite as great as the other two but is still a really fun movie with a lot of great elements to it, that I feel critics were too hard on. But now we get the sequel proper to the original movie, and judging by my thoughts on the other films, I had some pretty high expectations for this one. So does it live up to the hype? Oh heck yes it does!
The story takes place 5 years after the original and everything is not awesome anymore in Apocalypse berg, which has been continuously attacked by the alien DUPLO invaders. Everyone has become tough, and brooding, except for Emmett who still maintains a positive attitude much to the dismay of his girlfriend Lucy. Then one day an alien invader named General Mayhem kidnaps Lucy, Batman, and Emmett’s other friends, and takes them to the Systar System where everything is a musical which is ruled by the totally not evil shape shifting Queen Watevrawanabi (sorry if I misspelled that). Emmett then sets out on a rescue mission to save his friends, along the way meeting the adventurous Rex Dangervest who agrees to help him out, and maybe teach him how to be mature. But can they save everyone in time before something terrible happens? Well that’s about all I can tell you in terms of plot details because there are a surprising number of twists and turns to be found here.
The best part about this movie is that like another recent animated sequel, Incredibles 2, it builds off of the first film in so many creative, and exciting ways expanding the world, and bringing in new characters. But it is not simply content with rehashing the plot of the first film, and takes a totally new direction with the story. Like I said there are a lot of great twists in here that I did not see coming, and they do subvert many tropes that are associated with animated movies nowadays. But another thing this movie does so much is develop the characters from the first film in very compelling ways. Emmett in particular is very sympathetic in his journey to toughen up, and try to become someone he thinks Lucy (whom we learn some new things about here) wants him to be. This also ties into the theme about what it truly means to grow up, which something is not very common in movies recently, and the way this movie handles it is actually very fresh, and does not feel derivative at all. It argues that we should not mistake crassness with maturity, and it notices the important differences between growing old, and growing up, something kids, and adults could learn a thing or two about. It also does explore gender role based playtime which does not shy away from some harsh facts about childhood. All of this in a movie about construction toys huh. Just goes to show the types of story animation can tell as an art form.
Of course what would these movies be without their humor as I was laughing out loud in many portions of the movie. There is a great deal of pop culture references that make fun of movie tropes, the DC universe, Hollywood’s obsession with making everything needlessly dark, and gritty, and more (Plus some great cameos that I will dare not give away here). The animation is once again a thing to behold as everything is made out of LEGO’s with some brand new settings to explore (Apocalypseberg, the Systar System etc.). The character animation is equally as impressive with the characters moving exactly how minifigures would move (the Queen’s movements are espiecially a sight to see thanks to her abilities). As for the cast, they all fit comfortably into their roles from the original, especially Pratt, with his double performance as both Emmett, and Rex being a big highlight. The newcomers are equally good with Stephanie Beatriz playing the role of General Mayhem very well with some really funny lines, but it is Tiffany Haddish as the Queen that truly steals the show, with her eccentric personality, and wonderful interactions with Will Arnett’s Batman (who is always amazing).
One last aspect I want to touch upon is the musical numbers which are flat out fantastic. It is so good to see more non Disney animated musicals, with this movie, and Smallfoot being the most recent. Each, and every one of these songs are a blast to listen to (do not ask how many times I have listened to the soundtrack). From the hilariously tongue in cheek “Not Evil”, to the dangerously catchy “Catchy Song, to the upbeat and Easter egg filled “Gotham City Guys”, to the surprisingly relevant “Everything is not Awesome”, to the genius parody that is “Super Cool”, everyone is going to have at least one favorite song from this movie (Heck they might be better than 90% of the pop songs being made today).
Overall the LEGO Movie 2 the Second Part is a more than worthy sequel to the original that builds on it in many fresh, and exciting ways while also showing how animation is more than just some kids thing, and is a fully realized art form. While it is hard to top the magic of the first one, this still came very close to its quality, and joins the ranks of the very best animated sequels, like Toy Story 2, Incredibles 2, How to Train Your Dragon 2, Shrek 2, and so much more. Its a shame this movie is not doing great financially (seriously why) but if this is the last LEGO movie for a while then what a great run we had.
Rating: A+
If you want to share your thoughts leave a comment down below, and See you guys next time!
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