The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2019) - Cinema Review

Review:

*Originally written February 10th, 2019*

I honestly wasn't sure how this would turn out. I've been a pretty big fan of these surprisingly good Lego Movies so far, which seemed to have come out of nowhere. Who thought something as cynical as a film about Lego could spawn a franchise of excellent kids films? With that said, I was massively underwhelmed by the trailers for this, but thankfully, the film itself turned out to be a worthy and possibly better effort than the first.

With all the meta aspects of the original sort of making a sequel hard to do, they fully commit to it with ideas that build upon the first and takes the story into some surprising and interesting places. It takes place 5 years after the first as Emmet and his friends have to take on an invasion of Lego DUPLOs as they try and fight to save their world.

Off the bat, it is so great to see Mad Max: Fury Road get to the point where it's even being massively homaged in a big budget kids film, as the opening act takes place in a dystopian destroyed version of the city as most of citizens have embraced the new status quo and have their own Fury Road style vehicles. This all quickly becomes a sci-fi adventure though as Emmett's friends are kidnapped and forced into an alien wedding ceremony as he has to learn to grow up, mature and save them. 

Once again, the story and jokes seemed to resonate far more with adults than it did with children. Most the kids in my screening didn't really seem to laugh a lot at some of the jokes, but there was a lot of subtle stuff there for people my age to enjoy. Including a fantastic cameo from an '80s action star. It was also relieving to see this one didn't rely too heavily on gratuitous cameos from licensed characters, like the first did. Sure, there's still lots of characters, but they're mostly returns from the original, which was fine. 

I was also massively impressed by how creative the animation is with this. I remember being a little put off by the look of these films before they were released, but they really are some of the most creative animated kids films going today. There is always so much going on with every scene, making for some excellent rewatchability. From it's gorgeous, vibrant and colourful pallet to the detail on display, this really was a feast for the eyes.

As gorgeous as the animation is, thankfully there really is a great story to go along with it. Emmett's journey is far more interesting than the one he went on previously and introduces us to a a new character also voiced by Chris Pratt as a bad ass action hero style character clearly inspired by his films. Emmett is just so immensely likeable, although his naivety can get on your nerves at times, but it was great to see a lot of the film dedicated to his journey of self-discovery, leading to some genuinely emotional and touching beats towards the end.


The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part brings the Lego Movie franchise 4 for 4 in terms of quality now. Another incredibly animated, funny and sweet journey packed with heart. I really hope they continue this streak and I can't wait to see where the series goes next. 

8/10 Dans

The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part is out now in cinemas in the UK
Watch the trailer below:

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