The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part Doesn't Touch The Original But Still Maintains Much Of Its Heart And Charm

      The 2019 movie season begun with its first animated film release with The LEGO Movie 2, a direct sequel to the 2014 smash hit with both being computer-animated adventure comedies that poked fun at today's pop culture icons with numerous film references. The first LEGO Movie was appealing for both young and old audiences, because it carried with it stunning animation in addition to an appealing voice cast that added charm and heart to the film. a clever storyline that set up appealing characters whom the audience instantly grew to care for, and gags that were bold, hilarious, and surprisingly mature at times for it being an animated film. The first movie managed to combine all of these elements together making for a crowd-pleasing family experience, that was wrongfully snubbed of a Best Animated Film Oscar nomination. Fast-forward five years after the release of that film with spin off movies in between such as The Lego Batman Movie and The Lego Ninjango Movie, an official sequel to The LEGO Movie is released which picks up directly after the events of that film. While the new film isn't as good as the first movie (Its not as fresh nor as creative), it still works as being a pretty solid sequel with some good laughs, particularly the character of Batman who hands down steals the show.

      The plot for The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part takes place five years after the events of the first film and centers around the citizens of Bricksburg facing danger from Duplo invaders from outer space. who end up wrecking their town. The main characters from the first movie return to defend the original Lego universe by traveling to far off planets and testing their abilities to survive. Much like the first film, the plot is well-structured and thought out to allow for much fun and mayhem to happen with the main characters. The first films writers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller return to pen the sequels script with new director Mike Mitchell taking over the directing reigns. As a follow-up to the original LEGO Movie, the sequels greatest strength is taking the likable characters established in the first movie and pushing their story forward while giving them time to develop and make the audience laugh. The themes that the sequel tackles that gives it a sense of maturity within the goofiness are ones that pertain to siblings, parenting, trying to change others, war, danger, fear, sacrifice, survival, acceptance, growing up, family, and friendship. Despite these themes, the overall sequel feels somehow less impactful and fresh than the first film, perhaps because there has been several Lego style spin-off movies in between which dampen the impact as well as the significance of another. Or it could be that the films new director isn't able to brilliantly mesh together all the themes and concepts in the same way Phil Lord and Christopher Miller managed to do so with the first film as directors.

      What made the first LEGO Movies plot so much fun was how it played off a generic concept such as "the chosen one" or "most extraordinary" person and created its own fantasy adventure in a vein similar to that of Star Wars or Guardians Of The Galaxy (Coincidentally both Guardians and LEGO films have Chris Pratt in the main role). While that film played off concepts and story arcs already established with other films, it did so with an ounce of freshness while working in the form of a satire poking fun at pop culture with its references creating its own new adventure for young audiences. While The Second Part maintains a healthy dose of the first films heart as well as being reasonably mature with its themes and hilarious when allowed to be, it somehow doesn't feel as thrilling as the first film despite it still being heartwarming. Without the main characters from the first movie, this would be a forgettable animated sequel as its plot isn't as interesting as the previous. In terms of the voice performances of its actors, Chris Pratt and Elizabeth Banks once again reprise the role of their characters from the original and do so with the same amount of charm and charisma they previously brought to their parts. Pratt does great here once again playing the goofball hero with Banks playing off his performance by demonstrating their strong chemistry together. Will Arnett steals the show as Batman turning in a performance that's both hilarious and heartfelt. Tiffany Haddish shines playing Queen Watevra Wa'Nabi, especially with her subplot involving Batman which is hilarious. Stephanie Beatriz is strong as the films main antagonist with Will Ferrall reprising his role from the first film. Overall, the voice work by the main cast is brilliant once again with everyone breathing new life into their characters. Whereas the films writing feels weaker than the previous film, the talented ensemble cast of voice actors are there to carry the show.

      Directed by Mike Mitchell, he does a decent and honorable job of trying to maintain much of the same elements that made the original such a refreshing delight. One of the things missing from the sequel that the first movie has over it hands down, is the surprise factor of what the plot of that film was about. Audiences went into the first LEGO Movie not knowing what to expect and came out having a great time while connecting with brand new characters that were fresh and effective. While the characters are there, the surprise is gone which the film needed to rely on a much stronger script to make the sequel top the first movie which it never does. As hard as Mitchell tries to make the sequel come across as feeling spontaneous like the first, it just doesn't have the same impact nor feel as unpredictable with the films flow. The sequel though certainly not boring feels rather standard with its delivery of pop culture references along with some pretty funny gags and a few catchy songs. The message regarding siblings learning to get along as they work together to solve problems in their own make-believe universe is emphasized here.

      Regardless of the writing feeling weaker, it still feels as if great care was taken in order to drive home the mature aspects of the plot making it not just a fun experience for young kids but still retains something for adults as well. The characters for the most part feel like they advanced with Pratt's character feeling like he got tougher while still remaining a goofball for the most part and Lucy having more revealed about herself than originally revealed. Rex Dangervest was an awesome addition to the story with Batman and the Queen being a hilarious duo in their scenes together. On a technical note, the films animation is once again top notch making the film come across as being mesmerizing to watch, particularly the young kids as they witness one of their favorite form of toys come to life. In terms of the films visuals, it remains on par with the first movie as every small scratch or fingerprint on the minifigures brings realism to the screen. The background design and look of the characters are a sight to behold visually. The films soundtrack is effective with the films pacing feeling brisk, never feeling too slow nor boring. While it can be argued that the film is lacking some essential things that made the first film more memorable with audiences, the sequel still manages to match up with the first movie in the technical department.

      As a sequel that never tops the first movie, LEGO Movie 2 does a pretty decent job of following in that movies footsteps and trying to replicate the same kind of success. It doesn't have the spark that made the first one feel fresh and magical upon first seeing it in theaters but it still is entertaining, funny, and heartwarming. The audience still cares about these characters and can take something with them after watching it because of the themes the movie explores. However, given that fans of the first movie waited five years for a sequel to the previous film, the end result is a disappointment in a sense as that bar should've been matched or exceeded. The same level of energy and fun the previous film had isn't fully present but its enough to get this one off the ground and continue the story. One wonders if there wasn't the spin-off films in between and had the original directors took over the directing reigns instead of just sharing a writing credit, would this have came out as being a much stronger sequel than what it ultimately ended up being. Would they have been able to bring the level of freshness that was in the previous film back to this one in full form? Fans will never know but given their work on last years hugely satisfying Spider-Man: Into The Spider-verse, one wonders and wishes why the same level of heart and dedication that was placed into that film wasn't applied here. Despite its issues, The LEGO movie 2: The Second Part still has much to offer fans in terms of entertainment and laughs with a good message behind it. Still one of the best animated films of the year thus far.

Final Verdict: Worth a watch if you enjoyed the first movie, just don't expect it to be as good.