The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part

"Hang on to your fronds, planty. We're going to save Lucy!...and all of the other people who were captured!"



The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part was directed by Mike Mitchell and stars the likes of Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Tiffany Haddish, Stephanie Beatriz, Alison Brie, Nick Offerman and Charlie Day. The film is set five years after the first Lego Movie and follows the gang as they face new threats not just from the Lego Duplo invaders (from the end of the first film) but also from the mysterious Syster System.

When the first Lego Movie was released it was a surprise hit not just in terms of box office returns but not just with younger audiences but older audiences as well. Since then we have had two spin off films which were met with mixed results, The Lego Batman Movie being a fun filled adventure based on the standout character portrayed by Will Arnett from the first film, being loved by critics and fans, and then the Lego Ninjago Movie which was met with mixed results, being the least liked film in the Lego universe franchise. Well the important question here is will The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part be as good as the original or will it be more like the Lego Ninjago Movie.

Well I can happily say that The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part whilst it falls short of the original film is definitely up there with the best of the franchise so far. Whilst not giving a lot of spoilers away (for those wanting to see the film), the film features a really interesting plot surrounding how brothers and sisters play differently and their creative minds when it comes to Lego (I won't go any further, remember no spoilers), and whilst the first film features the idea of a father and son relationship it is really interesting to explore the brother and sister relationship and the role of play in their childhood. As per normal the animation is great, it's bright and colourful and the Lego style stop motion looks just as good as the animation in the first film, which creates some impressive visuals especially during the opening Mad Max style apocalypse wasteland that is Bricksburg (now called Apocalypseburg) after the events of the first film. Another worthy mention is the voice acting, with Chris Pratt and Elizabeth Banks and Will Arnett on fine form, creating a worthy story filled with emotion and fun filled jokes.

Whilst The Lego Movie 2: The Second Party is certainly a worthy sequel it does fall short of the first film. Whilst the film is certainly funny and entertaining at times, it is worth mentioning that not all of the jokes land, and some of the scenes drag on a little, especially some of the more musical numbers during the film. Also I was a little disappointed in the use of the side characters such as Batman, Unikity, Benny and Metalbeard. During the events of the first film these characters alongside Emmet and Wildstyle came together to team up and take down Lord Business's evil plans, and they all received a decent amount of screen time and felt useful to the story that they were telling, but with the sequel whist these characters do get a decent amount of screen time during the film, they just feel a little bit wasted and they don't really have anything to contribute to the overall story, it is only really Batman who plays a slightly more important role in the film, but nothing that really stands out. Even though the film focuses a lot of Emmet and Wildstyle it would of been nice to of given these fan favourite characters from the first film the chance to shine in the sequel.

Overall The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part is a fun filled entertaining film filled with jokes and action for all the family, but does slightly fall short of the heights of the first film. If you are a fan of any of the Lego movies or a fan of Lego then this is a must see film, but just remember everything is not as awesome as the first film.

Verdict: 3.5 out of 5 stars