The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part

The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part

Starring Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Tiffany Haddish

Directed by Mike Mitchell

The Story:
When Bricksburg comes under attack, the citizens escape to the wastelands where they become hardened and bitter, except for Emmit (Chris Pratt), who maintains an "everything is awesome" outlook.  Five years later, they're attacked by an alien race, and Emmit's special friend Lucy (Elizabeth Banks), Batman (Will Arnett), and his other friends are taken captive.  He embarks on an adventure to the Systar System, where they're being held by Queen Watevra Wa'Nabi (Tiffany Haddish), who wishes to unleash "ourmomageddon" on the LEGO world.

The Synopsis:
There's a few times in cinema where you think something that would never work somehow does.  When "The LEGO Movie" was released in 2014, there wasn't much hope that it would be a success - in fact, it sounded like a dumbfounded idea to begin with.  Instead the film turned out to be a huge commercial hit - grossing over $257 million dollars - and actually provided a thought-provoking script with loads of pop culture references and moments that make the adults love the movie even more than the children they brought.  The film spawned two spinoffs - one that was just as popular ("The LEGO Batman Movie"), and one that wasn't ("The LEGO Ninjago Movie"), while audiences waited in anticipation for the return of the lovable Emmit and his mismatched friends.

Finally, "The LEGO Movie 2" has been released, and it was well worth the wait.  While it wasn't as spectacular as the original (since we already knew going in that it would be enjoyable), it still maintained the humor, heart, and intelligence of the first film, once again blurring the lines between fantasy and reality in a way that's both endearing and emotional, leaving the audience once again in a state of pure enjoyment.

This time around, Emmit must save his friends (including Lucy) from an evil Queen bent on bringing about ourmomageddon, and must find a way to become as hardened as everyone else around him in order to impress Lucy.  He's rescued by a man of danger named Rex who teaches Emmit to be tough, as Lucy struggles with her hardened nature going against her upbeat one.  Everything culminates in spectacular fashion, and showcases once again the powerful imagination of youth.  The main voice cast again returns to offer their all, especially Chris Pratt - who makes fun of himself as duel-voice roles of Emmit and Rex (who's basically an amalgamation of his characters from "Guardians of the Galaxy," "The Magnificent Seven," and "Jurassic World").  Adding to the fun is the recent queen of cinema, Tiffany Haddish, who I feel personally gives her best performance since "Girls Trip" as Queen Watevra Wa'Nabi.

The film manages to make fun of itself as well, knowingly understanding how the song "Everything is Awesome" got stuck in the heads of its viewers, and now lets loose on many different songs (one of which, appropriately titled "Catchy Song," will easily get stuck in your head) that isn't highly annoying, but ones that could be after awhile.  Then there's other songs that are totally self-aware, such as the song Batman sings that connects him to every single actor who's played him in the past (and turns into the most hilarious song of the bunch).  Director Mike Michell and writers Phil Lord and Chris Miller (who also wrote and directed the first) manage to use the songs in meaningful ways to continue the story instead of just having them in the peripheral, and adds a deeper meaning to the film.

There's several moments here (much like the first) where you'll find pop culture references in unexpected places, and are so numerous you need to see the film multiple times to catch them all - but you won't mind.  The Justice League returns (with a humorous line as to why Marvel isn't), and Jason Momoa voices the "new" Aquaman and is absolutely hilarious (as is, once again, the love/hate relationship between Channing Tatum's Superman and Jonah Hill's Green Lantern), and the introduction of the Duplo franchise shows how young and old can enjoy this new imaginary world.  The film also includes some obvious movie parody moments (like "Mad Max"), and smartly uses words that seemingly don't make sense to add a deeper meaning once the light bulb goes off in your head.  There's much more to this film than what you think, and offers something for everyone to enjoy.

The Summary:
While it doesn't capture the same magic that the original did, "The LEGO Movie 2" manages to remain on-par with its predecessor's sense of heart and humor, offering a fun, action-packed adventure that young and old will enjoy again and again.

The Score: A+