‘Lego Movie 2’ Builds Off the First

By: Matt McDonald, Columnist
Photo courtesy of TheLegoMovie.com

When I saw the first “Lego Movie,” I thought it was going to be a dumb kids’ movie that my brother was forcing me to watch. I was pleasantly surprised. It was a very funny, charming movie that had a great story, a protagonist to root for and an insanely respectable amount of time and work put into it regarding the animation. The sequel only emphasized this for me.

“The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part” continues the adventures of the first, following Emmet, a lovable and ever-optimistic construction worker, as he tries to “toughen up” in a post-apocalyptic version of his hometown. After a new threat to the city begins terrorizing the town and kidnapping many of Emmet’s friends, he must take it upon himself to save them by traveling into another dimension, all the while receiving premonitions of a tragic Armageddon event (called “our-mom-geddon”). With the help of a new, impressive Lego named Rex Dangervest, Emmet just might be able to rescue his friends and prevent the disaster.

This is one of those movies that I walk out and can immediately say, “That was a solid movie.” Was it the best thing I’ve ever seen? Probably not. But it had moving themes, captivating action and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

I have only seen the first movie once, so the fact that I could go into the second part and pick up right where the last one left off, not confused at all, was already a great start. The writers follow up from the first movie and build off of it in an original way, while staying true to the unique nature of the world. About halfway through, I thought the movie was becoming very predictable, but I was caught off guard, with not only a few twists and a whole separate plot direction, but with a very heartwarming underlying subplot.

The characters were as delightful as the first time around, especially the beloved Batman, even showing more development that simultaneously furthered the story. The jokes, references, meta nature and cameo characters all hit and enhanced the world once again, and the musical element is only elevated in this one.

I couldn’t find much wrong with the movie, except for small things, like some believability issues I had with the explanation of one subplot, which seemed a little convenient, but upon looking back, it actually makes sense in the context of the whole story. Other than that, I wasn’t too interested in (without giving too much away) the whole wedding part of the story, but that is more of a personal rather than general critique, and it still makes sense with the story.

Overall, if you loved the first movie, you’re going to love this one too. If you’re looking for a fun movie to enjoy and feel good about, with great cameos and songs, go see “The Lego Movie 2.” It’s just as awesome as the first.

 

3.5/4

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