The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part

Overflowing with creativity and color, The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part brings the magic back from its predecessor and cranks it to 11. Phil Lord and Chris Miller return to show audiences what happens next in The LEGO Movie universe, leaving nothing out of their imagination in both story and humor.

The look of these films are incredible. The animation could have taken the easy way and just used the shape of LEGO bricks to decorate everything, but the animators build every set, person, and background with digital models solely out of LEGO bricks. The characters have scratches and paint rubbed off of their pieces like old, used minifigures that a child has dropped and thrown repeatedly. The animation goes beyond the source of its childish imaginations, and it perfectly blends into the live action moments with dramatic effect.

The characters are fully realized in their return from The LEGO Movie, but too many of them are never taken beyond the reintroduction. The supporting cast plays on the same running gags they had, but now with the overlying “Now we’re grown up and edgy!” feel that runs throughout the story. Metal Beard, Unikitty, Benny, and Batman serve as surrounding gags to pull the real characters into the conflict. They never are utilized beyond the basic plot points. The central characters are different; Emmet and Lucy had a solid evolution as they begin to show more connections with the humans that control them. The new characters, Rex Dangervest and General Mayhem, also add in their own loud moments of humor, but bring interesting dynamics once their true identities are unmasked. The characters as a whole do not reach anything new, but their engaging style with how the story unfolds is what wraps this film into a wonderful bow of an ending.

The emotional moments hit every beat, and the humor never falters as the jokes keep swinging. The ending falls into such an emotional rollercoaster with soaring joy and plummeting sadness, that the twists really shine and feel real. Exploring what it means to grow up—how one is supposed to act versus who one truly is—is done in such a compelling way as the central conflict of the story. The message is sappy and preachy with the times, but the journey these characters go through to find it earns the meaning in every way.

Overall, its predecessor was an instant classic while this one seems to already be forgotten by the fans. I do not know why this film is struggling in the box office, but I hope it gets the love it deserves. The fun and effort poured into these films by artists willing to push the idea of children’s film should be praised on its own, but the fact that the products are entertaining, rewatchable, and different from its surrounding competition shows its value. You will have a great time watching this film, and the emotional core sticks with you as you leave the theater.

Story Rating: 8/10

Character Rating: 6/10