“The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part” (2019)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Colin’s Column: MOVIE REVIEW!

By: Colin Bauer

Staff Writer

Cast: Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Tiffany Haddish

Director: Mike Mitchell

Synopsis: After 2014s “The LEGO Movie,” this sequel picks up the story of Emmet, Lucy and Batman taking on the LEGO Duplo space invaders in order to return Bricksburg to normalcy. They are taken to numerous places within the LEGO universe that will put their creative limits to the test.

Review:

Everything is awesome…in a way. As soon as the heroes appear on the screen, audiences are transported right into the LEGO universe courtesy of excellent animation, quality storytelling and compelling performances. This is truly a step up from 2014s “The LEGO Movie.”

Right away, the film possesses very fluid animation. Every moment feels as though these characters are actual people on screen, not minifigures. The color palette is amazing as well. It’s spectacular to see different hues and shades light up the screen and dazzle audience members’ eyes.

Similarly to how films such as “Toy Story” (1995), “Frozen” (2013) and “Teen Titans Go! To the Movies” (2018) craft an inspiring story into a family film, “The LEGO Movie 2” rises to this standard. The story understands how to latch onto human emotion and tackle themes we all relate to in our lives. Audience members will be taken back by the sophistication of a family movie compared to other recent releases. The takeaway message of staying true to oneself is relevant to anyone: in an ever-changing modern society, people do not want to lose sight of who they really are.

The repeating roles from the previous LEGO Movie franchises include Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks and Will Arnett. They showcase growth and development of their talents since their last time voicing these characters. Pratt who has enjoyed success in recent years returns to the character of innocent Emmet Brickowski. Although audiences can hear the likeness of Peter Quill, “Guardians of the Galaxy,” in Pratt’s performance, he is still nonetheless the lovable goofball audiences fell in love with. Banks still provides her character Wyldstyle with the edgy innocence that audiences first saw in “The LEGO Movie.” We now see her develop a heroic side which Banks translates tremendously into her performance, illustrating her versatility as an actress. Arnett remains a strong Batman voice actor. He has improved upon the grittiness of his voice since his last performance in 2017s “The LEGO Batman Movie” to where he now could provide the voice for any live action Batman film. Newcomer Tiffany Haddish commands the scenes she takes part in, an overall great addition to the already A-list cast.

The only element which holds the film back is when certain storylines become complicated. As audiences try and process the events occurring on screen, they find it all doesn’t add up. The film does attempt to be ambitious, and while certainly succeeding in numerous areas, this isn’t one of them. These elements are few and far between, yet create a couple of plot holes in the overall narrative.

“The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part” may be a family film, but it is truly a film for all ages. There’s a great amount of fun and excitement to be had while watching this movie, thanks to storytelling, performances and animation quality. While it may not be as great as its predecessors in certain areas, it certainly steps up where it needs to. That being said… “Everything is awesome. Everything is cool when you’re part of a team.”

SCORE: 7.5/10