3 / 5
The follow on from the brilliant first instalment still has a few laughs but lacks the wow factor that made the original so brilliant.
The Lego movie 2 rejoins our hero Emmet (Chris Pratt) directly at the end of the first film, where the Lego town of Bricksburg is invaded by Lego Duplo (…I mean directly on, there’s a quick flashback but after that there is a fair amount of assumed knowledge from the first film which could be confusing if you have forgotten / haven’t seen). The Lego Duplo proceed to destroy everything resulting in Bricksburg being turned into a gritty and run down town of outlaws. When a new threat arrives and kidnaps Lucy/ Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks) and others, Emmet must go on a quest to a new world to save his friends. On his travels a wide range of new characters are introduced including Rex (also voiced by Chris Pratt), who plays Emmet’s companion and direct opposite. As with the first film, the main story is a metaphor for a real world scenario, this time being a brother and sister fighting over the same set of Lego pieces.
As with the previous Lego movies (including the Lego batman movie) the script is quick, witty, self referential and intelligent enough to have jokes for kids and adults alike. There are also so many pop culture and character references that it’ll take a few rewatches to appreciate them all. Unfortunately the film is a victim of the firsts success and the plethora of characters was to be expected in this second instalment. Similarly the visual use of the Lego pieces both in the Lego and real world is delightful to watch but doesn’t have as greater impact as the first film.
The voice acting is still very well done with Chris Pratt and Elizabeth banks leading an all star cast of actors. The new characters are well introduced and provide some genuine laughs throughout. Will Arnett as the brooding, narcissistic batman is still a standout.
The over arching story line is a little cliched, doesn’t really make sense (which the film makes fun of) and doesn’t really have any emotive impact but does enough in the final quarter to keep the film ticking along with the expected happy ending.
The film involves more musical numbers than the first. There are plenty of rehashes of ‘Everything is awesome’, in various formats, as well as a few new songs like the ‘Catchy Song’ which treads the line between great and annoying very effectively.
Ironically, as is sung in the films final quarter ‘everything is not awesome’, the film is a solid watch and has some funny moments (especially Rex’s pet velociraptors) but just doesn’t quite live up to the first as that was so fresh. It probably won’t be the last Lego movie we ever see but I would hope a new angle is bought to the next film to revive some of the originality lacking from this time out.
Hughes Reviews 