The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part

Today, January 26, 2019, I saw an early one-day screening of The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part. Technically, the film won’t actually be released formally until February 8, 2019. The movie stars Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, and Tiffany Haddish, while taking place in Bricksburg, 2019. It is rated PG and is the 4th movie in the LEGO universe, after The LEGO Movie, The LEGO Batman Movie, and The LEGO Ninjago Movie. So, is this movie/sequel worthy of the first movie? Let’s take a look.

Five years after the LEGO people of Bricksburg were attacked by the DUPLO aliens, they’ve been living in a post-apocalyptic Bricksburg. They have changed and now have hardened spirits and a sense of hopelessness. Emmet is the only one who has stayed optimistic. The aliens from the end of the first movie come back and capture Wyldstyle, Batman, Benny, Unikitty, and MetalBeard, taking them to their Queen, Watevra Wa-Nabi. Emmet must rescue them in order to prevent a catastrophe. He is helped by the outer space hero Rex Dangervest, who is training him to be become more hardened. Will Emmet save everyone or will he let everyone down and be a nobody again?

Considering that this movie was released 5 years after The LEGO Movie, the wait had to be worth it. Fortunately, it was! This movie has the same level of humor and heart that made everybody love the original. I’ve been a fan of Chris Pratt, the voice of Emmet, since the release of the original film. I also liked his work as Star-Lord in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies and Avengers: Infinity War and as Owen Grady in the Jurassic World movies. He comes back with a strong effort to his voice acting, providing all the likability and comedy shown to us in the first film. Elizabeth Banks also performs well, giving her voice to the dark, brooding and awesome Wyldstyle, who is always ready to give her all in a fight. I would like to talk about Tiffany Haddish, the voice of Queen Watevra Wa-Nabi, who is new to these movies. Her character is absolutely hilarious and brings the movie’s biggest laughs. Speaking of laughs, let’s now talk about this movie’s entertainment value.

This is a very fun movie, full of many funny moments, thanks to the performance of the voice actors. There are some new songs in the movie to get stuck in your head. If you thought “Everything is Awesome” was annoyingly catchy, these songs up the annoyance and catchiness by as much as they can. It will definitely leave you laughing with enjoyment. There is a cleverness to this movie, similar to the first one. The only remaining thing to talk about is the story.

Picking up right where the first film left off, the story continues from there and ends up being almost as interesting as its predecessor. Emmet still manages to stay positive despite the horrible situations, but may find himself changing due to the needs of others. The post-apocalyptic setting pays homage to the Mad Max movies in a smart way. We also get a look inside Wyldstyle’s psyche, which we never saw in the first movie. All these factors work to the film’s benefit.

Ultimately, when the film is released widely, I recommend you see it. If you enjoyed the first movie, you will likely enjoy this one too. Granted, it’s not as good as the first movie, but it comes very close with the story, characters, and humor. You will not be disappointed.