“The LEGO Movie 2” stacks up to the original

Five years ago, the toy company LEGO teamed up with Warner Bros Pictures to produce a computer animated film made to capture the realism of stop motion animation. The release of this film, titled The LEGO Movie, sparked a new line of films built around the brick system.

Fans, however, did not expect to have to wait five years before they would see a sequel. On February 8, 2019, The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part hit theaters, and fans flocked to cinemas to see an end to the suspenseful cliffhanger of the DUPLO invasion of Bricksburg in the form of a sequel.

The second film brought back most of the characters from the first film including Emmet, Wildstyle, Batman, Metalbeard, Unikitty, and Benny (voiced by Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Nick Offerman, Alison Brie, and Charlie Day, respectively).

The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part still relies on the hero’s journey story line. When his friends are taken by a mysterious stranger calling herself General Mayhem (voiced by Stephanie Beatriz) five years after the events of the first movie (corresponding with the five years in real life), Emmet must travel to a strange, alien place called the “Systar System” to attempt to save his friends from the suspicious Queen Watevra Wa’Nabi (voiced by Tiffany Haddish) and prove to Wildstyle how tough he can be.

However, Emmet is not alone on his quest.

He is accompanied by the “galaxy defending, archaeologist, cowboy, and raptor trainer” Rex Dangervest (also voiced by Chris Pratt). Emmet admires everything about Rex and believes that if he becomes more like him, Wildstyle will see him as the mature hero he misinterprets her to want him to be. Determined to achieve a new, more masculine self, Emmet sets off to rescue his friends.

The value of individuality was again stressed in The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part with a new, more specific topic built in: peer pressure.

Throughout the film, there are two parts to Emmet’s motivation: save his friends and look cool doing it. Feeling the need to impress Wildstyle and being around Rex makes Emmet feel insignificant and he deeply wishes to change that. From changing the clothes he wears to drawing stubble dots on his face, Emmet will try anything to look and act like Rex, and situations like this are constantly occurring in today’s world when kids are urged to mask their unique traits in order to fit in, be cool, or even to avoid being made fun of. The LEGO Movie 2 promotes individuality to everyone affected by peer pressure and shows them, as Emmet finds out—the best person to be is you.

The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part is great at being just that—a second part. The movie is equally as enjoyable as The Lego Movie and definitely breaks the stereotype of the sequel being worse than the original although it is important to know that The LEGO Movie is a must-see beforehand.

Differing from the prequel, The LEGO Movie 2 contains a good deal of singing which, depending on the viewer, could be a good or bad thing. Although, this could be viewed as a negative to the film, the musical parts tie into the plot well and include what some might call the new “Everything is Awesome.” The new icon to the film is appropriately named “Catchy Song” and fits amusingly into the plot as the song that is “gonna get stuck inside your head.”

Combining a great theme and a great story The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part wonderfully compliments the previous LEGO films, matching—if not exceeding—The LEGO Movie in quality. Although the weekend box office fell short of the original by over 30,000,000; the film has a great shot at many awards considering its popularity among critics.

This time directed by Mike Mitchell (director of the movies Kung Fu Panda 3 and Trolls from 2016 and The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water from 2015) with Chris Miller and Phil Lord (directors of The LEGO Movie, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs 2) staying involved as producers and writers, The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part put the larger budget (99 million dollars compared to 60 million dollars spent on the first film) to work in assembling a quality sequel.

Overall the The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part checks all the boxes for movie lovers. The plot is the perfect continuation of The Lego Movie, entertaining for both LEGO and movie fans, and a theme could not have been more relevant pertaining to the targeted demographic. It does an excellent job telling a positive, humor filled, and action packed story for everyone.

Like the prequel, The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part is a must see for LEGO fans as well as all avid and casual moviegoers who will enjoy an awesome animated story with a message that counts.