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THE LEGO MOVIE 2: A Little Less Conversation, A Little More Awesome

THE LEGO MOVIE 2: A Little Less Conversation, A Little More Awesome

The Lego Movie 2: A Little Less Conversation, A Little More Awesome

The Lego Movie 2 is almost an impossible film to review. The first film was one of the most well-received animated films ever, boasting an impressive 95% score on Rotten Tomatoes (Frozen for example stands at 90%). It was imaginative, creative, wild and genuinely funny with a great voice cast. It felt timely and personally, I thought the live action proved to be a great twist and something that lifted the film from a kid’s film to a timeless classic that just happens to use animation as its medium.

What started as an innocent film set in the world of Legos turned out to be an insightful, touching film about fathers, sons and the importance of playing. To be honest, I think we could all use a bit more playtime with some Legos. Don’t tell me you’d rather binge on Game of Thrones or do your taxes when you could be building anything your heart desires.

The film had an almost impossible task at hand. How do you improve on something that was already pretty darn perfect? And the answer? Go hard or go home, make it meta, make it awesome. Most importantly, make it matter to kids and adults alike. Oh, and make it a musical of course!

Back In Citadel, Sorry, Bricksburg

It’s been five years since we last visited the city of Bricksburg. It would be an understatement to say a lot has changed for our favourite bricks. The once awesome city has become a Mad Max: Fury Road inspired wasteland, where everything certainly is not awesome. Our hero Emmet however still likes to keep things happy and light, even when his surroundings are anything but. With the arrival of General Sweet Mayhem, who sweeps Emmet’s friends off to another planet, things go awfully awry for our hero. Once again Emmet is thrown into an adventure he simply isn’t ready for. Lucy, Batman, Benny, Metalbeard and Unikitty meanwhile encounter the possibly evil Queen Watevra Wa’Nabi.

The Lego Movie 2: A Little Less Conversation, A Little More Awesome
source: Warner Bros. Pictures

The film doesn’t reveal its cards too soon. For a while, perhaps a tad too long, it plays like a very generic sequel to a film. There’s not much to fault, but it just doesn’t click, it’s a bit meh. Director Mike Mitchell, who’s long list of credits include films like Trolls and Shrek Forever After, plays things subtly. The film finally kicks into gear when Emmet is separated from his friends, and boy what gear that turns out to be.

The central question becomes: who is Emmet without his friends? Who could he be? Who should he be? As General Sweet Mayhem points out to Lucy, she did most of the work when it came to saving Bricksburg from the evil Lord Business, but somehow Emmet was still awarded the status of a leader and the special one. So far, Emmet has never had to be truly alone, but here he is in for the adventure of a lifetime.

Subtle digs at the first film make The Lego Movie 2 a bold sequel. Not only is it not afraid to criticize the first film, which might feel a bit stale and dated in today’s political climate, but the film also completely reinvents itself as a musical.

This Song Is Gonna Get Stuck Inside Your Head

No film was ever worse for having original songs in it, but The Lego Movie 2 takes it a step further. Much like the Oscar-nominated “Everything Is Awesome”, this film’s “The Catchy Song” is bound to become the most annoyingly happy earworm none of us can shake for weeks. Designed purposely as a, ahem, catchy song, “The Catchy Song” is an important plot point, but the best banger of the film belong to Batman and Queen Watevra Wa’Nabi.

A song about how the queen just isn’t into them Gotham City Guys involves some pretty impressive rapping from Will Arnett, voicing Batman and it’s a funny scene, but even at it’s funniest, the film has something to say about Batman’s need to be loved and adored by those around him. Tiffany Haddish carries her songs admirably, but there’s a sense the outrageously funny actress isn’t her best here.

The Lego Movie 2: A Little Less Conversation, A Little More Awesome
source: Warner Bros. Pictures

While it’s not bound to become a mega-hit like Disney’s Frozen, the films gets some points for trying something new. All the songs are perfectly fine, but none of them are particularly memorable and the cast clearly aren’t comfortable singing. It’s a musical without much musical talent, but somehow that makes The Lego Movie 2 even cuter and heart-warming.

Pratt Doing Pratt

Almost all of the first film’s pitch perfect cast return here, with Chris Pratt still being the knockout as the ever-happy Emmet. This time, Pratt really digs deep and the actor gets to also play the role of one Rex Dangervest, who is a Lego-shaped collage of all of Pratt’s most famous characters. What could have been simply a funny little gimmick, a wink to the audience members who swooned over Pratt’s biceps on either Jurassic World or Guardians of the Galaxy, the character proves to be an effective way to discuss masculinity. Pretty heavy for an animated film featuring the most painful toys to step on, but this is where The Lego Movie 2 truly shines.

Screenwriters, and the directors of the first film, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller have the bricks to go as far as examine themes of not just masculinity but also gender roles and identity. The film doesn’t dive too deep into this because it is first and foremost a children’s film, but even attempting this is an admirable thing to do.

Emmet is forced to confront his insecurities about the kind of (toy)man he is, wants to be and most importantly, what he believes Lucy yarns for. Emmet’s attempt to build a cute little house for the two of them doesn’t impress Lucy as nearly as much as Emmet had hoped. They’re just too different and the arrival of the hyper masculine Rex doesn’t help. Rex is everything Emmet is not, he has even harnessed, or employed, several raptors to work on his space ship. That should tell you just how awesome Rex is. Emmet is torn between his old identity and his urge to become a new man in the hopes of finally feeling worthy of Lucy’s sweet love.

The Lego Movie 2: A Little Less Conversation, A Little More Awesome
source: Warner Bros. Pictures

It shouldn’t be a spoiler to say Emmet finds out he doesn’t need to be this macho guy to be perfect for Lucy, but this isn’t just Emmet’s journey. It’s also Lucy who needs to learn that Emmet doesn’t need to change, that he is perfectly fine as he is. This is an equally important lesson for all the girls and women in the audience. We shouldn’t encourage or push a harmful or an impossible standard for men, this can lead to toxic masculinity. It might seem like a trendy term at the moment, something that’s being thrown around a lot but The Lego Movie 2 does a good job bringing it to life and with Legos nonetheless.

Bottom line, it’s okay to be an Emmet Brickowski in a world full of Rex Dangervests.

In Conclusion, Is Everything Still Awesome?

The Lego Movie 2 achieves the impossible. It’s a rare film; a perfectly crafted sequel that expands on the world and mythology of its predecessor, but stands firmly on its own little Lego-legs. The film never quite reaches the genius and creativity of the first film, or maybe it just isn’t quite as impressive anymore. By exploring incredibly important and timely themes of masculinity and identity, it’s a sure winner for children and adults alike and a worthy sequel.

Filled to the brim with excellent, although a bit on the nose pop-culture references, it’s a wildly colourful and entertaining journey. Fans of The Florida Project should also check the film out for a surprise. With several surprising and funny cameos, jokes about the current state of Batman films and digs at Marvel, The Lego Movie 2 is a cheesy, but sweet treat for the whole family.

Did you think The Lego Movie 2 was as awesome as the first one? Is it important to have animated films tackle such important themes such as masculinity in this film? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

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