‘The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part’ proves everything is still awesome (even when it’s not sometimes)
When it came out in 2014, “The Lego Movie” was a surprise hit for me. I had no idea what to expect, and it ended up being not only one of my favorite movies of that year but of the last five years at least! I laughed, I cried and I really wanted to go to my parents’ basement and play with all of my old Lego sets! The ending of the film sets up a sequel pretty obviously, so I was not at all surprised when I saw the first trailers for “The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part” come out. Again, I had no idea what to expect (because how you can top greatness?), so I just waited for my chance to see it.
The wife and I bought tickets to a Saturday matinee (because we’re already retirees), got our popcorn and Coke, and settled into the comfy seats in the Jersey City cinema. And man, did we all have a blast!
The story begins immediately after the first film with the Lego Duplo “aliens” (a more preschool-friendly offshoot of Legos) landing in Bricksburg. Emmet (voiced by Chris Pratt) tries to make peace by presenting the aliens with a large brick heart. The Duplo alien eats it and demands more, causing Lucy, aka “Wild Style” (voiced by Elizabeth Banks), to retaliate, prompting an all-out war between Bricksburgians and the aliens. All the while, Emmet is trying to calm everyone down, insisting, “Everything can still be awesome!”
Five years later, Bricksburg is nearly entirely destroyed, so all the citizens have created a new, edgier, “Mad Max: Fury Road”-esque town called Apocalypseburg, complete with a broken Statue of Liberty a la “Planet of the Apes” or “Escape from New York.” Cue the “reference acknowledged” giggles from me. While everyone else is getting tattoos and weapons, Emmet remains upbeat, trying to see the positive in every situation, like when a fight breaks out on the sidewalk in front of him. No worries! As a Master Builder, he simply builds a bridge over them and continues on his way. The Duplo have continued to invade and cause destruction, so everyone is on their guard. But despite his rosy outlook, Emmet is troubled by dreams of the destruction and doom for Apocalypseburg which he calls Armamageddon.
One day, an alien ship approaches and begins scanning the buildings and streets. Everyone retreats into Batman’s (voiced by Will Arnett) fortified lair. Emmet, Lucy, and Unikitty (voiced by Alison Brie) sneak out to collect reconnaissance on the ship but are spotted and have to make a run for it back to Batman’s fortress. Before they can shut the “slowly closing blast doors,” a Duplo star gets stuck in between. Being the good-natured guy he is, Emmet opens the door so it can get out. “What? It’s not like something else got in” (camera pans right to reveal a winged humanoid wearing a helmet) “AH! Something got in!’
The full article is available in our e-Edition. Click here to subscribe.