In awesome ‘Lego Movie 2’, Chris Pratt shines and Batman deals with commitment issues [Movie Review]
Tiffany Haddish, Elizabeth Banks and Will Arnett also deliver stunning performances in this brilliant follow-up to the 2014 film
The master builders are kidnapped by an alien queen in 'The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part.'Emmet Brickowski and the gang are back in The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, a bolder, broodier and more purposeful sequel to 2014’s smash hit.
Everything is decidedly not so awesome in Bricksburg, as the city is attacked by aliens literally seconds after Emmet (Chris Pratt), Lucy (Elizabeth Banks) and the other master builders saved the universe. Queen Watevra Wa-Nabi (Tiffany Haddish), of the hostile Systar system, kidnaps Lucy, Batman and the core of the master builder team, and it’s up to Emmet to save them.
Along the way, he teams up with Rex Dangervest (also Pratt), a brash, hyper masculine super bro who teaches nice-guy Emmet how to toughen up and harness the power of his dark side in order to save his friends.
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Pratt’s voice work is stellar as Emmet, a cheerful, optimistic soul who tries to shed his naturally vanilla personality for the sake of friendship. His struggle to “man up” is at odds with who he really is, but difficult choices must be made in times of crisis, and his journey of growth is a touching and authentic one.
Another standout performance is Haddish’s turn as the deliciously evil alien queen. Her expressive voice and spirited singing really sell the character. Will Arnett is also great as Batman, who projects perfect self-confidence to the outside world, but is dealing with insecurities of his own.
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For those not looking to take home a deep message from the film, the visual spectacle of the production is as fun and clever as ever. Battles are big and the colour palette changes appropriately with each new world we visit. Lots of fun little cameos from familiar pop culture figures (Hello Gandalf and Green Lantern) also keep the laughs coming.
The Lego Movie 2 is a rare sequel that is as good as its predecessor. The subject matter is more thoughtful, but it keeps the frenetic, fun pace of other Lego movies and is definitely worth a watch.