Director: Mike Mitchell
Genre: Action/
Animation/ Famiy
Runtime: 108
minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Chris Pratt,
Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Tiffany Haddish, Stephanie Beatriz, Alison Brie,
Nick Offerman, Charlie Day, Maya Rudolph, Will Ferrell, Jadon Sand, Brooklynn
Prince, Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Richard Ayoade, Ben Schwartz, Noel
Fielding, Jason Momoa, Cobie Smulders, Ike Barinholtz, Ralph Fiennes, Will
Forte, Jimmy O. Yang, Jorma Taccone, Bruce Willis
Description: It’s been
five years since everything was awesome and the citizens are facing a huge new
threat: Lego Duplo invaders from outer space, wrecking everything faster than
they can rebuild.
I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2021 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 5: AN ANIMATED MOVIE
Review: The makers of “The Lego Movie” proved that it is not necessarily a bad
idea to base a film on famous toys. The animated film by directing duo Phil
Lord and Christopher Miller combined the Danish construction toys that we all
grew up with, with a charming story about the good-natured builder Emmet who
took on Lord Business.
This was accompanied by
wonderfully wooden animations and a world built almost entirely from Lego bricks.
You could, so to speak, rebuild and recreate it with your own Legos. After many
mediocre animated series, the successful approach of “The Lego Movie” provided
the foundation for a number of Lego movies, including “The Lego Batman Movie”
and “The Lego Ninjago Movie”.
A sequel to the movie that
started it all was inevitable. It is to the credit of the makers that they did
not continue in the same vein and even left out some of the characters from the
first film. However, you are immediately and hastily thrown into the story. Apparently
Brickburg has not fared very well. The Lego world has been attacked by the cute
looking but aggressive Duplos.
Five years later, the
building world isn’t exactly looking good. Brickburg is a dilapidated, run-down
town where Emmet may still score his favorite coffee, but it still looks most
like a location from “Mad Max”. The sight of a collapsed Statue of Liberty in
what is now called Apocalypseburg brings back memories of “The Planet of the
Apes”. When Emmet’s friends including Unikitty and Lcuy are kidnapped by the
evil shape-shifting Queen Watevra Wa’Nabi, the orange-clad good guy has to
spring into action.
But is Emmet really a hero or
is he mostly goot at being loyal and being the best friend, according to the
reading of the once Wylstyle known Lucy. In his mission to save his friends from
the slimy but seemingly evil alien queen, Emmet comes face to face and side by
side with the megalomaniac and tough Rex who is the antitheses in everything. Emmet
wants nothing more than to also be as tough and heroic as his new friend.
Where the first film
adventure around the popular toy still revolved around different Lego worlds
and the jokes around their use, “The Lego Movie 2” is more universal in scope
and theme. The question of who is a hero or a loser could have been inserted
into practically any family film. On top of that, the story is messier and less
straightforward. Emmet had the simple task of rescuing his friends, which at
best results in some reflections on right and wrong.
The result is a series of
artifacts and a new catchy song. In short, more of the same. In terms of color
and tone, this second film is a lot more gloomy and does explore new territory,
but the humor doesn’t hit as hard as its predecessor. In terms of plot, it all
could have been a lot more original, but the characters and animations are
again of high quality. The result is a wild roller coaster ride that
occasionally comes to a halt and is more than a vehicle to sell merchandise.
Rating: 3,5/
5
