Score: B
Directed by Mike Mitchell
Starring Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Tiffany Haddish
Running time: 107 minutes
Rated PG
Long Story Short: The LEGO Movie 2 tracks the continuing adventures of Emmet, Lucy and their fellow yellow, plastic friends. If you've seen the original, then you'll know what to expect from this one, but, of course, that delightful sense of surprise is now gone. Unfortunately, the overall quality is also lower, even if it still provides some laughs and heart. Much more appropriate for a family audience this time, if that's not you, you won't be missing out if you wait for it on Netflix.
Not everything is awesome anymore in Bricksburg, home of Emmet (Pratt), Lucy (Banks), and friends. An alien species of bricks (Duplos) begins to stage devastating attacks on the city, turning the once-thriving metropolis into a desert-like Apocalypseburg. While Emmet remains positive and tries to build a quiet new life for himself and Lucy, his friends have all become decidedly gloomy and pessimistic. The Duplos, led by the fearsome warrior General Sweet Mayhem, return for a decisive strike and kidnap Lucy, Batman, and others, taking them to her mysterious leader, Queen Watevra Wa'Nabi (Haddish). The lone survivor, Emmet is desperate to rescue his friends and builds a spaceship to pursue them. He receives help along the way from a rogue, Rex Dangervest, but Emmet soon discovers that not all is as it seems in his expanding world of bricks.
The LEGO Movie 2 has a large, fun cast of voice actors, returning many of the leads and swapping in some interesting new voices. Chris Pratt is again the lead, as Everybrickman Emmet, and he is still great as the eternal optimist. His eager naivete is still a central part of the good-hearted humor of the series, although the character is tempted a bit more by the "dark side" in this one. Elizabeth Banks's Lucy gets a bigger role this time around, and her tough yet compassionate punk ably carries her half of the film's arc. Rather than facing emotions wholly new to her, she instead must confront aspects of her past she would rather keep hidden. Will Arnett as Batman, the scene-stealing third wheel, is also back, although having fully plumbed his "darkness" and narcissism in the first film plus his own solo adventure, there's not much new or interesting to his act. Tiffany Haddish is the most significant new player in the film, playing a strong, cool but rather cruel leader of the "bad guy" Duplos. While Haddish gets a starring role in one of the film's musical scenes, the film doesn't really take full advantage of her wicked, hilarious wit. Other notable returning members include Charlie Day, Alison Brie and Nick Offerman in roles as Emmet and Lucy's sidekicks, but they are essentially reduced to cameos here. Maya Rudolph also fills in nicely for Will Ferrell this time as the live-action human, a fair switch from the Dad in the original to the Mom in the sequel.
LEGO Movie 2 is a solid family film, built on the unique style and narrative framework of the original, but it also lacks the spark and finely-honed script of that film. Warner found a winning formula with the 2014 LEGO Movie, combining a bluntly silly yet smart humor with a good heart at its core and sturdy lesson, and the sequel's filmmakers hew as closely to it as they can - for both good and ill. While the original hid its real-world parallels until late in the film, this one shows flashes from the start, and is much more extensive in its final act. The idea, of sibling relationships, is simple but strong, yet the more overt way it unfolds is clearly intended more for the young ones this time. While the setup of the LEGO world element is interesting, the story flow from there is all too predictable. The lone exception is a significant twist around the middle, but as soon as it happens, it's quickly apparent what the new trajectory will be. In short, it lacks the moment to moment excitement of the original. Unfortunately, this combines with a script that tries too hard to match the frequency and cleverness of the original's humor. There are plenty of chuckles to be had, certainly, but there's also a lot of repetition in a machine-gun blast of attempts. Partly the film suffers from not having the magic combination of characters (e.g., Emmet and Morgan Freeman's wizard), but it's also surprising that returning writers/creators Phil Lord and Christopher Miller just don't bring their fastball this time. By all means, there is plenty of fun to be had in this sequel, including some new, infectious pop songs and accompanying party scenes. But what we have here is more an ordinary, don't-fix-it-if-it-ain't broke approach than a fresh or exceedingly well crafted classic.
---
The LEGO Movie 2 is a fine film, and my opinions on it are heavily affected by at least two factors. First, the inevitable comparisons to the original, which was such a surprisingly creative and high quality revelation back in 2014. It would have been extremely difficult for any sequel to live up to that, even if only because now we are expecting it to be so good. Second is that the sequel is clearly much more tilted to the younger end of its audience. Whether it is the repetition of the simple types of humor that sent the kids in my theater into hysterics over and over again, or the much more straightforward story and message, this is definitely more of a family film than the original. Which is perfectly fine - but also good to be aware of. But, as there are surely many, many more sequels or remakes of various franchises on the way this year, I'm hoping the next ones are, if not "everything awesome", then at least a bit more creative. Go see this one for sure if you have little ones; otherwise, no need to rush out to the theater.
By Source (WP:NFCC#4), Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=59960736
No comments:
Post a Comment