Michael Scott

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The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part


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Movie: :3.5stars:
Video: :4.5stars:
Audio: :4.5stars:
Extras: :3stars:
Final Score: :4stars:



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Movie

2014’s The Lego Movie was one of those “lightening in a bottle” type scenarios that just took people by storm. No one expected the Warner Brothers animated film to really be anything special, but it side lined everyone by being incredibly sweet, lots of fun, and filled with catchy music (seriously, besides “Let it Go” from Frozen, “Everything is Awesome” is probably the most annoyingly catch song in music history) to make for a wildly fun film. However, it’s really hard to top the first film (which was one of the few 5/5 films of the last 5 years) and Warner Brothers is up against that legacy. The Lego Batman spinoff was a fun bit of fluff animation, but it never really took off past simple entertainment, and the actual sequel to the 2014 film is about on part with the Lego Batman movie. It’s fun, full of bright shiny colors and catchy songs, but can’t seem to capture that incredible magic that The Lego Movie just captured in spades.

It’s been years since we saw Emmett (Chris Pratt) and his ascension to becoming a master builder. However, things have not been kind to the world of Bricksberg. Aliens have attacked the city and decimated with their constantly colorful attacks. The remnants of society have rebuilt into a Mad Max like state of apocalyptic survival in a town they call “Apocalypseberg”. Everyone has toughened up and gotten a hard hard but one man. Yup, you guessed it. Emmett is still the same goofy, carefree spirit that he always was. But when aliens come and abduct Lucy (Elizabeth Banks), taking her to a world far away, Emmett jumps into his homemade spaceship and follows these aliens to the “Systar System” (wink wink, nudge nudge) where the leader of the system is bent on marrying the strongest leader of Apocalypseberg.

The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part tells a much more straight forward adventure than the first film did. While the first film winked and nodded to the viewers who the real “string pullers” were behind the scenes, it really didn’t come out and spell everything out until the very end and people were surprised about the father/son story that the movie was really about. The sequel is WAY more blunt about it’s message and also incorporates much more live action human interaction as well. They pretty much lay everything out on the table and let the viewer know that this is about the young boy and his sister fighting over the Legos. And while this is all well and good, it kind of takes you out of the story more than once and feels pandering.
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The film is at it’s best during the first 30 minutes when the town of “Apocalypseberg” is fighting off the alien invasion, as it brings in all of the qualities and charm that the original movie had. When the location changes to the Systar System things start to peter out. The action is less dynamic, and the twist with Rex (also voiced by Chris Pratt) is seen a mile away. The one good thing is that there is ANOTHER song in here that will be certain to drive parents crazy as kids replay it time and time again (it’s almost as catchy as “Everything is Awesome”).

Chris Pratt is still great as Emmett, and Lucy is perfect too, but it’s really the direction and the simplistic nature of the story that keeps it from being awesome. I personally think that The Lego Movie was a one time thing in reality. The idea of the Legos having their own movie is pretty good, but no one expected The Lego Movie to be the giant success that it was, and everything past that has just been an OK experience and a constant reminder of what big shoes they have to fill. Is The Lego Movie 2 a bad movie? Not at all, it’s a perfectly entertaining family animated film. It just has a very difficult time compared to it’s vastly superior predecessor.




Rating:

Rated PG for mild action and rude humor




Video: :4.5stars:
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The Blu-ray is stunning in it’s 2.39:1 AVC encoded glory. The film’s bright colors just pop off the screen, and there is never a down time for the action to not having something bright and shiny flying across the screen. The Legos are always deeply saturated and full of vibrancy, but I did notice that the “real” world is a bit softer and more muted with its colors. The fine details are astounding as well, with every digitally animated Lego brick and every creation that Emmett comes up with showing off startling nuances and detail levels. The big ship of Rex’s is amazing with every little crease and brick showing up to count one by one if you so desire. The black levels are above reproach, but I did notice some color banding around light sources (such as the alien’s spotlight or the burn of a rocket engine as it blasts off). Otherwise this is a near perfect looking image.






Audio: :4.5stars:
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As with most newer Warner Brothers films, the 4K UHD and the Blu-ray share the same Dolby Atmos track AND have a 5.1 DTS-HD MA track in English as well. The only thing is, this disc doesn’t follow the annoying Warner pattern of having the 5.1 track selected by default. The Atmos track is actually selected as the default track so those of you who forget to check the audio every time they hit play won’t be sucker punched with the “inferior” 5.1 mix. The track itself is really engaging and fun, with the surrounds and overheads used to great aplomb thanks to the spaceship travel and constantly blaring pop tunes. The new songs literally rock from all angles, filling the room with heavy bass lines and great lyrical clarity. The dialog itself is well situated in the front of the room, and the dynamic range of the track is rather wide and spacious. Space ships crash and roar with authority, and the swooshing sounds shift directions at a moments notice. It’s a fantastic sounding mix for sure, and one of the best parts of t he whole disc.




Extras: :3stars:
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Everything is Awesome Sing-along – Sing-along, trivia, games and more!
• Commentary – Fun behind the scenes commentary by filmmakers
• They Come in Pieces: Assembling The LEGO Movie 2 – Featurette highlighting A-list voice talent including Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett and Tiffany Haddish
• Emmet's Holiday Party: A LEGO Movie Short – Holiday themed animated short
• LEGO Sets in Action – Animations of the LEGO product tied to The LEGO Movie 2
• LEGO Designers – LEGO toy designers highlight key play sets in TLM2 product line
• Outtakes & Deleted Scenes – Never before seen scenes
• Super Cool Music Video – Music video by Beck featuring Robyn and The Lonely Island
• Promotion Spots – Fun custom spots featured during the theatrical campaign







Final Score: :4stars:

I honestly think that we’re a little spoiled these days. 20 years ago The Lego Movie 2 would have been hailed a great animated kids flick, but we’ve been so spoiled with fantastic animated entertainment as Disny, Pixar and Dreamworks have flooded the market with great movies that anything short of greatness is considered “meh” anymore. Honestly, I liked The Lego Movie 2. It’s a good family flick and has a lot of heart behind it, but objectively it’s just nowhere as good as the first movie. However, Warner continues to impress with the home video discs as the Blu-ray sports great audio and video. The extras are right smack in the middle of the spectrum and the with the movie itself makes for a fun watch.




Technical Specifications:

Starring: Chris Pratt, Will Arnett, Elizabeth Banks, Tiffany Haddish, Alison Brie, Nick Offerman, Charlie Day, Maya Rudolph, Will Ferrell, Stephanie Beatriz, Jadon Sand
Directed by: Mike Mitchell
Written by: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 AVC
Audio: English: Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Core), English DTS-HD MA 5.1, French, Spanish, Portuguese DD 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish
Studio: Warner Brothers
Rated: PG
Runtime: 107 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: Own The LEGO® Movie 2: The Second Part on 4K UHD Combo Pack, Blu-ray combo pack and DVD on May 7, or Own It Early on Digital on April 16!
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Recommendation: Fun Watch

 
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tripplej

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Thanks for the review. Will get this one. Kids enjoyed the film more than I did but it is watchable. :)
 

Asere

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Same here, I will rent it for the kids. Thanks for the review.
 
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