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"The LEGO Movie 2" review

A comically good time for all ages.
Credit: Warner Bros.

At first glance at “The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part”, I found myself wanting to run from the theater, but as the screening continued, I found myself more and more entertained by the computer-animated adventure comedy. My thoughts parallel the general consensus among critics that while this sequel is not as good as the original, it’s still a comically good time for all ages.

Picking up five years after the first movie, real-life siblings Finn and Bianca begin to fight over who gets to play with their Lego toys, thus creating metaphorical turmoil in the imaginary Lego universe. As things get worse in the fictional, animated Lego land, an alien army begins to destroy the town of Bricksburg and captures several of its citizens, including Batman (Will Arnett), Lucy (Elizabeth Banks), Benny (Charlie Day), Metalbeard (Nick Offerman) and Unikitty (Alison Brie). Kind-hearted rookie Master Builder, Emmet Brickowski (Chris Pratt), looking to prove himself, travels to space and faces more than one obstacle on a quest to save his friends.

I actually didn’t see “The Lego Movie” back in 2014, which was probably why I had initial reserves over the quality of the second film. Having seen and been a fan of “The Lego Batman Movie”, one of the franchise’s spin-offs, and acknowledging the growing popularity of these Lego films, I decided to give the new movie a shot. At first, I found myself bored and unable to really get into the characters and storyline, but as I stayed through the rest of the film, I found myself increasingly amused and enjoying the experience.

Credit: Warner Bros.

One of the best aspects of these films is that just about any audience can get into it. Whether you’re a small child who simply enjoys the fun animated adventure or an adult (who may or may not still have the mind of a child) who can appreciate all the movie, sports, and pop culture related references, the film has much to offer. The film does have its share of cheesy and over the top moments, border lining on spoof-parody territory, but if you can pick up on even some of the jokes, you’ll find material that’s quite clever.

In regards to the parodied content, the film gives nods to multiple characters from DC Comics, such as Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman, along with seemingly random references to Abraham Lincoln, “The Lord of the Rings”, “Mary Poppins”, “The Wizard of Oz”, and even pro basketball. Chris Pratt also voices a character known as Rex Dangervest, a galaxy-defending archaeologist, cowboy and raptor trainer - a play on Pratt’s characters from “Guardians of the Galaxy”, “Jurassic World”, and “The Magnificent Seven” remake.

I still think “The Lego Batman Movie” has been my favorite Lego movie, but it’s hard to deny the box office success and popularity of these films overall. Whether you’re a fan of this franchise or simply looking for an all around good time that you can take your kids to, “The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part” is now playing in theaters.

“The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part” is rated PG for some rude humor. Running time is 1 hour and 46 minutes.

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