Susan Granger’s review of “The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part” (Warner Bros.)
Despite the title, this is actually the fourth Lego movie, following 2014’s introduction with two subsequent 2017 spinoffs – “The Lego Batman Movie” and “The Lego Ninjago Movie.”
This sequel is set five years after the first one. Live-action Dad (Will Ferrell) and his now-adolescent son Finn (Jadon Sand) are once again playing with the popular construction toys. But now Finn’s little sister Bianca (Brooklynn Prince) joins them.
But Bianca’s bedazzled Duplo-blocks create chaos for Bricksville’s animated inhabitants: ever-optimistic Emmet Brickowski (Chris Platt), Wyldstyle Lucy (Elizabeth Banks), Batman (Will Arnett), MetalBeard (Nick Offerman) and Unikitty (Alison Brie).
Bricksville becomes a chaotic Apocalpyseburg. When Captain Mayhem (Stephanie Beatriz) arrives, she’s ordered to bring five of them back to the Systar System for the candy-colored wedding of shapeshifting Queen Watevra Wa’Nabi (Tiffany Haddish) to Batman.
So Emmet sets off on a rescue mission, aided by Rex Dangervest (also Pratt), to find his kidnapped friends before Mayhem or the Bin of Storage.
There are several amusing cameos, including Jason Momoa as Aquaman, Channing Tatum as Superman, Jonah Hill as Green Lantern, Cobie Smulders as Wonder Woman, along with Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg & Bruce Willis as themselves, among others.
Director Mike Mitchell (“Trolls”) continues the slapstick/visual gags/pop-culture concept, including the redundant message about the power of friendship, created by co-directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, using real Legos. And they make it quite clear that Justice League prevails, since Marvel doesn’t return Emmet’s calls.
As for post-credits sequences, there’s a new song “Super Cool” by Beck, featuring Robyn and The Lonely Island with Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone rapping about how the credits are the best part of a movie.
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part” is a noisy, stumbling 6, indicating that, despite its plasticky shine, everything isn’t exactly awesome anymore.
