By: Keaton Marcus

"The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part" brings back the original characters and dazzling animation--albeit at an occasionally disappointing return--the humor is top-notch, but the plot and cleverness of the original are somewhat lost. It is no question that main voice actors Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, and Will Arnett shine in the animated sequel--and the imagination and ideas have no limit; but the messy, almost chaotic execution makes "The Second Part" like a fun, though exhausting theme park ride that never quite works--however, considering it was made for the younger kids, the sheer cuteness of the film is a suitable, but not really successful diversion that lets the flaws slide--in some cases.

Back in 2014, we were unmistakably not thinking that a film called "The Lego Movie" would become a critical, and box office phenomenon that became a true modern classic for the younger audiences--clever, dazzling and boasting a solid voice-cast. The film even sprouted a franchise, including "The Lego Batman Movie" which debuted in 2017, almost catching up to the godlike original, and "The Lego Ninjago Movie" which is notoriously the worst in an actually decent franchise. "The Second Part" never lives up to the expectations set from the original, and really--not everything is "awesome" anymore. There are certainly better-animated films to stream on a fun family movie night, but the sequel does play out as a passable film that may or may not convince the kids to watch for almost two hours.

Comedic actor Chris Pratt returns to the sequel to play the iconic character Emmet, who has now earned his spot in the titular roles of animated films; the actor boasts enough humor and clever writing to half-heartedly fend off its flaws. Pratt has acted in westerns such as "The Magnificent Seven", to massive epic hits such as "Jurassic World" and "Guardians of the Galaxy"; and despite the ranging quality, there is no stopping his natural charm, wit and fantastic charisma with the remainder of the cast. In "The Second Part", his performance is one of the very few things holding the film up and is best the movie has to offer. What can I say, the actor is blatantly hilarious, and I mean laugh-out-loud type funny--one of the better comedians of the 21st century. The screenplay, mentioned before--is almost as intelligent, and hysterical as the original, showing off many funny jokes that are chock-full of heart and humor. While the flaws keep it very far from being a "good" movie, for a big family with little kids, Chris Pratt is enough.

The sequel also brings many new characters to the table, and generally, the other cast members are just as strong as the leading man. However, actress Elizabeth Banks returns to the leading female role Lucy aka Wyldstyle--truly, I liked Banks much more in the original--but the tougher, more badass side of Lucy in the sequel is almost as charming--overall, while not as firm, Banks does justice to the role. Otherwise, the remainder is really A-list for an animated film--actor Will Arnett returns as Batman, and actually, he is way more convincing than Ben Affleck in "Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice" or "Justice League". Actress Tiffany Haddish is a recent addition to the explosion of characters rolling at you the entire time--she plays a queen called Watevra Wa'Nabi who rules the planet Duplo (created in the live-action world by Finn's sister Bianca) also led by general Mayhem (Stephanie Beatriz). The really hysterical "characters" of planet Duplo have turned the once peaceful Bricksburg into a dystopian wasteland called Apoclaypseburg--the people living there have gone "dark" and "brooding", and are straight out of "Mad Max: Fury Road"--well, in a kid-friendly version (jokes, pratfalls etc.).

The final verdict is: "The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part" boasts solid performances from its charming voice-cast, plenty of ideas and delivering more of dazzling animation--even though the messy plot, story development, and characters never seem as strong as the original...$TREAM IT

By: Keaton Marcus

Box Office Info:

Opening: 34.1M

Domestic Total: 105.8M

Worldwide Total: 192.3M