It was always going to be a big task to live up to the awesomeness of The Lego Movie – but could the sequel pull it off?
Well, not… quite, at least according to the first reviews of The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part.
Firstly, critics aren’t saying it's bad, though the verdict is pretty lukewarm on the whole, with many calling it inferior to the 2014 original – especially given how much it had to live up to.
While many think it doesn’t quite recapture the first movie's magic, there is some praise for the sequel tackling more mature themes than its predecessor and building on (geddit?) what the first movie started.
Here's what the critics are saying:
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"It takes a while for the film to get there, but when it arrives it's something that many viewers will identify with, adding emotional depth to the franchise's madcap comedy. Like its namesake, The Lego Movie 2 takes everything good about the first film and adds to it. Lord, Miller, Mitchell and their team have cemented this as the kids movie franchise to beat, and they didn't have to use any glue to do it."
"Ultimately, The Lego Movie 2 is very much a continuation from the first movie that builds off The Lego Movie in compelling ways, tackling more mature themes but maintaining the original's innocence and humour. The sequel also plays with the dynamic of The Lego Movie in an interesting way, offering its own commentary on the tropes that were included in the first film.
"Additionally, The Second Part subverts expectations in terms of certain characters and its status as a family-friendly animated feature in an incredibly meta way, providing a refreshingly new movie experience. Altogether, it's both what fans might expect from a sequel to The Lego Movie and completely unexpected, with The Lego Movie 2 offering some smart surprises in the follow-up."
"Much like the toys on which the films are based, these are stories about connecting, not just with our loved ones but with ourselves as well. The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part is a delightful all-ages adventure with the potential to reach even the most cynical and weary of us. And if you’re toe-tapping your way out thanks to the catchy tunes and vivid imagery, then maybe, just maybe, everything else can be awesome too."
"The Lego Movie 2 ought to have raised the bar, and while it’s faster, denser, and jam-packed with all sorts of catchy new songs (including one, 'Catchy Song', that’s insidiously engineered to get stuck inside your head), all that energy only goes so far to cover for the wobblier foundation on which this film is built. At the most basic level, it was a bad call to treat li’l Bianca as a villain when what she really represents is an extreme case of Finn’s own approach."
"Everything you probably loved about the first Lego Movie is here. And your kids (and my kids) will gobble it up with an ear-to-ear smile on their faces. But as entertaining as The Lego Movie 2 ends up being — and let’s be clear, it’s still better than 99 percent of its competition — there’s something missing: that white-hot spark of insane creativity and out-of-the-box novelty that made the first Lego Movie such an unexpected, revolutionary surprise. Everything is still awesome. Just a little bit less so."
"To be sure, The Lego Movie 2 is a lot of fun. If you loved the first movie or just need something to see in theaters, it won’t disappoint. It neatly subverts a bunch of the issues the first movie had, particularly when it came to how that movie portrayed its women characters. But it also loses a little something in terms of expectations versus reality. In 2014, a movie based on Legos seemed like such a stupid idea. In 2019, we know better. The bar is higher, and Lego Movie 2 doesn’t clear it with nearly as much ease."
"The Lego Movie 2 isn’t quite as funny or as brilliantly executed as the original, but it’s an ambitious, likeable sequel. Kids will enjoy it and adults will appreciate that the filmmakers took it seriously, and tried to say something meaningful. Just don’t think about it too much, because the Lego universe is often weird and confusing."
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Sam is a freelance reporter and sub-editor who has a particular interest in movies, TV and music. After completing a journalism Masters at City University, London, Sam joined Digital Spy as a reporter, and has also freelanced for publications such as NME and Screen International. Sam, who also has a degree in Film, can wax lyrical about everything from Lord of the Rings to Love Is Blind, and is equally in his element crossing every 't' and dotting every 'i' as a sub-editor.
