THE LEGO MOVIE 2
Everything is ordinary
Taking the sequel apart, brick by brick. Watch where you step on the carpet, won’t you?
released 3 June 2019 | u | Blu-ray (4K/3d/standard)/ dvd/download Director Mike Mitchell Cast Chris Pratt, elizabeth Banks, Will arnett, Tiffany Haddish, stephanie Beatriz
Alongside some killer gags and knowing self-awareness, the biggest weapon in The Lego Movie’s locker was surprise. What looked, on paper, like a cynical big-screen toy ad turned out to be a funny, inventive breath of fresh air. It was also built around a final-act twist that transforms the way you watch The Lego Movie 2.
Because once you know that Bricksburg – now the more overtly sci-fi Apocalypseburg – is the plaything of an actual real-world family, every minifig action is viewed in the context of the kid “controlling” them. They’re less characters in their own right than pawns in a grander plan.
There’s also a more scattershot approach to storytelling that’s about as coherent as a bucket of bricks tipped over the floor. And while The Lego Movie 2 is frequently very funny, there’s an over-reliance on referencing what came before, a sense that the filmmakers want you to know just how clever they are. So “Catchy Song” (they’re not lying) feels like an unashamed attempt to out-earworm “Everything Is Awesome”, new action hero Rex Dangervest’s connections with voice star Chris Pratt are hugely overplayed, and the “rules” of the world seem constantly in flux. Still, if one good thing comes out of The Second Part, its post-apocalyptic stylings prove that Mad Max Lego is a really good idea.
Extras Seeing as one of the key building blocks of the Lego franchise is the theme of creativity, it’s fitting that the “Everything Is Awesome Sing-Along” viewing mode is a rare example of a film company fully exploiting Blu-ray’s potential. As well as on-screen song lyrics, there are numerous themed pop-ups, including trivia questions, a count of the number of Lego pieces used in each new creation, and a guide to all the cameos – particularly handy if you were wondering if that really was Velma from Scooby Doo.
Elsewhere things are more conventional, with commentary by the director, writers, and animation director; 12 minutes of deleted scenes and outtakes (rather closer to completion than is the norm on animated movies); and the usual promotional material. The “Super Cool” music video brings together the unlikely pairing of Beck and Robyn; “Emmet’s Holiday Party” is a three-minute short that feels like the writers bashed it out in two; and “They Come In Pieces: Assembling The Lego Movie 2” (nine minutes) is a fluffy Making Of that can’t live up to the majesty of its title. Buy the DVD and you just get “They Come In Pieces”.
Rex Dangervest names his Velociraptor army after ’80s action heroes like Ripley (Aliens) and Connor (The Terminator).