THE LEGO MOVIE 2: THE SECOND PART (2019) ***

The LEGO Movie 2:  The Second Part will undoubtedly be enjoyed by kids.  Adults should like it too, although probably not as much as the first movie.  While it lacks the freshness and invention of the original (not to mention the out-and-out joy of The LEGO Batman Movie), it’s a solidly entertaining follow-up on just about all fronts.

Things pick up exactly where the first film left off with the clunky miscreants from Planet Duplo taking over Bricksburg, effectively turning it into a post-apocalyptic wasteland.  Everyone in Bricksburg is upset by this, except for the plucky Emmet (voiced by Chris Pratt), who it seems is oblivious to the devastation.  An emissary from Planet Duplo named General Mayhem (voiced by Stephanie Beatriz) comes to collect a sampling of the citizens and bring them before Queen Watevra Wa’Nabi (voiced by Tiffany Haddish).  It’s then up to Emmet to rescue them.

The LEGO Movie 2 is fun for the most part, even if it does sticks to its narrative a bit too rigidly.  The plot is OK, and it has a good message and all.  It’s just that it’s missing the same satirical edge of its predecessors, which will probably limit its replay value.  We do get one or two funny cameos, although that’s not nearly as many as I was expecting.  The cracks at Chris Pratt’s expense are pretty funny though. 

Once again Batman (voiced by Will Arnett) steals the show.  He gets a great duet with Watevra on a song called “Gotham City Guys”, which might be as close as we get to a LEGO Batman Movie sequel.  I especially liked the post-apocalyptic version of the character, which is something I wish we got to see more of.  Naturally, it’s Batman who gets the best line of the movie when he tells Watevra, “I’m a permanent bat-chelor”.