Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part 3D Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman May 9, 2019

It is by definition impossible to improve on perfection, so LEGO and Warner Brothers haven't really tried. The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part, sequel to the perfectly realized and executed The LEGO Movie, tells a more straightforward story of action, adventure, and zany humor that tries to wrench in a similar "human" theme that gave the original so much dramatic weight against the narrative's silliness. The result is a perfectly fun and agreeable movie that works well enough as a similarly constructed sequel but does not match the original for creativeness on both sides of the brick. The picture merely attempts -- often succeeds, sometimes fails -- to recreate the essentials without working too hard to take the material and the magic to another level.

Aliens have attacked Bricksburg. They have destroyed everything shiny, leaving the world a colorless, barren wasteland. Its been that way for five years, and the surviving denizens have re-dubbed it “Apocalypseburg.” The people have been toughened and hardened, everyone except for Emmet (voiced by Chris Pratt), at least, who still believes that “everything is awesome” and maintains a cheery attitude in the middle of chaos and dread. His girlfriend Wyldstyle (voiced by Elizabeth Banks) thinks he needs to grow up, ditch the song, and accept reality. But when the aliens interrupt Emmet's sales pitch for a better, brighter future with her, the couple, and some of their closest friends, are forced into a retreat. Wyldstyle and several others, including Batman (voiced by Will Arnett), are kidnapped and whisked away into outer space -- to the Systar System, to be exact -- where they meet Queen Watevra Wa'Nabi (voiced by Tiffany Haddish) who is keen on marrying Apocalypseburg's leader. Emmet pursues in his spaceship and along his journey meets Rex Dangervest (also voiced by Pratt) who is curiously more than willing to help save Emmet's friends. All the while, the threat of "Armamageddon" hangs over the LEGO universe.

The film is at its best in its opening act, playing in the literal sandbox of a decayed world with strong, obvious vibes of Mad Max propelling the look and feel. The film folds in a number of nice touches that hearken back to the original -- such as a scene featuring Mrs. Scratchen-Post herding her post-apocalyptic cats (including one named "Scarfield") -- that re-establish the world, as broken and upside down as it may be, and pit the ever-optimistic Emmet, who is still jiving to Everything Is Awesome, against the dead and depressed environment around him. But as the film transitions to its second act, with several of the characters taken against their will and Emmet joining forces with the mysterious Rex to get them back, the film becomes a collection of moments rather than a neatly assembled cohesive story, scenes stitched together with narrative connection but dragged out in an effort to cram as much "stuff" into the movie as possible. It's a delicate balance the first movie nailed. It flowed from one set piece to the next (Bricksburg, the Old West, Cloud Cuckoo Land, and so on) with panache and purpose, finding the film's beating heart and reinforcing its purpose with the surprise reveal. There is no such luxury for this film to fall back on. The truth of the world is established, and try as this film might to once again capture the human spirit in the real world scenes, it cannot.

The film is certainly entertaining despite the various difficulties it encounters and challenges it cannot overcome. It's appropriately colorful, the new music is catchy (though the film does smartly fall back on variations of Everything Is Awesome), and the characters are fun. The film thrives on weird and excess, which the film -- and its predecessor -- offers in droves. The worlds are colorful and glittery (even if there's not enough Unikitty). It's...fine. It really is. It checks off all the checkboxes with appropriate aplomb, from creative visuals to enthusiastic voice acting. It's just that gosh-darn story that gets in the way, a story lacking the scope, creativity, vision, and zest that defined the original. To its credit, the film doesn't try to be the original, or to reinvent it. It seems perfectly happy just rehashing bits and pieces to lesser result, offering more of a simple delight rather than a compelling experience.

The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part 3D Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Warner Brothers' Blu-ray 3-D release of The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part is good, not great. The image handles basic depth and volume nicely. Environments stretch as the photography permits, with larger vistas -- from Bricksburg streets at the beginning to gazes up the stairs from the basement to the main house in the real-world scenes -- offering particularly impressive length and a feel for any given location's size, which is particularly impressive given the smaller scale, but not smaller perspective, LEGO worlds. LEGO pieces that make up various characters, vehicles, and environments do find tangible, agreeable shape, which only improves some of the more interesting pieces and add-ons that make various characters appear more unique (like Batman's post-apocalyptic wear, as seen in the screenshot directly above). The 3-D goodness largely starts and stops there. Nothing proves unusually unique from a 3-D perspective; the image seems content to deliver the basics with appropriate enthusiasm but never pushing above and beyond to offer a truly dazzling experience. Pop-out effects are very few, with depth favored more than extension. A few moments that feel ripe for more intense 3-D don't deliver, such as perspective shots from the Systar Starship cockpit with various characters packed in. Colors appear slightly less punchy and dynamic on the 3-D transfer compared to the 2-D 1080p Blu-ray, but textural intricacies and clarity appear on par. The review Sony XBR65Z9D revealed fairly steady, but not usually severe, crosstalk effects.

The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part 3D Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

As is the norm for its 3-D releases, Warner Brothers has dropped the Dolby Atmos soundtrack found on the film's other releases (2-D Blu-ray, UHD) and included only the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Knock a point off for the exclusion. The track is otherwise fairly good. It's also a little low in volume like its Atmos cousin but once it's been upward adjusted a few decibels it finds all of the appropriate details, low end depth, musical immersion, and action excitement necessary to build a quality listen. As with the Atmos track, there's plenty of low end engagement with some seriously impressive rumbles and booms and blasts and pulses to enjoy. Surrounds are engaged with regularity for both atmosphere and primary element support, whether dialogue reverb or zipping action. Musical clarity is good and the presentation stretches the front end as wide as it will go. Dialogue clarity is a strength and location and prioritization are perfect. The track is quite good once the volume is adjusted. There's still a feel of limited dynamics in some elements, but kicked up a few decibels it's a fierce and fun track. Shame about the missing Atmos, though.

Note that due to home theater logistics, I was not able to review the 5.1 track included on the actual 3-D disc. This audio review is based on the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track included on a 2-D Blu-ray copy of the film, which should be identical to that included on the 3-D disc.

The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part 3D Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part contains a sing-along (plus) version of the film, a featurette, a short film, outtakes and deleted scenes, a music video, a commentary, and a collection of promotional materials all on the 2-D Blu-ray copy of the film. No extras appear on the 3-D disc. A Movies Anywhere digital copy code is included with purchase.

• Everything is Awesome Sing-Along (1080p, 1:52:26): The movie follows an introduction to the karaoke-style presentation. This also includes additional features like animated dialogue, pop-up trivia, a game of seek and find, a Unikitty cameo character count, and more. This supplement is only accessible under the "Play" menu option.
• They Come in Pieces: Assembling The LEGO Movie 2 (1080p, 8:49): Looking back on the original, crafting a sequel, this film's themes, new characters, voice acting, production design, digital animation, and more.
• Emmet's Holiday Party: A LEGO Movie Short (1080p, 2:43): Emmet plans a holiday party in Apocalypseburg to help brighten the place up.
• Outtakes and Deleted Scenes (1080p, 12:22 total runtime): Included are Crosswalk; Welcome to the Systar System; Rex Signs a Check, Autographs a Pic, & Plays Tic Tac Toe; On the Rexcelsior; Guards Animated; Superman's Crystal; Mayhem Saves Lucy; Lucy Saves Mayhem; The Video; and Justice League. Most of the scenes are presented in earlier stages of the animation process.
• Music Video (1080p, 3:29): "Super Cool" (Official Lyric Version). By Beck featuring Robyn & The Lonely Island.
• Audio Commentary: With Directors Mike Mitchell, Writers/Producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, and Animation Director Trish Gum. The track covers all of the expected areas of concern, including story, voicing, production design, technical details, and more.
• Promotional Materials (1080p): Included are In 2019 Be Whatever You Wanna Be (0:43), Me and My Minifig (3:00), Please Silence Your Cell Phones (0:55), LEGO Sets in Action (2:17), and LEGO Designers (3:30).

The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part 3D Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Whereas the first LEGO Movie felt novel in concept, sharp in delivery, and sincere in its secondary human story, The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part seems more content to just rework the same angles. Where the original played with an obvious zeal for the material and heart for its themes, the sequel feels more manufactured, built to capitalize on the branding and characters rather than to tell an essential story. It's perfectly serviceable entertainment, fun in the moment, and does have some cool ideas and catchy songs in its arsenal, but it's destined to be a footnote in the shadow of its colossally legendary predecessor. Warner Brothers' 3-D Blu-ray is, like the movie, fine, but not exceptional. Good depth and volume are apparent but the image is never spectacular or memorable in any area. Warner Brothers has one again dropped Atmos in favor of 5.1 for a 3-D release, but the track is rather good in this configuration. The 3-D disc adds no extras but the bundled Blu-ray offers a handful. Worth a look.