The first Lego Movie (that came out in 2014) ended with the Man Upstairs (Will Ferrell) coming up to an agreement with his son that toys are meant to be played using imagination. And in doing so, he also allowed his Lego toys to be shared between his son and his younger daughter. Thanks to this turn, while the inhabitants of Lego Universe are celebrating the fall of the dictatorship, they meet a new danger in the form of pop-music loving aliens with a Hello Kitty fixation. The sequel, The Lego Movie: The Second Part, begins right from this sequence as the Lego heroes go on a war with these aliens that will continue for years. The Lego Movie 2, Aladdin, The Lion King, Star Wars Episode IX - 30 Hollywood Non-Superhero Movies of 2019 We are Super-Excited About!

Five years later, the universe is now divided into two. The world where the heroes of the last movie, led by Emmet (Chris Pratt) and Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks), live goes by the name, Apocalypseburg. As the name suggests, nothing is awesome about this Mad Max-inspired post-apocalyptic wasteland. This situation is further complicated by the visits of the aliens from the other universe beyond the stairs, called the Systar System. The Justice League (sans Batman, who loves his standalone missions...geddit?) leaves for Systar to tackle the menace but never returns.

While Apocalypseburg faces all kinds of problems, none of them has affected Emmet's never-dying cheery spirit. Wyldstyle, who is disappointed that her boyfriend has not grown up enough, takes it upon herself to protect her universe. However, she fails to get herself kidnapped by General Sweet Mayhem (Stephanie Beatriz) from the other universe, who also takes along Batman (Will Arnett), spaceman Benny (Charlie Day), the robotic pirate MetalBeard (Nick Offerman) and the transforming unicorn-cat hybrid Unikitty (Alison Brie). Taken to Systra, Wyldstyle and co. find out that the Queen there, Watevra Wa-Nabi (Tiffany Haddish) is looking for a matrimonial ceremony and wants to marry Batman. While Wyldstyle is sceptical of Wa-Nabi's intentions, the others are in awe of the wonders of the new place. Ben Affleck Walks Out of The Batman! 5 Awesome Scenes of The Actor as The Dark Knight from The DC Universe - Watch Videos.

Meanwhile, Emmet, who keeps having visions of an impending Ar-mom-ageddon, decides to go on a solo rescue mission to save his friends. On the way, he meets a very roguish adventurer Rex Dangervest (Chris Pratt again) who idolises Emmet and wants to help him in his mission.

Okay, so how many of you had really low expectations from the sequel? The first Lego Movie was a complete revelation that made us ignore its promotional branding and indulge us in a very relatable and entertaining tale for those who loves toys and pop-culture references. It also benefitted from the quirky brains of Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, who delivered enough surprises, especially the unexpected but lovely live-action sequences.

For the sequel, hower, the director duo is rather content with writing duties, giving the reins to Mike Mitchell, who gave us Trolls and the droll Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo. The trailers weren't exciting enough, so I had really low hopes from the sequel. But the movie became what I always expect a sequel to be - a surprisingly good followup.

Of course, the freshness of the first film is lost, for sure, but that's something The Lego Movie 2 can't help. I also wish that the main characters never got split up too often, for some of the best laughs from the first film came off when the jokes bounced off each other. The gags based on puns (a character says 'Let's discuss the elephant in the room', and the next we see is an elephant) aren't very funny. Also, the derivative Toy Story vibe is hard to ignore at times.

These are very ignorable flaws, though. For, The Lego Movie 2 has a very engaging storyline, enough laughs and pop-culture references and an excellent voice-cast. The movie takes digs at nearly every damn pop-culture references that the first Lego Movie missed. From Warner Bros' defective superhero movies to Chris Pratt's career (Rex Dangervest has trained raptors to be his workers...which you know is a dig at the Jurassic World films), nothing is spared to eke out a laugh from you. And most of them work out well! Why, even the title The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part is a dig at those movies with unnecessary taglines (The Girl in the Spider's Web: A New Dragon Tattoo Story, anyone?) Every sequence featuring Batman, who continues to steal every scene he is in, is hilarious. Also look out for some of the celeb cameos, including a very popular '90s action star in his most famous movie character.

The premise uses some very popular tropes (not referring anything here to avoid spoiling surprises for you) to take the plot ahead. There are some pacing issues, right before the final act. However, the big twist and the climax bring the movie right back to its ace game.

I am also glad that The Lego Movie 2 didn't ditch the live-action sequences. It was this part that made the first movie so charming, though it cost The Lego Movie the opportunity to compete for, and perhaps even win, the Best Animated Feature at Academy Awards 2015. The spinoffs, The Lego Batman Movie and The Lego Ninjago Movie, ditched this technique. The Lego Movie 2 not only brings back the idea, but also makes it into an adorable bonding story. Also the inherent message of the film - the world can be built into a better place if we let go of our prejudices about our perceived enemies- is seamlessly integrated into the storyline.

The voice-cast is once again on an excellent form here. Chris Pratt is a complete delight both as the lovable, naive Emmet and the brash Rex, the latter being an extension of the characters he played in most of his recent blockbusters. Elizabeth Banks' Wildstyle has more scenes to impress in the sequel and she does a fantastic job in making the straight-faced hero with a shady secret so relatable. Will Arnett does a deja vu act in rocking the show with his hilarious quips as Batman. Alison Brie, Charlie Day, Nick Offerman and well as guest-stars like Channing Tatum (Superman), Jonah Hill (Green Lantern), Jason Momoa (Aquaman), Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman), Ralph Fiennes (Alfred) are all too good. The newcomers Tiffany Haddish and Stephanie Beatriz gel well with the old roster. Chris Pratt Assures Fans That ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3’ Will Happen.

While Will Ferrell is reduced to voice-cameos, another guest star, known for her comedic chops, makes for an entertaining turn here.

Watch The Trailer of The Lego Movie 2 Here - 

Of course, how can a review about The Lego Movie 2 be complete without any mention of the songs? The original 'Everything is Awesome' gets several reprises here. But there are a couple more funny songs too, like the one they play during the credits scene. Or just try to get the 'Catchy Song' out of the head! With lines like the repetitive 'This song is gonna get stuck inside your head', that's going to be one laborious task!

Yay!

- The Narrative

- The Gags

- The Voice-Cast

- The Pop Culture Reference

Nay!

- Not As Innovative as The First Film

- Some of the Pun Gags Could Have Been Avoided

- Pacing Issues Before the Final Act

Final Thoughts

The Lego Movie 2 is a very entertaining follow-up to its highly enjoyable 2014 predecessor. What it lacks in innovativeness, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part makes up for it with some hilarious gags, a twist-filled screenplay and an endearing conclusion. As the song goes, Everything is Still Awesome about this sequel! Go for it!

Rating:4out of 5

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 07, 2019 02:48 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).