Lego Movie 2 is not only amazing, it's also the Solo we've always wanted

Confession: I was not a big fan of 2014 The Lego movie.

I'm not a heartless idiot, of course. I liked that. As for the duo of directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, I've been a rider since Clone High days, and at its best, The Lego movie I saw them bounce between heart and strangeness in a charming way. But the "surprise" revealed by the film and its reliance on millions of references to pop culture modified by Lego seemed like a crutch enough to get me out of my investment in the strange spirit and heart of the film.

I say all this before I say a word about The movie Lego 2: The second part for something to be clear: I absolutely lost my balls by watching this perfect, hilarious and steamy sequel. Lego Movie 2 That's all I hoped for from a movie with established characters and backgrounds, and his comfort with the gimmicks of the first movie means he spends less time trying to prove himself and more time to leave his varied characters flourish and explore a new exciting territory.

Moreover, at the end, I found myself plunged into panic sobs, absolutely enjoying his sincere message. Lego Movie 2 is a movie that clearly shows that, unlike the song of the first film, everything is do not always awesome – and that there may still be room for Emmett's joy and positivity in a world where even minis Lego suffer and struggle.

Reasons without seeing to see this movie

I will pay attention to the plot and the spoilers by talking about The second part beyond giving a perfectly reasonable hint to fans of series: this one picks up exactly where the suite-teasing Lego movie 1 leave behind. The universe in which lived the main characters Emmett, Wildstyle, Batman and their friends arouses new visitors confusing. The film begins with Wildstyle's dark and pessimistic narration, offset by visual gags that sum up. who is still here and how they are

The first apparent difference this time around is that there is no mysterious "Kraggle" plotter. In the first 10 minutes, references to the previous film, as well as the idiotic descriptors of the aforementioned new visitors, clearly show the "outside" factors that come into play in the story obsessed with the toys of the sequel. If you are 10 years old, you may not be able to catch the hints as long as the resolution of the film is not revealed, but in both cases they are not important.

Instead of, Lego Movie 2 is the rare family film where a perfectly obvious plot resolution feeds the emotional appeal. While Emmett and Wildstyle struggle separately to recognize their true personality, the film is imbued with a dramatic and dramatic irony that lets it breathe for what Lord and Miller do best: to be wise and considerate. 39; mind.

Each plot beat is orchestrated and timed impeccably, all at the service of lightness, ridicule and jokes in the heart. It could very well be the producer's most dazed movie to date, ripe visual gags, no sequencers and joke density. Think about how you felt the first time you saw a mini Lego waddling comically as an attempt to pantomime a human action. Now imagine that Lord and Miller become so comfortable and speak so well in this comic language that such gags occur all the time – and rely less on references to pop culture and more on sensitivities. Wackadoodle humor and early 90s. (Speaking of: there is a very obvious reference to Clone High long-time fans will be the most competent.)

I have the impression that there was a mathematical formula at play for the production team of this film. The filmmakers knew exactly where the "too funny" line was, and deliberately crossed it for a more deadly joke, then gave in to let the characters fill their lungs with the air of character development and empathy. This happens again and again, as when Emmett applies his builder prowess to the construction of nonsense or when a certain group of wild animals makes the ball comedy appear with the kind of comic impact which would give a "chorus" of Shakespeare the urge to immediately retire.

The character of Morgan Freeman, the elder wizard, Vitruvius, is gone, and Lord Business has taken a backseat, but I point out this sort of thing less as a spoiler than as an indication of how this suite s & dquo; Is developed from its sources. Instead of Vitruvius is a new "advisor" character, expressed by a surprise actor who does an agile job of pointing his best friend at once for the pleasure of comedy and character development.

And instead of Lord Business, we have a zany character, voiced by Tiffany Haddish, who was written and animated to let the actor go wild on his inimitable comedy brand. Whether or not Haddish is your cup of tea in the cinema, it can not be denied that it perfectly matches the character who breaks the tension she embodies. I look forward to seeing her play an uncompromised version of herself in a PG movie.

Duo> Solo

Moreover, since we are talking about this film at Ars Technica, I would like to leave aside a juicy idea: Lego Movie 2 feels very good as a response to Lord and Miller's dismissal of Solo: A story of Star Wars.

Lego Movie 2 includes a few takeoff moments in space and what could be perceived as an "interdimensional" discovery of new places, life forms and personalities. And as I watched marvelous wonders rubbing into action as so many jokes fell like delicious dominoes, I could not help but think: this did I want to Solo. With the roles of Lord and Miller excised, Solo devolved into a basic beating of intrigue beats and monologues. I always felt like Solo It was the film originally planned, without the influence of Lord and Miller, without a substantial part of "more" to fill the gap.

Lego Movie 2 fill this gap.

In terms of special effects and digital magic, Lego Movie 2 does not necessarily push back the technological limits. Which suits me. As in the first film, this suite tempers its synthetic image with slow interruptions in frame rate so that the results resemble a clbadic stop-motion adventure. Instead of pushing the next generation, uh, Lego rendering, Lego Movie 2 simply puts you in the shelter for breathtaking views of immaculately constructed brick buildings and thousands of organically choreographed mini-figs. It always looks cute in this way that dissipates so you can focus on the characters in front and center and their gags.

This song will become …

And, yes, there is another catchy song. (Its inclusion is in itself a delightful meta-universe joke.) But the mantra of the film's original song, "All is great," is also overthrown, and even typing it makes me feel emotional. I will not lie: everything in my home country, the United States, has not been great since the last Lego movie has come out, and this fact is not lost for kids and families who have to watch the headlines and count with weird fallout in a way that can be pretty traumatic.

In a certain way, some freakin '- how, Lego Movie 2 focuses his story on troubled and optimistic characters in a fantasy universe devised by PG – and again anchor his resolutions and his moral message on how to overcome this omnipresent fear, whatever his age. It's a film about survival in the modern political era without mentioning a single politician or a current event by name. They simply do not teach masterful tactics like this in creative writing clbades. Bravo, Lord, Miller and co.

All this – the laughter, the frantic pace, the feeling of hope that I can draw every time I think of the message of this film – make it the simplest recommendation for a film that I've seen since years. Run your little legs of mini-figs at the theater as soon as you can see The movie Lego 2.