The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part

Front Row at the Movies by Shirrel Rhoades

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When my son was a kid I bought him a video camera so he could make his own little movies. Many of them featured toys and action figures. His first was a short stop-motion film starring a plastic model of Godzilla that appeared to lurch across the screen.

This week I feel like movies have come full circle for me, because we have “The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part,” a feature film starring little toy Lego characters. Sure, this one is slicker than my son’s early-on videos, but at the end of the day it’s still toys being filmed in stop motion.

Directed by Mike Mitchell, this is a sequel to the three previous Lego movies. The franchise is based on Lego construction toy minifigures – like those you’d find in a toy store.

Reprising their voice roles from the previous Lego movie are Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Charlie Day, Alison Brie, Nick Offerman, and Will Ferrell.

A number of DC superheroes appear as Lego characters – among them Batman (Arnett), Superman (Channing Tatum), Wonder Woman (Gal Godot) , Green Lantern (Jonah Hill), Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), and Aquaman (Jason Momoa).

“The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part” is entertaining families at Tropic Cinema.

In this fourth outing it’s the toys versus alien invaders. Bricksville has been devastated by these Duplo aliens, turning the town into a wasteland re-named Apocalypseburg.

Always optimistic, Emmet Brickowski (Pratt) attempts to broker peace. After failing in this mission, his girlfriend Lucy (Banks) advises him to “toughen up.”

Shortly thereafter, Lucy along with several other Master Builders are kidnapped by the alien general (Stephanie Beatriz) in order to force Batman to marry shape-shifting alien Queen Watevra Wa-Nabi (Tiffany Haddish).

Finally toughening up, Emmet converts his Lego dream house into a spaceship and gives chase.

And thus goes the storyline.

Sure, your kid can pull out his Lego bricks and make up his own playtime adventure. Or you can take him to a Legoland theme park. But a ticket to this movie is certainly less expensive than a trip to a theme park.

Email Shirrel: srhoades@aol.com