General LEGO Movie 2 DIscussion

dannyrww

truck730 said:

Loved it as much as the first one can't wait to see it on a DVD hopefully with a minifig 

Target is advertising a preorder that comes with a "mini set".

leetshoe

The movie had the same plot as Fate/Stay Night. But it was way better because it was about LEGO people rather than big eyed anime people.

pxchris

Maybe these have been mentioned in the other TLM2 thread with spoilers (I'm not reading that thread yet as I haven't seem the film, though that is on the agenda for later today!) but LEGO announced three new sets (I saw it on Instagram first, but it's also on the Brickset frontpage now).

Love that double decker couch mech!

Aanchir

Lyichir said:

brianoblivion said:

TLM2 is lacking in most every department compared to the OG but most importantly it's missing the magic the first one had. It's not terrible it's just a mediocre follow up. The film's ultimate message of: 

always being true to oneself is at best trite and at worst pointless. How many kids out there are seriously contemplating betraying their core values so a girl will like them? Maybe i'm totally wrong but from where i'm sitting it reeks of lazy screenwriting.

I think you seriously might have misinterpreted the movie's message.

It's not just about staying true to oneself, it's about not mistaking cynicism and emotional repression for maturity. I think that's a very relevant message for kids (especially young boys) in the face of messages that sentimentality is a sign of weakness and that optimism and sincerity are signs of immaturity or naïveté.

Besides this, I don't get the sense that you really understood the root of Emmet's inner conflict in this movie.

It can't just be reduced to "wanting a girl to like you". Sure, Emmet wanted to be the kind of person he thought Lucy wanted him to be — but it wasn't just Lucy he was afraid of disappointing, but also all the other Apocalypseburg citizens, who had all seemingly "grown up" and become jaded and battle-hardened while Emmet maintained his sensitive heart and youthful idealism.

There are two things that make Emmet's relationship with Lucy a unique part of that equation compared to the others:

• First, if Emmet still felt appreciated by his closest friend, he might not have cared so much about everyone else's approval. The fact that even someone as close to him as Lucy seemed disappointed in him was what convinced him his cheerful attitude was a problem he had no choice but to fix.
  
  What Emmet was seeking from Lucy shouldn't be understood as romantic attraction or sexual adequacy, but a sense that she wasn't disappointed in him. Frankly, his behavior and attitude towards Lucy seemed pretty consistently chaste/platonic before, during, and after attempting to emulate Rex, and a case could probably be made that neither Emmet nor Finn are really at a point where they think of boyfriend/girlfriend relationships too much differently from friendships.
  
  
• Second, Lucy's closeness to Emmet also put her in a unique position to experience and communicate a feeling of loss and confusion when he does start behaving like the kind of rugged, macho action hero that he thinks everybody wanted him to be. We saw in The LEGO Movie that even as friendly and cheerful as Emmet was to all his neighbors every single day, he failed to leave any lasting impression on any of them by doing so. And in this movie, we saw that being "the special" didn't really earn him any unique standing.
  
  If Emmet stopped being as friendly and cheerful, it's doubtful that folks like Chainsaw Dave, Sherri Scratchen-Post, or Larry the Barista who'd already taken their own steps to "put away childish things" would have been as bothered by the "new Emmet" as Lucy was. But that friendliness was a big part what Lucy admired so much about Emmet, despite it being at odds with the edgier image that SHE preferred to present.
  

I think one of the big indications that the "get the girl" take is a little off is that it can ONLY really be applied to Emmet's emotional journey in this movie. None of Finn's distant and adversarial relationship with Bianca, Rex's misanthropic attitude towards everyone, General Mayhem's emotionally guarded image that kept her from earning the heroes' trust sooner, or Lucy's sense of shame about her past can be boiled down to "getting a girl to like you".

But they ARE all examples of characters who have largely closed themselves off emotionally in order to avoid seeming or feeling immature, naive, or vulnerable. And the resolution of the movie ultimately requires ALL of those characters to let go of that sense that that emotional distance or repression makes you a better person or a more effective hero.

monkyby87

monkyby87 said:

Gallandr said:

Hi, first timer here. 
I had a question. What is the Shimmer and Shine Spa set referring to in the movie? Are they appearing in it? 

Nobody is really sure what it refers too, but most people assume it's the scene with the spa, bath, massages, etc.  We don't know who will come with it exactly.  That's our most educated guess as to what that set is.

I'm sure you've realized this by now, but the Shimmer and Shine Spa Set has now been revealed :)

Jern92

This actually looks really cool!

Jern92

Recce

Recreated Emmet's Triple Decker Couch Mech.

mafon

Deffinetly weaker than the 1st one and the plot was very hard to follow with spoiler-travel and alternative-spoilers.

The only joke that made me smile is Lincoln's last words. Spoiler-cameo surprised me.

There were too many songs.

Lego-builds lacked imagination.

Film even looks worse. Don't know why. Maybe it's lightning, maybe overall design.

pxchris

^^ Very nicely done @Recce!!

And I thoroughly enjoyed the movie @mafon! It didn't quite capture the magic of the first one, but I still enjoyed most every aspect of the movie. I think that the entire plot concept was a perfect follow up to the first movie.

monkyby87

@mafon, I think I disagree with almost every single thing you said ;)

The_Stud

I feel that there wasn’t enough songs.

klinton

Right?! All of the songs this time around kind of kicked it up a notch, imho. The songs were all clever and catchy. I catch myself humming them often. I'll def toss this one on for background noise when it comes out on disc. 

I don't understand the chorus of "it's not as good as the first one" that needs to accompany every sequel. The story took the threads from the first film and moved them forward in a logical direction. The new characters were hilarious and interesting. The dynamic between the kids was a bit predictable, but then so was the Finn/father theme in the first one.

I thoroughly enjoyed it. I'll likely be going again this weekend. 

SumoLego

Empire Strikes Back... Wrath of Khan... T2... Dark Knight... 

ReesesPieces

Arguably Godfather 2 as well.

pharmjod

I don't think it was nearly as good as the first one either, but I enjoyed it. I have zero desire to see it again at the theater though.

Aanchir

SumoLego said:

Empire Strikes Back... Wrath of Khan... T2... Dark Knight... 

For what it's worth, Empire Strikes Back wasn't quite so well-liked by audiences and critics when it first came out:
http://www.acriticalhit.com/fans-react-empire-strikes-back-1980/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/review97/empirestrikesbackmartin.htm

https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/film/061580empire.html

The tendency of many people to think of it as the best part of the original trilogy really only came about once there was a complete trilogy to contextualize it. I can certainly understand why it would be frustrating for some viewers to watch a movie that is not only narratively a little confusing at times about where it's headed, but also starts in media res and has a cliffhanger ending not after but in place of a neater, more satisfying resolution to the main cast's predicament.

To be honest, part of what made the "The End" fake out in The LEGO Movie 2 so emotionally powerful was that sense that it briefly DID feel like an "Empire Strikes Back" downer ending where the bad guys win, one of the main characters is abducted, and you don't get to find out if the good guys can turn the tide back in their favor until you pay to go see yet another sequel. While I do think the LEGO Movie 2's dependence on the excellent setup that is The LEGO Movie makes it hard to call it a stronger movie outright, I was VERY glad that it found a way to finish with a decidedly happy/satisfying resolution, albeit one that still reshapes the status quo enough to open up the possibility for new and different stories if/when they make a third installment.

SumoLego

^^^ I tend to disagree with that.  There should be a different category for sequels that are equally as good as their predecessor.  I couldn't make a good argument that Godfather I or Godfather II are better or worse that the other.  It's an outlier in that way.

(It's like choosing between children.)

I don't put too much weight in audiences and critics.  Particularly audiences.  The fact the Fast and Furious and Transformer movie sequels exist completely indicts whether to consider audience opinion.

monkyby87

klinton said:

Right?! All of the songs this time around kind of kicked it up a notch, imho. The songs were all clever and catchy. I catch myself humming them often. I'll def toss this one on for background noise when it comes out on disc. 

I don't understand the chorus of "it's not as good as the first one" that needs to accompany every sequel. The story took the threads from the first film and moved them forward in a logical direction. The new characters were hilarious and interesting. The dynamic between the kids was a bit predictable, but then so was the Finn/father theme in the first one.

I thoroughly enjoyed it. I'll likely be going again this weekend. 

I agree with this very much.  I didn't expect there to be a lot of songs, but I was very surprised with them, and I enjoyed every single one.  I probably enjoyed the story and message of the first movie more, but I really enjoyed this one as well.  I found it just as humorous and cute as the first one. 

dmcc0

Saw the movie yesterday, and to be honest I didn't really enjoy it that much.  Can't quite put my finger on why I didn't like it though.  Nothing particularly wrong with it, just felt a bit forced in my opinion.

BrickByBrick

One of the new character's acting and first scene bothered me so much, definitely worse than the original 

Seriously the mom character was awful. 

GIR3691

All of the live action sequences were palpably awkward. 

Aanchir

GIR3691 said:

All of the live action sequences were palpably awkward. 

Wasn't that also the case with the first movie? I thought that was kind of the point. I mean, conflicts between kids and their families tend to be palpably awkward in real life, and so it makes sense for scenes representing those to feel that way too.

monkyby87

BrickByBrick said:

One of the new character's acting and first scene bothered me so much, definitely worse than the original 

Seriously the mom character was awful. 

Maya Rudolph?  I thought she did great.  She had a pretty limited role, and wasn't there for the emotional impact like Will Ferrel was in the first one.

terfsten

I just saw the movie last night and it's my favorite Lego movie of the bunch so far. I even like it better than the first one!

Gibbo1959

Saw the movie today and enjoyed it all. Expect I’ll use my voucher code for another cinema visit then watch multiple times once the DVD is out to catch all the in jokes and other references and very, very short cameos from certain characters. But will there ever be a TLM3?

Muftak1

Gibbo1959 said:

Saw the movie today and enjoyed it all. Expect I’ll use my voucher code for another cinema visit then watch multiple times once the DVD is out to catch all the in jokes and other references and very, very short cameos from certain characters. But will there ever be a TLM3?

If its profitable, they'll want to keep milking that cow

klinton

I finally got some Sewer Babies!




After calling my local Lego Store three times over the past couple of weeks to no avail, I actually ordered two sets just last day from S@H. On a whim, I stopped by the other Lego Store in the west island after work... and they had them. So I grabbed a set (I've been jonsing for these guys!). I'll have a bunch on Monday I guess, hahaha. :p

Cymbeline

I just finished bag 11 of Welcome to Apocalypseburg so at least my two sewer babies finally have a home!

klinton

Cymbeline said:

I just finished bag 11 of Welcome to Apocalypseburg so at least my two sewer babies finally have a home!

Is it not the wierdest build you've ever done? You constantly hop all over the model, starting bits of one structure and then leaving it unfinished until several bags later, then returning to it yet again several bags after that to add accent bits. I spent most of the build dreading having to apply the "Coffee Unchained" stickers even though the coffee shop was one of the first things you build. It was certainly an interesting experience, quite unlike any other Lego set I've assembled.

It was indeed the primary reason I wanted the Sewer Babies though. Despite all of it's brilliant little details, I felt it was missing... something... without them. I think I now have all of the currently available Apocalypseburg denzines, after getting the Sewer Babies pack. I'm just missing the escape car and the polybag with Lucy and the Duplo alien (there's just no such thing as enough Duplo invaders!), but niether of them offer unique characters. :D

Cymbeline

I'm really enjoying the build and yes I do agree that it jumps around a lot but I guess that makes it more interesting. My one disappointment is that the sewer babies don't actually fit in the sewer. They're marginally too big. I'm happy that I still have bags 12 to 18 to go because I don't want it to end!

Mr_Cross

My son bought #70830 Sweet Mayhem's ship. What a fabulous set! It's seriously weighty when finished, it's a great build with some fun/clever techniques used to acheive the shape. Not sure it's worth £60, we got it for £40 on ebay and it's definitely great value at that price. Highly recommend it... think I'll need to get some spare sticker rolls though.

brianoblivion

Lyichir said:

brianoblivion said:

TLM2 is lacking in most every department compared to the OG but most importantly it's missing the magic the first one had. It's not terrible it's just a mediocre follow up. The film's ultimate message of: 

always being true to oneself is at best trite and at worst pointless. How many kids out there are seriously contemplating betraying their core values so a girl will like them? Maybe i'm totally wrong but from where i'm sitting it reeks of lazy screenwriting.

I think you seriously might have misinterpreted the movie's message.

It's not just about staying true to oneself, it's about not mistaking cynicism and emotional repression for maturity. I think that's a very relevant message for kids (especially young boys) in the face of messages that sentimentality is a sign of weakness and that optimism and sincerity are signs of immaturity or naïveté.

I think you might have seriously overthought your entire approach to this disposable diaper of Hollywood product. This is not Pinocchio or Toy Story or even the first Lego Movie (to name a few of several) all of which are geared towards children and all of which have something valuable to say about the human condition. TLM2 does not have that kind of brain in its head. It exists solely to make money. This is in direct contrast to the first movie (or my personal favorite of the series-TLBM) which brimmed with the kind of joie de vivre and intelligence that can only exist in Hollywood with no or low expectations. The Second Part has the pressure of having to make x amount of money added to the pressure of having to live up to its forebears. It's so concerned with pleasing everybody that the movie, like so many sequels before it, ends up taking the safest possible route for fear of alienating potential customers. And so we get the easy moralizing in the third act.

I feel like i should add that my own 8 year old son loved the movie as much as the first one so he obviously got something out of it i didn't. 

SumoLego

I'm pretty sure the first movie exists to make money.  And TLBM exists to make money.  These are not thought-provoking documentaries meant to impart knowledge.

Odeinoichus

I found the film to be a huge step up from Ninjago, this film truly made me smile upon leaving. I have long held the belief that good movies can be built with a good story and decent creativity, this film works on a lot of levels which I felt complimented the original nicely.

Considering Batman referenced his own film, yet Ninjago was completely ignored, to the point where I don't think a single character even cameod in this film when Green Ninja aka Lloyd was a Master Builder in the original... yeah this film definitely has an impressive amount of enjoyable story to it.

It was entertaining, fun and had good set pieces. I certainly hope it does a good enough job at the box office that we can at least see one more of them from WB/LEGO before folks get tired of them.

monkyby87

brianoblivion said:

Lyichir said:

brianoblivion said:

TLM2 is lacking in most every department compared to the OG but most importantly it's missing the magic the first one had. It's not terrible it's just a mediocre follow up. The film's ultimate message of: 

always being true to oneself is at best trite and at worst pointless. How many kids out there are seriously contemplating betraying their core values so a girl will like them? Maybe i'm totally wrong but from where i'm sitting it reeks of lazy screenwriting.

I think you seriously might have misinterpreted the movie's message.

It's not just about staying true to oneself, it's about not mistaking cynicism and emotional repression for maturity. I think that's a very relevant message for kids (especially young boys) in the face of messages that sentimentality is a sign of weakness and that optimism and sincerity are signs of immaturity or naïveté.

I think you might have seriously overthought your entire approach to this disposable diaper of Hollywood product. This is not Pinocchio or Toy Story or even the first Lego Movie (to name a few of several) all of which are geared towards children and all of which have something valuable to say about the human condition. TLM2 does not have that kind of brain in its head. It exists solely to make money. This is in direct contrast to the first movie (or my personal favorite of the series-TLBM) which brimmed with the kind of joie de vivre and intelligence that can only exist in Hollywood with no or low expectations. The Second Part has the pressure of having to make x amount of money added to the pressure of having to live up to its forebears. It's so concerned with pleasing everybody that the movie, like so many sequels before it, ends up taking the safest possible route for fear of alienating potential customers. And so we get the easy moralizing in the third act.

I feel like i should add that my own 8 year old son loved the movie as much as the first one so he obviously got something out of it i didn't. 

Good god, who spit in your cereal? 

klinton

brianoblivion said:

The Second Part has the pressure of having to make x amount of money added to the pressure of having to live up to its forebears. It's so concerned with pleasing everybody that the movie, like so many sequels before it, ends up taking the safest possible route for fear of alienating potential customers. And so we get the easy moralizing in the third act.

While I'll agree that it didn't feel as profound as the first one, I don't agree that this is due to them 'taking the safest possible route'. It's entirely the consequence of revisiting familiar territory. These characters and their reality (in that they exist only in the inaginations of thd kids who love them) is no longer a game changer. You went into the cinema already knowing what seemed so revolutionary in the first film. 

The 'easy moralizing' in the third act was no more basic than Finn's dad's realization at end of the first film. It's just that we already know what's behind the curtain, so we're left with only the moral. Honestly, the moral here resonated much stronger with me, personally. I was fully in the sister's shoes as a kid, constantly trying to inflict my Transformers on my older sister's Barbie play. I legit lost it with the queen's wedding revelation (my friend was laughing at my ridiculous blubbering the whole ride home, hahaha). The through line of the sister's story made much more sense to me than the entirety of the first film. 

Also, the idea of stripping away gender lines in children's playthings may not seem terribly revolutionary to most sane people in 2019, but it's decidedly not the most 'safe' commercially motivated move, given the deeply entrenched puritanical world views of large swaths of the (essential) American market. If you look at almost any online discourse about the film in media forums, there are always comments about this film's "libral propoganda" and it's supposed intent to emasculate men. 

gt7319c

Did anyone else not receive their free tickets after submitting their qualifying purchase info and receipt to the free tickets promotion web site?  I never received an email confirmation after making my submission, but when I tried to do it a second time after making another qualifying purchase, the web site said my email address had already been used to make a submission, so I know the first submission was received.

dannyrww

gt7319c said:

Did anyone else not receive their free tickets after submitting their qualifying purchase info and receipt to the free tickets promotion web site?  I never received an email confirmation after making my submission, but when I tried to do it a second time after making another qualifying purchase, the web site said my email address had already been used to make a submission, so I know the first submission was received.

I got mine, but I had to write back and forth with the company managing the promotion a couple times. I got my tickets after I already saw it. Thankfully I got a chance to see it a 2nd time.

Aanchir

brianoblivion said:

Lyichir said:

brianoblivion said:

TLM2 is lacking in most every department compared to the OG but most importantly it's missing the magic the first one had. It's not terrible it's just a mediocre follow up. The film's ultimate message of: 

always being true to oneself is at best trite and at worst pointless. How many kids out there are seriously contemplating betraying their core values so a girl will like them? Maybe i'm totally wrong but from where i'm sitting it reeks of lazy screenwriting.

I think you seriously might have misinterpreted the movie's message.

It's not just about staying true to oneself, it's about not mistaking cynicism and emotional repression for maturity. I think that's a very relevant message for kids (especially young boys) in the face of messages that sentimentality is a sign of weakness and that optimism and sincerity are signs of immaturity or naïveté.

I think you might have seriously overthought your entire approach to this disposable diaper of Hollywood product. This is not Pinocchio or Toy Story or even the first Lego Movie (to name a few of several) all of which are geared towards children and all of which have something valuable to say about the human condition. TLM2 does not have that kind of brain in its head. It exists solely to make money. This is in direct contrast to the first movie (or my personal favorite of the series-TLBM) which brimmed with the kind of joie de vivre and intelligence that can only exist in Hollywood with no or low expectations. The Second Part has the pressure of having to make x amount of money added to the pressure of having to live up to its forebears. It's so concerned with pleasing everybody that the movie, like so many sequels before it, ends up taking the safest possible route for fear of alienating potential customers. And so we get the easy moralizing in the third act.

I feel like i should add that my own 8 year old son loved the movie as much as the first one so he obviously got something out of it i didn't.

I dunno, I have a hard time believing that intelligence can only exist in Hollywood with low expectations. If that were the case you'd expect movies like Toy Story 3 (massive studio, $200 million budget, third installment in a massively successful series) to be garbage with no emotional depth or larger message, while the REAL treasures of storytelling would be low-expectation stuff from studios nobody even expects great animated films from: films like Delgo, Norm of the North, Foodfight, or Igor.

And do you genuinely believe that Warner Bros had higher expectations at ANY point for The LEGO Ninjago Movie than The LEGO Batman Movie?

Baby_Yoda

brianoblivion said:
I feel like i should add that my own 8 year old son loved the movie as much as the first one so he obviously got something out of it i didn't. 

I think everyone did.

SumoLego

I got the impression that both the TLBM and TLNM were television or DVD productions that got budget infusions when TLM hit $50M on its first weekend.

There's a tremendous amount of lead-time that animated movies need for production.

Aanchir said:

And do you genuinely believe that Warner Bros had higher expectations at ANY point for The LEGO Ninjago Movie than The LEGO Batman Movie?

I think it was gravy.  Potential piles of money falling from the sky - and a boost in LEGO product sales to boot.  Despite diminishing returns, I'm sure both WB Animation and LEGO were quite happy with the returns.

But much like Solo, I think the compressed release schedule significantly impacted the returns on TLNM and TLM2.  People want one Star Wars movie a year - preferably around Christmas.  And they want a Marvel fix twice a year, and an Avengers movie when appropriate.

I get the sense a LEGO movie every three years is probably what the market will tolerate.  If TLM2 struggles to hit $100M domestically, we probably won't see another one.  And I'm sure they won't be rushing TLBM2 into theatres.  Considering that kids are in a 3-4 year window, you're looking for a new kids audience each go-round anyway.

(Maybe TLM3 can be like Toy Story 3 and explore disgruntled Emmett at a thrift store...)

vwong19

I took the family to see the TLM2 today. I am happy to support the Lego movie franchise and will likely buy the video release, but I thought it was ok... not great. My 7 yo enjoyed it, my wife fell asleep during part of it, I thought it was a bit repetitive and long, my 10 yo wasn’t excited to see it and gave no hint of liking or disliking it. My favorite character was the mom. I can’t wait to visit Legoland to see the basement scene in person.

J0rgen

I saw it last night, and I didn't think it was great either. There were still many funny jokes, but there were also a lot that fell flat. The story wasn't as interesting as in the first one, and the meta elements made absolutely no sense this time around. Also the songs were cringy, although thankfully forgettable, and the world didn't feel as immersive, or even as well animated, as in the first one. I did like the twist of...

...Queen Whatevra and Mayhem being terrible at communication and the reveal of Rex being the villain, but I didn't like anything that happened with Rex after the reveal. All the stuff under the dryer was stupid, although the real world fight between Emmet and Rex did look funny.

With the first LEGO Movie I went in with slightly negative expectations and was extremely pleasantly surprised. With this one I went in with a cautious hope that it would be pretty good too, and was a little disappointed. It's more of a kids movie than the previous LEGO movies, and I doubt I will ever see it again unless I have kids myself some day. 5.5/10

Mr_Cross

I thought it was a bit slow in places, but it kept my son and I amused. The worst thing was seeing Finn as an awkward teenager. 

The best line in the film was "Honey, where are my pants?"

I'd happily see it again. It was by no means the worst kids' film I've seen... 

ReesesPieces

I enjoyed that line as well.  Had to think about it for a second because it was the end and I wasn't paying attention.

GIR3691

The best line in the film was definitely "I think I finally get Radiohead."

redarmy

SumoLego said:

I'm pretty sure the first movie exists to make money.  And TLBM exists to make money.  These are not thought-provoking documentaries meant to impart knowledge.

I'm pretty sure if Sir David Attenborough (directed,voiced over or had anything to do with a Lego Movie)..it damn well would do! :-)

SumoLego

^ This is true.  I'd probably appreciate Transformer movies if he could do some closed captioning narration.

(Well, probably not.)

guachi

Saw it for free with the tickets you could get buying Lego movie stuff at shop@home. I enjoyed it but not as much as the first. I think my favorite part was Rex sounding like Kurt Russel.

It's worth seeing but it isn't a must-see. I thought the first movie was a must-see.