THE LEGO MOVIE 2: THE SECOND PART Is Actually Very Christian
Editor’s Note: In honor of The 28th Annual Movieguide® Gala and Report to the Entertainment Industry, we’re highlighting nominees for the upcoming ceremony. The Gala will be broadcast at a later date on the Hallmark Channel.
Below is a portion of the review from THE LEGO MOVIE 2: THE SECOND PART, which is nominated for the BEST MOVIES FOR FAMILIES.
For the full review, click here
THE LEGO MOVIE 2: SECOND PART is a sequel to the animated hit movie THE LEGO MOVIE, about the LEGO Construction Toys that live in the basement of a human family. At the end of the first movie, the human boy, Finn, finally is allowed to play with his father’s massive LEGO collection. In the LEGO animated world, Emmet (Chris Pratt) has become the unsuspecting hero of Bricksburg with his kind heart and creative master-building skills. However, the world they’ve created is threatened when Finn’s little sister, Bianca, is given permission to play with the LEGO toys as well. This introduces the citizens of Bricksburg to a new type of toy, the Duplo, which comes in like an alien invaders and wrecks havoc on their civilization.
Five years later, in order to survive the “girly” Duplo invaders, the town becomes a gritty, post-apocalyptic world. Everyone in the world has to toughen up now, which is easy for someone like Lucy/Wyldstyle, Emmet’s best friend who’s a strong warrior and an overall pessimist. Emmet, however, is always happy and cheerful, something he makes known through his song “Everything Is Awesome,” which he sings all the time. One day an alien invader called General Sweet Mayhem arrives and captures Emmet’s friends, including Batman, Lucy and others, and takes them to the Systar System in space.
It begins to occur to Emmet that maybe his friends were taken because he isn’t hard enough. So, he builds himself a spaceship and sets off after General Mayhem to save his friends.
When General Mayhem arrives in the Systar System, Batman, Lucy and the others are introduced to Queen Watevra Wa-Nabi (pronounced two ways in the movie), a giant Duplo who reveals she’s chosen their fiercest leader, Batman, as her future husband, and the rest of the group gets to participate in the wedding. Obviously, everyone is horrified at this, Batman especially who more than anything in the world, doesn’t want to get married (because of his commitment issues). “I’ll always be a bat-chelor,” he tells the Queen. However, Queen Wa-Nabi entices everyone by bribing them with things they like and brainwashing them with happy pop songs that get stuck inside their heads and puts them into a trance.
Emmet goes after his friends to rescue them. Along the way, he’s saved by a mysterious character, Rex Dangervest, a galaxy-defending archaeologist, cowboy and raptor trainer (an inside joke about actor Chris Pratt’s role in the Jurassic World movies). Rex agrees to help Emmet go to the Systar System to save his friends, but Rex warns him that it’s very dangerous.
Will Emmet be able to toughen up and save his friends from the Duplos who are far too happy and joyful?
THE LEGO MOVIE 2: THE SECOND PART has plenty of laughs, action and plot twists that keep everything fresh and engaging. The writing is quippy, with many fun jokes, and hilarious pop culture references. Tiffany Haddish and Will Arnett are very funny as the crazy queen and Batman. Chris Pratt and Elizabeth Banks are also great as Emmet and Lucy.
The first movie’s twist at the end was the revelation that a human father and his son were controlling the LEGO characters and story. In the sequel, it’s no longer a twist, and viewers are given even more insight into who the human characters are. This time, the LEGO characters and their story reflect the sibling rivalry between the boy and his younger sister five years later. Their fighting is starting to upset their mother, who’s threatening to put their toys into storage.
LEGO MOVIE 2 has a surprisingly powerful sweet story about overcoming sibling rivalry with love, trust and understanding. The movie’s Christian, redemptive view of life is supported by a reference to the Love Passage in Chapter 13 of First Corinthians. Emmet, the hero in both the original LEGO MOVIE and the sequel, is a messianic figure who displays love. Emmet tries to make peace with the aliens by giving them a heart made of LEGOs. The live boy in the movie does the same thing with his sister. Eventually, love solves the plot problem in both stories. The movie also has a message against totalitarian brainwashing and re-education. This message is crafted in a whimsical, funny manner.
LEGO MOVIE 2 seems to have a light, politically correct feminist subtext that attacks “toxic masculinity.” For example, it turns out that Emmet’s decision that he needs to act more tough to save his friends is a mistake. However, this plot development occurs in the Christian, biblical context of the movie’s worldview promoting love. In fact, even Lucy, Emmet’s tough, independent female friend, has to discover her softer side. In the end, Emmet delivers a moving, uplifting speech, stating it’s easy to harden your heart, “but the toughest thing to do is to open your heart.” Thus, the movie’s message isn’t about “toxic masculinity,” but about compassionate love.
LEGO MOVIE 2 is a lively, lovely family movie, a poignant redemptive animated parable.
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