Movie Review

The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part makes for a manic outing

When The LEGO Movie came out in 2014, it was an unexpected blast of pure joy. Written and directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, its combination of whimsy, creativity, and heart made it one of the best animated movies of that year. Following a couple of less appealing sidetracks into showcases for Batman and Ninjago, the LEGO franchise has come back home with The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part.

Unfortunately, the world that Emmet (Chris Pratt) and Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks) now inhabit is not as awesome as it once was. In fact, it has gone apocalyptic, thanks to an ongoing war with an alien race known as DUPLOs. The ever-optimistic Emmet makes the best of the situation, but Wyldstyle, Batman (Will Arnett), Unikitty (Alison Brie), MetalBeard (Nick Offerman), and more are on constant alert for more attacks.

One such attack comes from General Mayhem (Stephanie Beatriz), who kidnaps a handful of people at the behest of Queen Watevra Wa’Nabi (Tiffany Haddish), who has a nefarious plot in mind. Emmet must try to overcome his inherent non-combative nature to rescue his friends and stop the plot from coming to fruition.

As the LEGO franchise has gone along, it has gotten increasingly manic. The reason the first film worked so well was because it had a coherent story that enhanced the crazy and creative ways the filmmakers used LEGOs. Now, it seems that they’re content with creating enough chaos and referencing enough other pop cultural touchstones to distract audiences from the fact that they don’t really have a good story to tell.

The first film ended with the surprise discovery that everything we had been watching had been the imagination of Finn (Jadon Sand), who dared to play with the LEGO collection of his father (Will Ferrell). They’ve made things significantly less mysterious in The LEGO Movie 2, as the sibling rivalry between Finn and his sister, Bianca (Brooklynn Prince), is integrated into the film as a whole. The trouble is that their squabbles are not that interesting and also that any time spent with them distracts from the fun with the LEGO characters.

And, to be fair, just spending time with those characters continues to be a blast. When the filmmakers, which includes Lord & Miller as writers and director Mike Mitchell, keep things to a low roar, the charm and humor of the individual characters comes through loud and clear. Even when things are at top speed, enough of the gags land so that you can get the flavor of the cleverness they’re trying to impart.

The song “Everything is Awesome” played a big part in the first film’s success, and they’ve gone all in with the music this time, almost turning it into a full-fledged musical. None of them are the equal of that Oscar-nominated tune, but the aptly-named “The Catchy Song” and “Super Cool” make the biggest impressions.

You can’t really fault Lord & Miller and their team for going all out in an attempt to entertain us, but The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part is more of an exhausting experience than a truly enjoyable one. It’d be nice if they could go back to basics, but now that the LEGO beast has been unleashed, keeping things simple is an unrealistic expectation.

Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks) and Emmet (Chris Pratt) in The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part.

Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks) and Emmet (Chris Pratt) in The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks) and Emmet (Chris Pratt) in The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part.

Movie Review

Supergirl loses the sense of fun that Superman brought to DC Comics films

Milly Alcock in Supergirl

Photo courtesy of DC Studios and Warner Bros. Pictures

Milly Alcock in Supergirl.

The new Superman in 2025 brought with a renewed sense of optimism for, if not the concept of the comic book movie, then at least the DC Comics universe. After more than a decade of DC films that felt mostly creatively bankrupt, the leadership of James Gunn gave the story a sense of fun. That included the brief introduction of Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, who’s now getting her own showcase in, naturally, Supergirl.

When we first met her in Superman, Supergirl was in rough shape, arriving at the Fortress of Solitude visibly inebriated. Nothing has changed at the beginning of this film, save for her aimlessly traveling around the universe with her rambunctious dog, Krypto. One of her random stops puts her in the same bar as Ruthye (Eve Ridley), who is looking for help tracking down Krem (Matthias Schoenaerts) and a group known as the Brigands after they brutally murdered her family.

Kara is initially loath to offer aid, but when Krem shoots a poison dart into Krypto while escaping, her motivation goes way up, especially since Krem holds the antidote. Kara, with Ruthye doggedly following her, uses every means available to her to find Krem, a journey that is hampered by galaxies having different colored suns than the one that gives her powers, the yellow sun.

Directed by Craig Gillespie and written by Ana Nogueira, the film is a big step back in the fun category, not least because Supergirl is deep in her feelings for much of the film. Her personal trauma, which is detailed in occasional flashbacks, gives a reason for her depression, but fails to land fully. The story seems to want everyone to be sad, as it includes a child trafficking ring and multiple instances of families being murdered.

Milly Alcock and Krypto in Supergirl.Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

To try to counteract that downer material, the filmmakers give Supergirl many opportunities to show off her fighting skills. While still CGI-heavy, the action scenes contain enough of a semblance of reality that they feel exciting. Unfortunately, this is undercut by the inclusion of several slow-motion sequences, giving the impression that the filmmakers didn’t trust the actors to deliver the goods on a consistent basis.

Superman (David Corenswet) makes a handful of appearances in the film, and while his presence is welcome given how well the character came across in the previous movie, it also doesn’t allow Supergirl to become her own person. Almost everything she does is colored by either her cousin or her parents, and since her powers are identical to those of Superman, there is very little that makes her story unique aside from how she’s dealing with the fallout.

Alcock (House of the Dragon, Sirens) gives an appealing performance despite her character being drunk and/or moody most of the time. She definitely sells what Supergirl is going through, so if given a better story in a future film, she’s proven her capability. Schoenaerts makes for a pretty good villain, although he’s aided by a look that includes a face full of studs. Jason Momoa has a memorable supporting role as the bounty hunter Lobo, even if his character doesn’t add much to the story.

While not a full-on disaster, Supergirl does not continue the momentum that Superman started. With a story that’s more concerned with showing audiences death scenes than a hero saving people, the film doesn’t seem to understand the appeal of a character like Supergirl or how to make her someone audiences will return to over and over again.

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Supergirl is now playing in theaters.

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