The Lego Movie 2: The Superficialities of Maturity

This video's content falls under critical or film studies, containing discussions, deliberations, examinations, video essays and analyses of the thematic integrity of works of visual artistic expression by ways of some subpar comedy.

[IamMeHereSee]

Reminds me of a line from C.S. Lewis, which I will paraphrase: "When I am an adult, I will drop childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up."

[snivyservine]

The one thing I love about this movie, was the return of the cat naming gag. But, the reason I love that when Emmet calls Jeff last, he frowns and glares at that cat. There's a story there. Something happened between Emmet and that one cat in-between movies that caused his feelings towards this cat to go from indifference to dislike of it.

[redsnake]

I personally really liked rex he was really a perfect example of how it feels when you get to your teenage years for a guy "ya I don't need nobody destruction is awesome!" It was a light hearted edgelord that got a fair amount of laughs from me
That said the real life scenes got kinda weird

[tomboyhns]

I was more worried that Rex was gonna be competition for Wyldstyle’s affection and I was like DEAR GOSH NO! But it didn’t turn out that way thank God

[PaleoSteno]

I really hope it's not the last Lego movie because of the weaker box office. I love this series but I think we won't see these characters again because their story seems pretty done. I know there's that "billion brick race" in development but we'll see what happens.

[frauleinfunf]

When I saw this movie, it was on a Friday night in downtown Manhattan, and somewhat unsurprisingly the theater was mostly comprised of people in their 20s and 30s. With everything that's been going on in the world lately that makes it feel like the end times, especially for young people, I can't help but think we were exactly the sort people who needed this movie's message right now.

[anormalguy]

"Who Are You?"
"I'm Your Worst Nightmare!"
"You're me, when I'm late to school and I forgot my homework and my pants are made of pudding."

[arrash]

'Loving spaceships is my one defining trait!' XD

[svetlinpaunov]

The single best thing about the movie:
*”DON’T TOUCH ME WHEN I’M SPACESHIPPING”*
XD

[PredictedCyborg]

THANK YOU.
I'm so tired of seeing videos that disliked this movie or react to it as 'meh' - mainly because that whole "you're growing up, you can't like this thing you enjoy anymore" was my ENTIRE secondary school experience. So it really spoke to me. The film is Finn's coming of age story, dealing with how he's going to choose to grow up.

Rex is the way that it seems you have to grow up; angry, cynical, 'alone', being 'edgy' and hurting others because of it - while seeming on the surface to be the 'right' way and the 'best' way because of how "cool" you look. It's Lucy and Emmett that represent how to grow up maturely, and they have to arrive at that point by their experiences with each other and their experiences with other people. Rolling with the punches when things seem bad, not allowing it to destroy the hope inside you and working with others instead of seeing them as those you have to compete against in the 'real world' to get ahead.

So yeah, this film really resonated with me on a personal level.

[conkkkk]

The LEGO movie 2 had one of the weirdest twists of all time

[Obi-Wan_Kenobi]

The exploration of maturity is critical to the Lego Movie to be sure but I think there are many other themes in this film that both expand upon maturity and sometimes go off in their own direction. I thought I might as well discuss them here if that's alright.

First off there is a huge emphasis on family, specifically the relationship between an older and younger sibling. How the older sibling inspires the younger sibling and how the younger sibling is often seen as annoying but all they want to do is play. This is useful in comparing the more "mature" older brother to the younger sister but it also stands well enough alone as an exploration of sibling relationship (with a bit of maternal forces with the mom).

There was also a theme of creation/creativity vs destruction. Emmet was the creator but Rex was the destroyer. All Rex did in the movie was break things and he tried to get Emmet to be the same way. The only time Rex did build anything it was the time machine and even he destroyed already existing time machines. Rex lacked creativity. He represents the death of imagination we teenagers sometimes experience.

Another theme is the power of friendship. Rex never had his friends so he became hard, cold, and heartless. But Emmet did not because he remembered heard his friends singing. Emmet kept his heart open instead of closing it off, that is what the entire final speech was about. Don't let yourself become so single-minded and closed off to the world. There are amazing and caring people out there who love you who will make you a better person.

Let's not forget some themes of feminism vs masculinity. This is not touched on too much but many of the sister's toys were lego dolls and General Mayham had that speech about how Wildstyle was really the hero and Emmet took all the credit. That speech was wrong and it ignored critical details but I think that was the point. It was a commentary on how somethings can be twisted into a case study on gender relations/sexism when it's not really applicable. It's like "girl power" or "boys rule" taking to the extreme. Let's also not forget that the queen was named "what ever I wanna be". Sure she represents imagination but it was also about how girls are always told they can be "what ever they want to be". The Lego Movie 2 was placing a mirror up to society and asking us how we treat little girls and educate them in their formative years. It was reflecting on how be teach them about self worth. Are we teaching them the right was? The is left up to interpretation by the viewers.

Finally there was a theme of optimism vs cynicism. So many people thing that optimism and naive and childish. They thing the word is a cruel, hard place and the only way to grow up is to make yourself hard like Rex. But the "Everything is Not Awesome" song reconciles optimism with an unkind world. Sure everything is not awesome, but it can be if we keep trying to make it awesome. Don't let harsh reality blind you to all the amazing things you can and should do. We may never achieve perfect awesomeness, but we do our best to reach that ideal if we keep trying. That is what optimism is all about.

And all these themes go hand in hand with each other. It really is about adolescence and what maturity means. Because what make us mature? Is it cruelty? Cynicism? Adult activities like alcohol or relationships? Is it independence or being so grown up we no longer relate to kids anymore?

These are the questions I think the Lego Movie 2 answers and sparked in many. And that makes it so ironic yet fitting. Legos are toys typically meant for children yet here they are talking about complete themes. It's a paradox of perceived immaturity vs maturity and I think that was the point. The Lego Movie is showing us that you don't have to be gritty, edgy, angry, or pessimistic to be mature. You just have to be you, be "the Special" and never let go of the awesomeness of your childhood. Be an optimist in a pessimist adult world. Don't let the world change you but rather change the world for the better and make everything awesome. :-)

[josephv]

"This song's gonna get stuck inside your this song's gonna get stuck inside your this song's gonna get stuck inside your HEEEAAADDD"

[CouncilofGeeks]

After seeing it twice I’ve found it like it better than the first for the same reason my partner likes Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 more than the first one: the feels are deeper and harder hitting.

[christrontherobot]

0:11 Expertly Constructed? _I see what you did there..._

[mariastephens]

The raptor character exists soley for irony's sake to be everything Chris Pratt while also interacting with Chris Pratt. It is a beautiful piece of strange creativity. Yet, if you're looking at him, without this lens, as a simple character, then yes ur point of view is quite valid

[Obi-Wan_Kenobi]

A fantastic review and discussion! You expertly summarized the difficult task this sequel had of measuring up to the first not just in terms of quality but more importantly in terms of novelty. Part of the reason so many loved the first Lego movie is because it surprised them. This initial shock of surpassing exceptions made their initial impressions of the movie better and these impression stuck with them.  

Consequently, expectations are extremely high for all Lego movie sequels and spin-off so people will judge them more harshly regardless of quality. Based on a few reviews I've seen, this is why people are not praising the Lego Movie 2 (and even the Lego Ninjago Movie) as much regardless of their quality. In these critics' minds the sequels are not as good simply because they have not surpassed their absurdly high exceptions even though the Lego Movie 2 is objectively good.

[zeethezebra]

Personally this movie was a bit of an emotional sucker punch for me because I was the older sibling who my younger brother seemed to just "annoy".


I understood before I watched the movie there growing up doesn't mean leaving or being cruel to the things or people you love, but it really it me in a certain special place.

[hopper]

Also, the exchanges between Wyldstyle and General Mayhem with the “You started it” is so god damn good because it directly represents the siblings blaming each other for, well, starting it.

[danielthelevel]

Celly uploads her Lego Movie 2 review at midnight! Who wants an animated movie review at 3 in the morning?

“Oh boy, 3 AM!!!”