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Category:    Home > Reviews > Animation > Comedy > CGI Animation > Action > Satire > Spoof > Cable TV > The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part (2019/Warner 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray w/Blu-ray)/Venture Bros.: Season 7 (2018/Warner DVD Set)

The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part (2019/Warner 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray w/Blu-ray)/Venture Bros.: Season 7 (2018/Warner DVD Set)



4K Ultra HD Picture: B+ Picture: B-/C+ Sound: B+/C+ Extras: C/C+ Main Programs: C/C+



Here's a couple of animated releases marking the return of two different kinds of franchises...



Back in 2014, a film was released that many thought would be a cynical stunt, two hour advertisement and disaster, The LEGO Movie. Warner Animation had already created several tie-in specials with various Warner properties, so even if it was not a cynical exploitation package deal, what would they do? Turns out they came up with new characters, added familiar ones and made a funny movie, as this review will bear out...


http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/12847/The+Lego+Movie+-+Everything+is+Awesome+Edit


It was so successful, Warner made it one of their very first 4K releases as well and it was snubbed by the Oscars just the same as the academy was not interested in what they still saw as a two-hour ad disguised as a movie, no matter how good. Fans cried that they did not 'understand' the film, but that was it and the inevitable sequel would get made.


The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part (2019) is that sequel and sadly, it is much of everything many thought the first film would be, but I was surprised how dark, pointless, flat, lame, lacking in energy, enthusiasm, imagination and on auto pilot this one was. There is also too much live action footage, nothing very memorable and asked myself 'this is the best they could come up with in five years'!?!


The result was a box office disappointment and home video is helping offset the financial losses, so this will break even, but the fact they did not try even a little harder is sad, especially disappointing all the children who loved the first and trashing the goodwill of the overall audience that bad sequels do. With increased competition from other studios, was it wise to do such a throw-away work? Oh well.


Extras include Digital Copy, Deleted Scenes, Outtakes, a Music Video, a feature length audio commentary track by Directors Mike Mitchell, Writers/Producers Phil Lord & Christopher Miller and Animation Director Trish Gum, a Sing-A-Long, Promo Materials, Emmet's Holiday Party: A LEGO Movie Short and They Come in Pieces: Assembling The LEGO Movie 2 making of featurette.



Back every few years itself, we have Venture Bros.: Season 7 (2018) and once again, it is mining older animation for laughs and its cliches, especially from TV in the 1960s to early 1980s, plus other immediate pop culture like videogames. You can get that from our previous coverage of these seasons...


Season 3 Blu-ray w/DVD

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/8473/Venture+Bros+%E2%80%93+Season+3+(Warner+


Season 4 Blu-ray

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/10872/Venture+Bros+%E2%80%93+Season+Four+(2009


Season 5 Blu-ray

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/12647/The+Venture+Bros.+-+The+Fifth+Season+(2013/


This new season reintroduces P.R.O.B.L.E.M., the PROgressive Biological Life Extension Module designed by Jonas Venture Sr. to prolong human life, eerily using the disembodied head of Venture Sr. when P.R.O.B.L.E.M. is taken over and used to hack the VenTech Tower, thus, the initial spell out obvious trouble off the bat and that kind of cynicism marks every season of the show.


I can see why some fans would see this as brilliant, though others like myself see it as obvious, but it is consistent in what it is doing and the fun is based on the premise of at least slight dystopianism. Cheers to the animators recapturing some of the older Hanna-barbera style and frankly, some of the old Filmation style where applicable. I have to be in the mood to really get into this and appreciate it all, but its fan following and continued critical and commercial success still makes sense and it is not just all thrown together as a package deal.


Extras include audio commentary from Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer, and deleted scenes.



Now for the playback quality. The 2160p HEVC/H.265, HDR (10+; Ultra HD Premium)-enhanced 2.35 X 1 Ultra High Definition image on the 4K LEGO is the only version that can show the full color and detail, especially in dark scenes, where on the regular 1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image Blu-ray, it is lost and even muddy in its own way. As noted above, I am not a fan of the look of this sequel and it cannot compete with the original. The sound on both versions is a Dolby Atmos 11.1 (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 for older systems) lossless mixc that is very active, but ironically has no major demo moments.


Venture has also been issued on Blu-ray, but we have only the DVD set for now with its passable, anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image that is OK for the format and lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 sound mix on each show that is just adequate.



- Nicholas Sheffo


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