Review #1,288: 'The LEGO Ninjago Movie' (2017)

It's highly unlikely that anybody was expecting 2014's The LEGO Movie and its spin-off/follow-up The LEGO Batman Movie to be quite as good as they were. The former came out of left-field and took a surprisingly anti-corporate stance in teaching its younger viewers that using their own, raw imagination to have fun will always trump sticking to the instructions, while the latter leaned on the popularity and gravelly charm of Will Arnett's vocals as well as DC's impressive roster of popular supervillains and supporting characters to create a ridiculously entertaining and eye-catching romp. The latest in LEGO's movie franchise is The LEGO Ninjago Movie, based on the popular Ninjago toy line and the various TV series, books and video games to emerge from it. Perhaps we've been spoiled, but Ninjago, with its three directors, six writers, and a noticeable lack of focus, gives the impression that this universe is already running out of steam.

The city of Ninjago is constantly under attack from the evil Lord Garmadon (Justin Theroux), a four-armed brute who lays siege to the metropolis with a variety of wild gadgets and machinery that would put James Bond to shame. Garmadon's son Lloyd (David Franco), who lives with his mother Koko (Olivia Munn), is bullied at school for being the spawn of the evil tyrant, and when his father phones him on his birthday, he quickly realises that it was an accidental butt-dial. Garmadon's efforts to conquer Ninjago are constantly thwarted by a secret gang of ninjas: Kai (Michael Pena), Jay (Kumail Nanjiani), Nya (Abbi Jacobson), Zane (Zach Woods), Cole (Fred Armisen), and the mysterious Green Ninja, who is actually Lloyd battling his own father. When he lets his emotions get the better of him, Lloyd accidentally released a giant - and live-action - cat into the city, forcing him to team up with his deadbeat dad in search of the 'Ultimate, Ultimate Weapon' to take back the city from the clutches of Meowthra.

Justin Theroux is easily the best thing in The LEGO Ninjago Movie, voicing the character with a similar growl to Arnett's Batman and getting all the best lines. He is an ego-maniacal and selfish war-lord, but his relationship with Lloyd (which he pronounces L-loyd) forms the heart of the movie. The film relies far too much on their bantering however, as the rest of the running-time fails to generate many laughs, despite the best efforts of Jackie Chan's Master Wu. Ninjago also has the handicap of being self-contained, without the blink-and-you'll-miss-em cameos from other franchises that added to the whole idea that you can do whatever the hell you want with LEGO and the results may just be wonderful. It's a noticeable step down from the two predecessors, but the message the film is trying to convey is a good one, in that violence is rarely the answer and there is always two sides to a coin. It's certainly the loudest and most action-packed of the series, so kids will no doubt take to it, but many older audience members hoping for another pleasant LEGO surprise will likely wish they'd kept this one in the box.


Directed by: Charlie Bean, Paul Fisher, Bob Logan
Voices: Dave Franco, Justin Theroux, Jackie Chan, Fred Armisen, Abbi Jacobson, Olivia Munn
Country: USA/Denmark

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie