'The LEGO Ninjago Movie' Review

[This review was originally written in September 2017 and is now being published to coincide with the digital home media release. For an explanation of this, visit my Fall 2017 Important Update post.] 

The LEGO Ninjago Movie centers on a surely standard teenage mini-fig named Lloyd. But as it turns out, Lloyd is not normal. His dad, Garmadon, is a maniacal overlord and Lloyd is secretly the Green Ninja, leader of a team of LEGO teenage ninjas who fight to keep the city of Ninjago out of Garmadon's grasp. When Lloyd decides he's had enough of his troubled life, he uses the "Ultimate Weapon" to try and stop Garmadon once and for all. Unfortunately, this "Ultimate Weapon" (a laser pointer) brings the fierce feline Meowthra to wreck havoc across Ninjago. It's then up to Lloyd and his friends to take part in a long, perilous journey of self-enlightenment to find the "Ultimate, Ultimate Weapon" so they can free Ninjago from Meowthra's CAT-astrophic claws...

The LEGO Ninjago Movie is essentially the third entry in Warner Bros. Animation's LEGO franchise of films, currently comprised of The LEGO Movie and The LEGO Batman Movie, and the one least reliant on a pre-established Intellectual Property. Sure, there's already pre-existing LEGO sets along with an animated television series on Cartoon Network called LEGO Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitsu, but you'll have no idea what Ninjago is unless you're a kid that watches the show and plays with the toys. In comparison to the previous LEGO movies, this was the one I was least looking forward to due to my unfamiliarity with the world and characters. However, I grew more optimistic in my anticipation for The LEGO Ninjago Movie because both The LEGO Movie and The LEGO Batman Movie were great.

The LEGO Ninjago Movie marks the feature length directorial debut of Charlie Bean, Paul Fisher, and Bob Logan with a script penned by a collaborative brain trust of screenwriters who I won't expand upon simply because listing the names of nine writers is a bit excessive. While the beat-by-beat plot points of The LEGO Ninjago Movie are certainly conventional and it's seems like The LEGO Ninjago Movie was carefully constructed using a LEGO Movie instruction manual for reference, the spin-off distinguishes itself by paying homage to martial arts movies of the past in the same manner The LEGO Batman Movie honored the Caped Crusader's history. 

I wouldn't go as far to saying The LEGO Ninjago Movie used this style to the fullest, but it certainly made the film more interesting in spite of feeling formulaic. There's very little in The LEGO Ninjago Movie that you haven't seen elsewhere, but the common quirks of the LEGO-verse ease the tirades of tired tropes. It's elements like the blend of a live action cat running amuck in an animated LEGO city that make The LEGO Ninjago Movie enjoyable. The LEGO Ninjago Movie is also bolstered by a tremendous team of animators with a keen eye for detail. Keeping in line with its predecessors, The LEGO Ninjago Movie bears resemblance to a LEGO stop-motion feature as every character exhibits the authentic movement of an actual LEGO mini-figure. At this point the animation technique has been demonstrated twice already, and I'm still astounded by the facets and features Warner Bros. Animation have to offer.

Meanwhile, Dave Franco and Justin Theroux stand-out most among the cast due to the amusing interplay between their characters. Even though the fundamentals of their dynamic have been seen countless times already, Franco and Theroux are able to elevate the satire of father/son relationships with excellent comedic timing that provides tiny twists on the typical connection.

Jackie Chan puts forth two performances in the film, voicing Master Wu in addition to appearing in live-action form as a sagely shopkeeper. Neither of Chan's characters exceed the accustomed archetype of the wise mentor figure, but Chan fits both roles well. Kumail Nanjiani, Michael Peña, Zach Woods, Fred Armisen, and Abbi Jacobson fill out the cast as Lloyd's ninja crew (Jay, Kai, Zane, Cole, and Nya), but are unfortunately just around to spout crazy quips and silly zingers. None of the characters are really fleshed out beyond this, so their presence feels very forced at times.

In conclusion, The LEGO Ninjago Movie pales in comparison to its predecessors due to a lack of a unique identity. However, despite the fact that The LEGO Ninjago Movie is the least well-constructed of the LEGO movies released thus far, the film is entertaining enough on its own right and holds itself together as a cute, charming animated feature. 

Film Assessment: B-