Another Lego movie hits our screens this winter with the eagerly awaited LEGO Ninjago Movie based on the 2011 TV series. I had the pleasure of going to Lego Land Windsor recently where Ninjago had its very own Ninjago world. Will this be the new Christmas craze and after watching the film at the cinema did it get my seal of approval? Read on to find out…
The Ninjago movie in short is about an orphaned superhero and his villain dad and again like the Lego Batman Movie it’s that bitter father-son relationship that makes this movie. Dave Franco nails the exasperated kid Lloyd, and Justin Theroux does the same as his tone-deaf supervillain dad, Garmadon. Jackie Chan plays the real life Master Wu and the voice of Mr Liu. He did well in the roles, also being the narrator throughout the movie, which the younger generation can appreciate, further learning to tell stories and using their imagination.
Being a fan of the Lego film series since the original Lego Movie in 2014 which I enjoyed immensely and also Lego Batman movie which I thought was the best one yet (and seen probably 50+ times thanks to my children!). However, the big kid inside of me was really looking forward to seeing the next Lego movie. It was a long wait for the release since finding out they were making the Ninjago film, but sadly I was left disappointed. I hadn’t seen the TV series, so the only time I had seen any Ninjago was the trailer and at Legoland but apparently this did not matter. The story was okay, but I expected so much more, thought if I had not seen the previous incarnations, it would have gone unnoticed. Don’t get me wrong, the movie was fun and there were funny moments in the film where I could not help but laugh, it was just trying too hard and the 90 minutes seemed to drag – for the adults at least. A very crazy plot but missing the thrilling excitement of the Lego Movie and a cliché of the previous two films, you do find yourself picking out the bad rather than the good.
On a positive note the animation is the best yet. Mixing both real life with animation worked very well I thought, and it’s certainly the best animation of the year. They were good morals throughout the film which, again, was good to see and plenty of gags to be had along the way. The kids were enthralled and not a peep from them, so hats off to the producers Kevin and Dan Hageman, they made an enjoyable animation. As with all animations, I loved the way the movie looked in 4K resolution; the colours were astonishing and punchy and the animation was very dynamic. Certainly one movie to buy on 4K Blu-Ray when it is released.
Overall, it’s not the greatest Lego Movie but it’s fun and enjoyable with good humour in parts. It is always a big task to keep the Ninjago TV fans happy and also newbies to the Ninjago movie like myself, but if you overlook the negatives and appreciate the fun, dynamics, animation and gags – plus the kids will literally be hooked to the screen – it’s a great night out for all the family to go and see.
Author: Paul, York Store
