'The Lego Ninjago Movie' A Review

The Lego Ninjago Movie is an action/comedy the latest installment in the Lego Movie franchise. A young boy wanders into a relic shop and is told the tale of Ninjago by mysterious owner Mr. Liu(Jackie Chan). Ostrizied high schooler Llyod(Dave Franco) grapples with his father being the evil Lord Garmadon who perpetually attacks the city. The attacks are thwarted by Llyod and his five friends who moonlight as the Power Rangers-esk secret ninja force. Garmadon eventually triumphs but a monster is unleashed and the secret ninjas join forces with Garmadon on a quest to overcome it.

The aesthetic of the movie is predictably sharp and compelling, in keeping with what we've come to expect from the Lego Movies however the story doesn't have near the punch of The Lego Movie nor even the coherence of The Lego Batman Movie. The voice performances are all appropriate in keeping with the tongue-in-cheek tone of the franchise however there is nothing below the surface. The performances are all adequate but fail to form any dimension, part of the issue being the cast is vast and packed with stars, no time is really given to any character save Llyod whose arc is reductive and kind of confusing.

Inarguably entertaining because of the visual style and pumping soundtrack but the story(credited with something like 15 contributors) falls flat. Clearly re-written and edited into predictable cookie-cutter mediocrity the promise of The Lego Movie has yet to be recaptured.

Rent It.