First off, this wasn't THE LEGO Movie (And few movies likely will live up to that accolade). The Ninjago Movie was just a movie made with LEGO. If you've ever touched a brick you'll likely enjoy this movie. If not, you're less likely to.

This isn't a groundbreaking film. I doubt it's cannon for those who are familiar with the Ninjago story line, this is a big rewrite of events. But it fits that cozy realm of watchable and entertaining.

You don't have to be a LEGO fanatic to get every inside joke, but having the childhood experience of play helps. It'll make you laugh a few times, and there are indeed lots of colors. Why professional critics think that's a bad thing is beyond me.

This movie likely isn't for everyone. And I doubt it was intended to be. It's a kids film and stays comfortably in that realm while not boring adults to death - which is more than can be said about a number of other films for 'grown ups' in 2017.

Fresh off the success of The LEGO Movie and The LEGO Batman Movie comes The LEGO Ninjago Movie, about an elite ninja force fighting an evil warlord by night and existing as unpopular high schoolers by day. The kids are sort of like the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, in that each of them has a distinct color scheme and elemental theme going for them, like fire, water, ice(?), earth, and lightning(?).

The de facto leader of this young crew is Lloyd (Dave Franco), whose color is green and whose theme is…also green. (It's explained later.) Together, the team fights the ever-invading forces of Garmadon (Justin Theroux). The name of the city Garmadon wants to conquer is Ninjago, which looks like it should be pronounced like "Ninja Go!" but really is pronounced with the emphasis on the middle syllable: "NinJAgo." Anyway, the big secret that Lloyd and the gang hide, aside from their real-life identities as high school students, is that Green Ninja is – dun dun DUN – the son of Garmadon. Lloyd the teenager, on the other hand, is well known as the warlord's kid, and man does he bear the brunt of their ire. Kids sit on the opposite side of the bus from him. People boo him. He just has to deal, because it's what being a kid is all about, right? Now Lloyd, being a teenager, is just slightly resentful that he has had an absentee dad, so after one of the many battles with Garmadon, he takes things personal and unleashes holy heck on his nemesis. Oh, I should mention that although each of them calls himself a ninja, they're just kids in mech suits. Totally not ninja like at all. This leads to Garmadon coming back with a vengeance, and…well, I think you get the idea. Someone is going to learn a Very Important Lesson here.

And if that were all that was to this movie, I'd say let's leave it to the kids and never watch it, fellow grownups! But the movie does inherit a bit of the sly humor from its predecessors. Remember how, when guns were fired in The LEGO Movie, the characters would make "pew pew pew" sounds? During one long battle scene, Garmadon actually fires sharks from (presumably) a shark cannon, and each time a shark is shot one hears "dun dun dun" aka the theme from Jaws. Later on, a bigger enemy is revealed, one that dwarfs Garmadon in destructiveness – a tabby. As in a real cat. If you've ever wanted to see a cat demolish LEGOs that you didn't have to pick up, now's your chance.

I found a lot of The LEGO Ninjago Movie to be entertaining. What it lacks in creativity it makes up for in sincerity, as it never gets terribly maudlin. The characters are fun, and both Franco and Theroux really sell them well. Movie's good for kids. Rest of us can wait for home video, if at all.

It's amazing how far this franchise has gone on the power of post-modern yuck-yucks and an overall chipper attitude towards the cynicism of its central premise. The first film burst onto the scene with so much frenetic energy and easygoing glee that the kid in all of us rightfully celebrated. When the long awaited LEGO Batman Movie (2017) followed earlier this year, we all got a little older and a little wiser but nonetheless enjoyed it largely for its nostalgic qualities.

The LEGO Ninjago Movie on the other hand feels like a funny joke that you've heard three times on the same night. It's still funny but lacks the surprise from the first time and the sense of being in the in-group the second time around. Now it's just forced laughter jumbled into the same chock-a-block world and lovingly wrapped around the same old themes of daddy issues and struggling to work as a team. Are LEGOs a generational symbol for latchkey kids and I just didn't know it?

Ninjago however seems geared towards the younger set. It takes the same setup as the TV show (I guess), pitting a group of color-coded ninjas with building-sized mech suits against an evil four-armed warlord named Garmadon (Theroux). The kicker is one of Ninjago's heroes; the enigmatic Green ninja (Franco) is secretly Garmadon son Lloyd. A fact that makes Lloyd a social pariah at his high school and morphs the plot from the expected mech v monster setup to one with more personal stakes.

The personal stakes vis a vis resentments and eventual reconciliation are arguably the best parts of the movie. The antagonizing father/son relationship provides the plot with much needed complexity and impetus while also landing some of the most unexpected jokes. One reoccurring gag involves Lloyd's inability to catch and throw because (sob) he never had a father to teach him. It's a gag approached with the franchise's trademark absurdist glee guaranteeing that the kids will be none the wiser, but the characterizations still hint at unspoken sadness that adults are likely to connect with.

The franchise further bolsters its "something-for-everyone" style by parodying Japanese tokusatsu tropes and characters that most will knowingly catch. The sextet of ninjas is of course color-coded and, of course is given elemental themes that fit their personalities. Much of their quest is informed by a wise master (Chan) who speaks vaguely about this and that and of course at some point there's a monster that rampages through the city. Instead of being sincere about these predictable tropes, in true LEGO fashion, the film undermines and lampoons them to variant levels of success.

But despite a few good setups, Ninjago can't help but feel like déjà vu. Stripped of its genre trappings, its specialty bricks and its unnecessary framing device with a live-action Jackie Chan, Ninjago is left with many of the same things that worked the last two times. i.e. a self-effacing heroes journey where the story's twists and turns boils down to a secret f**k you to absent fathers. Add to that the sneaking suspicion that I'm not just being sold LEGOs but Ninjago brand LEGOs and it becomes clear the glibness of the franchise as a whole is starting to show its shortcomings. As far as kids movies released this year, Ninjago is pretty much on par. But as far as Lego movies go, Ninjago is definitely the weakest link in the chain.

'THE LEGO NINJAGO MOVIE': Three and a Half Stars (Out of Five)

Another computer-animated spin-off (like 'THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE', from earlier this year) of the blockbuster animated hit 'THE LEGO MOVIE'. It's based on the Lego Ninjago toy line, and it tells the story of six teenagers living in the land of Ninjago, that must defend their home from an evil warlord, by battling his monsters with robots and dragons. The leader of the group also has to struggle with the fact that he's the son of the evil conquering warlord. The film was written by a team of nine different screenwriters, and it was directed by Charlie Bean, Paul Fisher and Bob Logan (Fisher and Logan also served as two of the writers). The movie stars the voice talents of Dave Franco, Justin Theroux, Jackie Chan, Kumail Nanjiani, Fred Armisen, Abbi Jacobson, Michael Pena, Zach Woods and Olivia Munn. It's received mixed (to negative) reviews from critics, and it's also disappointed at the Box Office as well (it's done much worse, financially and critically, than the first two installments in the franchise too). I found parts of it to be pretty funny, but given how good the other Lego movies are, it's a pretty disappointing movie.

Six young teenagers have been trained by a powerful ninja, named Master Wu (Chan), to defend their island home of Ninjago, from an evil warlord named Lord Garmadon (Theroux). They have normal high school lives, but whenever Garmadon attacks, they must take on their secret ninja identities, and do battle with him using the help of robots and dragons. The leader of the group, Lloyd Garmadon (Franco), also must deal with the fact that he's the son of the villain their fighting. When Lord Garmadon learns that his greatest enemy is also his son, things take a drastic turn. The ninjas also must defend Ninjago from a giant destructive conquering cat.

The movie is definitely funny, in multiple places, and the animation is fun to watch too (like the other Lego films). It's also well cast, and I'm sure kids will still enjoy it too. The film also drags a lot though, in the middle of the movie at least, and some scenes just aren't very funny (or interesting at all). Unlike the other two franchise installments, the drama of the film didn't work for me at all either. Still, if this is the worst the Lego franchise has to offer, than it should be in good shape for a lot longer.

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OK after seeing the lego batman movie earlier this year I expected nothing but the best from this too and I will say that I was disappointed it had its moments of genies and funny parts but not what I expected or wanted I really had high hopes with the trailer and all but I don't believe its the best of the year though fun

I'm 15 years old, and I can honestly say that this was a good movie. Although some sections of the movie were definitely a bit dry, the fight sequences and voice talent surely made up for it. I've been a Lego Ninjago fan for a long time and this was a good refresher to the brand. Compared to the previous Lego movies, this might not have been the best, however when you compare to other kids movies- this is a pretty nice film. I do feel however that the other ninjas should have been given more of a story and much more character development.

The Lego Movie was fantastic. Lego Batman wasn't as good but was still pretty solid. The Lego Ninjago Movie is the worst of the three, but it's really not that bad.

The film looks fantastic, I watched it in 4k and the colours and animation look magnificent. The animation in the action scenes can contain a little too much judder but other than that I have no complaints on the look of this movie. The characters are fun enough. The villain has some good moments with humour that was to my taste.

One of its main problems is that it now feels a little repetitive and stale after the previous 2 movies. The studio really should be aiming to make them bigger and better with easy passing movie otherwise the franchise will run out of steam. Following Lego Batman with Lego Ninjago was always going to have an anti-climax feel to it.

I think Younger fans will enjoy this more than the adults. The dialogue is a little cheesy and slapstick which I found tiring after a while but that's not to say it isn't funny. Some of the jokes land, some of them don't. The morales of the story are a little cliched a familiar also, with its classic son and father broken relationship plot.

Overall, I found the movie flawed in parts and it was more geared towards children, but ultimately it was still entertaining. It gets far too much stick from reviewers/critics and because of this I went into the movie expecting to be disappointed, which I wasn't. Worst of the three movies so far but still worth a look.

6/10

I myself am a huge ninjago fan, I've been a ninjago fan almost since the series started, so you can imagine this movie is a dream come true, except I can't help but be sorely disappointed with this film. It doesn't live up to the ninjago brand I've known for 9 years at this point (2020). ( the film released towards the end of 2017). The Ninja characters except for Lloyd barely do anything in the movie, their characters aren't fleshed out and I really didn't feel for them as characters. The movie spent way too much time on the father son arc instead of spending time on other things based off the show that are more interesting. The Ninja also feel more like power rangers in this movie, they have vehicles that are way too big (however nicely modeled), and they attend high school. The arc of having a kid being hated in high school and secretly he's a hero has been done so many times, and even that is not touched upon a whole lot, only in the beginning of the movie. I understand this movie is trying to differentiate itself from the show, but these things just don't work for me. I will say, as an animated film, it's not bad. The voice acting is very good, there are a ton of funny jokes, the animation is top notch, and it has a couple of scenes I really liked. If you're looking for a nice family movie to watch at night, you probably won't hate the experience watching this movie, you might even like it. But unfortunately for me it doesn't work a whole not in a "Ninjago" aspect, however it's far from the worst animated movie out there. 6/10

"The Emoji Movie", an attempt to emulate the success of "The Lego Movie", was released just weeks before "The Lego Ninjago Movie", the third construct in the popular plastic brick film franchise. "Emoji" was a disappointment, whereas "Ninjago" continues the winning formula of the Lego series.

Many children will already be familiar with the Ninjago television series and, like "Power Rangers" (another recent film based on a television series), we have a set of heroes with their own colours and powers and, for those are unfamiliar with them, there is a quick exposition of the the six members of the Secret Ninjago Force. Like "The Lego Movie", the story is neatly book-ended by some live action.

"Ninjago" does not have the originality of the first film in the franchise, but my 10 year old companion really enjoyed it and we can be sure that Lego characters will be back on the big screen sometime soon.

Thanks to Phil Lord and Chris Miller, directors of 2014's extremely popular The Lego Movie, the Lego Cinematic Universe is in full swing. Earlier this year there was Lego Batman, now they're moving into kung fu territory (for the uninitiated: Ninjago = ninja lego). Resetting / expanding the story told through eight seasons of TV show Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu, six heroic teenage ninjas must defend their city against fire-crying, shark-shooting and egocentric-manchild Garmadon (Justin Theroux). Twist: lead ninja, Lloyd (Dave Franco), is actually Garmadon's son, and he carries plenty of emotional baggage on his missions to defeat his absentee father. Luckily Master Wu (Jackie Chan), Lloyd's uncle, pops in to help in amusingly random and cryptic ways. Although boasting some playful martial arts sequences and larger-scale action set pieces, both highlighting the cleverness of these lego flicks, this film is a comedy first and foremost. Going with the quantity over quality approach, everything but the lego sink is thrown at the screen in the pursuit of laughs. Puntastic one-liners, metaphorical gags, cheeky film references, and broad visual jokes are all present. For every hit there's a miss, which is a decent ratio considering the rapid-fire method of comedy and the relatively quick runtime. Meeting expectations without exceeding them, The Lego Ninjago Movie doesn't light the world on fire, however it does offer a solid big-screen option for the school holidays.

I loved the previous lego movies so I went in to this one not knowing it's from a TV series for small children. To be honest it does stand alone and if the kids in the theater weren't pointing out things from the show I wouldn't have even known about the series.

It does appeal to children under the age of 10 as the whole movie is written in away that makes it seem like it's happening in an 8 year old's mind. From the kindda corny dialogue to the super obvious "hint hint" that was happening... also sharks, why would a mech shot sharks and crabs at you.... meh whatever.

It was corny, it was a bit too obvious but in the end I wasn't the target audience for this movie and I still had fun with silliness and some of the jokes in it come at you from left field. There was more then one child in the theater pretending to do karate while the movie was going on and once the end song started so I'm going to say the they had their audiences attention.

A good movie for a family night with the little ones.

With The Lego Ninjago Movie, I thought it was going to be good as The LEGO Movie, but it turn out to be the most average LEGO movie I had ever seen with a misleading story, dull and boring characters and animation that's not enjoyable as the previous LEGO movies. I gave this Lego piece a 6/10 rating for being the your average Warner Bros. LEGO film.

When the ill-advised-yet-shockingly-awesome Lego Movie came out in 2014, it was expected to be an insipid toy-commercial with little actual filmic value. Thankfully, we were wrong, and even got a Batman follow-up that was nearly as fun and smart. Now, with Ninjago, we've finally gotten the needlessly obnoxious Lego outing we always expected. Neither as clever nor as fun as its predecessors, the childlike innovation of the franchise, and its commitment to authentic Lego brick usage, has largely taken a backseat to mediocre parody and generic morality. In it, a Power-Rangers-esque group of secret-teenage-ninjas-in-giant-mech-suits regularly has to fight off Batman / President Awesome rip-off Garmodon from conquering their city. As a disaster-heavy, giant robot film with cool effects, it's slightly better than Transformers because it doesn't take itself so seriously. Otherwise, it's fairly similar: indecipherable kaiju action, needlessly elaborate lore, and top-to-bottom weak characters. With 13 different credited writers and 3 directors, as a whole, Ninjago contains no interesting point-of-view, made with the uniqueness and clarity of a money-focused committee. However, it certainly has individual moments that work: the cat attack, the amputated arm, the list of fake ninja movies, the teen-robot, Kumail Najiani. Ninjago is essentially a spoof film, and its positives are largely humor-based. However, where the best spoofs are satirical, somewhat purposeful and reverent to their sources, the worst ones just come off as cynical and lazy. Unfortunately, Ninjago leans much more towards the latter, removing a Lego-brick from the quality instead of adding to it. It's not the worst kids movie of 2017, but in this absurd reality in which we live, I can firmly say it's the worst Lego movie of 2017.

The Lego Movie was very enjoyable, so was the "side" story about Batman, but this one is kind of not news anymore, yes it is a different Lego universe and yes it is fun for both kids and adults, but something is missing to make it really good.

Location, seating & time: Palads, København, Denmark - Bio 1, row 8 seat 1, 3 & 5 - 29.09.2017 at 16.40

This movie does not follow the plot of the TV show at all. My son was bored out of his mind. There was very little humor and very little plot. They should have spent the money they wasted on all the overpriced Hollywood voice talent to use the original voices and actually come up with a decent script.

I loved The Lego Movie and The Lego Batman so I went to see this instead of Kingsman but boy I made the wrong choice, this is a pathetic excuse to milk the so called franchise and make a quick buck on the success of other two. It's unfunny, unoriginal,a boring story filled with clichés and it's really not funny, there was only one joke that made me laugh and I'm an easily amused kinda person. I had high hopes for it based on the trailers but I don't know what happened? Characters were bland with same old background story which has been used a thousand times already. I'm utterly disappointed with this movie.

Where do I even start with this? I'm gobsmacked that the average rating for this is 6.5, although I expect that to fall as more people see it.

Pretty much devoid of plot and completely devoid of wit, humour, or good writing. This is everything the Lego Movie wasn't. I wanted to leave after 20 minutes, it was that bad.

My 10 year old son enjoyed it and some may say I'm not the target demographic, but here's the thing about a GOOD kid's movie: it appeals to everyone.

This 100 minute Lego advertisement is terrible in every way, with absolutely no redeeming qualities whatsoever. I'd rather visit a proctocologist than watch this again. Pure cinematic cancer. And Aids. And syphilis. I was praying to God for the movie to end and I'm an Atheist.

Recommended to absolutely no one. I'd rate it zero if I could.

I'd never seen an episode of Ninjago and had no idea what to expect, but this installment in the LEGO movie franchise had a killer trailer. Even with a fatuous Taylor Swift song attached, it was entertaining, mostly because it was about an orphaned superhero dealing with his jerk dad. It was genuinely funny, which is good, because I'm pretty sure I've seen that trailer in the theater four times this year.

And it's that bitter father-son relationship that makes this movie. Dave Franco nails the exasperated kid, and Justin Theroux does the same for his tone-deaf supervillain dad. I'd go so far as to say Theroux is right up there with Will Arnett's Batman, which is no mean feat. When you throw in the eye candy and creativity of past LEGO movies, this is a lot of fun.

7/10