The Lego Ninjago Movie

***The Lego Ninjago Movie*** is a 2017 3D computer-animated martial arts comedy film directed by Charlie Bean, Paul Fisher and Bob Logan. The film was written by Logan, Fisher, William Wheeler, Tom Wheeler, Jared Stern and John Whittington. It stars Dave Franco, Justin Theroux, Fred Armisen, Abbi Jacobson, Olivia Munn, Kumail Nanjiani, Michael Peña, Zach Woods and Jackie Chan. The story within a story focuses on Lloyd Garmadon, a teenage ninja, as he attempts to accept the truth about his villainous father, while a new threat emerges to endanger his homeland.

Based on the *Lego Ninjago* toy line, it is an international co-production of the United States and Denmark, the first theatrical film to be based on original Lego property, and the third installment of *The Lego Movie* franchise. It was released in the United States on September 22, 2017, in 3D, 2D and Dolby Cinema by Warner Bros. Pictures.

## Plot

A young boy ventures into an old relic shop, where he meets the mysterious owner, Mr. Liu, who begins to tell the boy the legend of Ninjago.

Ninjago is a city within the Lego Universe that is frequently attacked by the evil Lord Garmadon, who is the father of Lloyd Garmadon and ex-husband of Misako (AKA Koko). Ninjago despises Lloyd for being Lord Garmadon's son, which puts Lloyd under emotional stress. They do not know that Lloyd is part of the secret ninja force, consisting of Nya, Zane, Jay, Cole, Kai and their master named Wu, who always stop Garmadon from taking over the city by fighting with mechs. On Lloyd's birthday, Garmadon attacks the city once again only to be defeated. He escapes and fires nine generals of his Shark Army for failing to help him. He then begins to plan a big attack to conquer Ninjago, and his GIT`s show him plans to build a gigantic mech that is immune to weapons.

Meanwhile, Lloyd and his friends see the return of Master Wu, back from a long trip he took. Master Wu tells them they aren't real ninjas if they use only mechs to fight, and discusses with Lloyd that his element is green, confusing Lloyd. Master Wu tells Lloyd he must not be angry at Garmadon; he must use his mind to fight. Wu mentions an Ultimate Weapon, giving Lloyd the hope of defeating Garmadon once and for all, despite being forbidden to use the weapon.

The next day Garmadon attacks the city with his giant mech and defeats Lloyd. As Garmadon declares his rule over Ninjago, Lloyd returns with the Ultimate Weapon. He fires it, revealing it to be a laser that attracts a real-life cat named Meowthra. Meowthra starts destroying the city while trying to get the laser. Garmadon points the laser to make the cat destroy the other mechs, before Lloyd breaks it. As Garmadon celebrates his victory, Lloyd reveals that he is the Green Ninja, and tells Garmadon that he wishes he wasn't his father, leaving Garmadon confused.

Lloyd meets up with his friends and Master Wu, who are all upset with him for using the weapon. Wu tells them they must use an Ultimate, Ultimate Weapon to stop Meowthra from destroying the city, which they would reach by crossing the Forest of Dangers, the Canyon of Death, and the Temple of Fragile Foundations. Garmadon overhears Wu talking about the weapon and follows close behind. He meets up with Wu and fights him, only to end up in a cage, defeated. However, Wu loses his balance and falls off a bridge into a river, telling Lloyd he must use inner peace before getting swept away.

The ninjas decide to continue on, with Garmadon leading them much to Lloyd's disappointment. They are caught by the Shark Army, who want revenge for being fired by Garmadon and shot out of his volcano lair. The ninjas try to fight, but are easily defeated. They retreat leaving Lloyd and Garmadon behind to be caught by the Shark Army. The Shark Army begin to fire Lloyd and Garmadon into a volcano, but the rest of the ninjas save the day using stealth fighting. They all work together with Garmadon to escape the angry Shark Army by building a makeshift helicopter, and Lloyd and Garmadon bond together in the process.

They eventually crash down onto the Temple of Fragile Foundations. Garmadon reveals that it is his home, as well as Koko formerly being a ninja warrior herself. He tells Lloyd that he wishes he had stayed with him and his mom after deciding to conquer Ninjago, but he couldn't change so he had to stay behind. The ninjas find the Ultimate Ultimate Weapon, consisting of a set of trinkets, only to have it stolen by Garmadon who still wants to take over the city. He offers for Lloyd to be his general, but Lloyd rejects his offer. Out of fury, Garmadon locks all of them in the temple as it begins to collapse. Lloyd realizes that inner peace means for them to unleash their power within, and they successfully do this,using their elemental powers and escaping from the collapsing temple. As they fall of a cliff, Wu saves them with his ship,the Destiny`s Bounty and they head towards Ninjago.

Garmadon arrives and tries to control Meowthra with the weapons but Meowthra eats Garmadon instead. Lloyd and the crew arrive and begin fighting Garmadon's army. As Lloyd approaches Meowthra, he reveals to everyone that he is the green ninja, and realizes that green means life, which brings everything together. He comforts Meowthra and tells Garmadon he forgives him and that he's sorry. Garmadon cries tears of fire, which causes Meowthra to spit him out. After reconciling, Garmadon moves in with Lloyd and Koko, Meowthra becomes the mascot of Ninjago, and Lloyd is hailed as a hero.

As the story concludes, Mr. Liu tells the boy that he will start to train him as a ninja.

A mid-credits scene also shows a gag reel of a cup stunt performed by Chan as Liu at the film's opening

## Good Qualities

1. It is proof that the LEGO movie franchise is decent/okay at worst.
2. Decent voice acting
3. Great action scenes
4. Awesome animation, just like the first movies
5. Great soundtrack

## Bad Qualities

1. It is actually rather a cliche storyline, about a kid who gets bullied, that has been done in movies like Chicken Little

## Videos

The Lego Ninjago Movie - AniMat’s ReviewsAniMat's review.REVIEW - The LEGO Ninjago MoviePaleoSteno's review.