The Lego Ninjago Movie (2017)

[GarmaFan]

7 minutes ago, legosamsonite said:

Just look at the transformers series.....

Great, so the LEGO Movie franchise will be ran into the ground.. awesome.

[GentlemanJoker]

Just now, GarmaFan said:

Great, so the LEGO Movie franchise will be ran into the ground.. awesome.

I don't think the likes of Phil Lord and Chris Miller would let that happen. The problem with the Transformers movie is that they make lots of money regardless of their quality so they continue to make them. Warner Bros will probably stop funding the LEGO Movies so much if Ninjago, Lego Movie Sequel, the Billion Bricks Race, and any other future movies just perform worse and worse. Basically, there will be less motivation to make new movies if they're not doing well so they'll either improve the movies or stop making them in general.

 

[Kopaka25]

1 hour ago, GarmaFan said:

This is incredibly disappointing, I was really hoping that being in the LEGO Movie franchise would give Ninjago something critically acclaimed to its name.. or at least not THIS bad, I thought it'd 60s-70s at worse. I think I liked "that one lesser known lego ninja cartoon" better than "that cash-grab lego ninja movie that was the worst of the LEGO movies, and the show it was based off of".

This. For me, the ideal outcome was for the movie to propel Ninjago into nearly household name levels of recognition and ensure the theme would last for years to come, as well as provide incentive for LEGO to further develop their in-house properties. Not that it's impossible, but at this point it's looking unlikely.

Instead I'm starting to worry that this movie will do more to harm the perception of the Ninjago IP rather than strengthen it. Nobody likes a cheap cash-grab, and even though that might not be the case, it could be seen as one.

Of course, I'd like to judge the quality of the movie for myself and see how well it does at the box office. I could be worrying over nothing if the movie's a hit.

(At least we got some wonderful sets out of this)

[PenPlays]

7 hours ago, LEGODalekbuster523 said:

I can't wait for The LEGO Doctor Who Movie!

The dead horse called. It heard you were within fifty feet of it with a stick to beat it...

 

TLNM's future will purely depend on money, though criticism to the movie's overall story-arcs/execution (which it will get a lot of, believe me) will certainly effect how a potential sequel/non-licensed LEGO Movies would turn out.

[Peppermint_M]

Can people avoid being abusive for a start and leave it for Moderators to deal with?

Second, @LEGODalekbuster523, everyone appreciates you enjoy Doctor Who rather a lot but maybe a little more reasoning and explanation to the post would make it a contribution instead of something looking a little spammy?

--

So, who else ignores critics and heads off to see a film to decide for themselves? I watch a film and if I enjoy it.

[Exetrius]

2 hours ago, Peppermint_M said:

So, who else ignores critics and heads off to see a film to decide for themselves? I watch a film and if I enjoy it.

I may have gone to see it in cinema, on the condition that it would be in English... and that's a bit of a problem when you live in a country where that isn't one of the official languages... (I watched the Dutch trailers, but I'm just not fond of the voice acting). So here I am, sitting, waiting. Dodging spoilers until a dvd gets released. I did it with TLM and TLBM (still waiting), so I know I can do it again. 

 

[Sr1847]

From what I’ve seen critics have been criticizing the movie for not falling in line with the other Lego movies rather than reviewing it as it’s own standalone film and it needs to be review that way as the LCU doesn’t have one movie happen after another like the MCU  and they all so far have their own style that gives them that charm 

Edited September 22, 2017 by Sr1847

[Hart New Bob]

Hey, it is premiering today!  (I might edit this post after I see it)

[Robert8]

Spoiler-free review

 

I've read some reviews and all of them are similar: it seems the third act is kinda disappointing

 

[LEGODalekbuster523]

14 hours ago, Peppermint_M said:

Second, @LEGODalekbuster523, everyone appreciates you enjoy Doctor Who rather a lot but maybe a little more reasoning and explanation to the post would make it a contribution instead of something looking a little spammy?

I'm sorry if my post broke the rules, but this is the first time I've mentioned it in ages. I assumed therefore that it would be fine and wouldn't come across as spammy. 

At the same time, I do think other posters need to appreciate that how a post comes across to me when I write it may be vastly different to how they view it. That's one of the downfalls of autism.

[jhuyser]

Just saw the movie and I have to say its the best LEGO Movie yet! Which as the TLM was my most favorite movie ever (literally) makes it my new most favorite.

[GarmaFan]

I just saw it, and I think it was okay. Not a lot of focus on anyone but Lloyd and Garmadon though. Really, the other ninja aren't developed at all, and sometimes they felt interchangeable outside of their "quirks". Especially Kai and Cole. There's a part where a scene is reused almost shot for shot. Sometimes it'd seemed like some scenes went on too long for padding purposes. I didn't hear many laughs in the theater I went to, but there weren't many people there.

Edited September 22, 2017 by GarmaFan

[Aanchir]

Just got back from watching it. I had a lot of fun! I have to agree with the critics that it wasn't as good as the other LEGO movies, which as a huge Ninjago fan is a bit of a bummer. But I had a good time. Despite deviating from the show a bit, the characters were handled alright, though Lloyd's family was the clear focus. Lots of emotional moments, fun jokes, and beautiful animation.

The biggest weaknesses were more story-related than anything… odd pacing & some plot threads resolved in a way that didn't feel totally earned. But while it's a weaker installment in the LEGO Cinematic Universe, I do feel like it still earned its place in that universe. I hope kids leave the theater with an enthusiastic interest in Ninjago going forward!

[Nerd-with-a-Pencil]

Just got back from viewing it. My thoughts:

Spoiler

It was fairly disappointing, but I suppose everything is when you go in with the expectations I had. Definitely the weakest of the LEGO movies, but still entertaining. I loved all the nods to the show (I'm pretty sure my heart exploded when I heard the Weekend Whip). J2G was correct about Garmadon being the best part. Overall, I'd say my biggest complaint is that it just felt rushed. Most of the intro seemed like they had a few clips they just replayed over and over, which I'm hoping is a just another way they're trying to emulate old kung-fu movies. I can only hope LEGO takes more time for their coming projects. Still, as a Ninjago fan and a LEGO movie fan, I recommend it.

 

[PenPlays]

Now that some people have seen it (spoiler free info is unspoilered)...

Spoiler

They told us initially that this was a Kaiju movie, and I was expecting a giant robot fight at the end of this thing, and that ultimately did not help the fact when it turned out that the, supposed, "climax" of the movie was quite lackluster.

The way Nya mentions Lady Iron Dragon, and how Wu mentions that the Ninja must learn Spinjitzu is a writing tool to imply that those things are meant to be revealed with satisfaction in due time.

Not only was Nya, the potentially most interested person in Lady Iron Dragon, not present when Misako was revealed to be such, but the scene just happened, and left with very little fanfare, despite the implications of how Nya presented her.

And then, of course, not only did the Ninja never use Spinjitzu, but what's worse is just how much it was initially intended to be present, and a very BIG thing in the film. Not only is there concept art for the Tornado of Creation in the "making of" book, but in the videogame, it's a primary tool/ability they use. This is aside from the fact that there are six sets releasing specifically marketed as if Spinjitzu was in the movie.

This, once again, was another movie in the TLM ilk that did not feel like a LEGO Movie. It's more a movie that just so happens to be made out of LEGO. TLM specifically undertoned the fact that LEGO was at its core, in the fact that everything is constantly being built, and rebuilt, in a way that was present throughout. Without establishing that undertone, both TLBM, and TLNM are doing things that any sort of animation, or person could've done, though there is a shoe-horned in "Let's Build!" moment in both of them, that felt quite out of place.

TLNM further strayed from this idea with the inclusion of natural elements, and completely distracts from the fact that it's supposed to be a movie about LEGO, not a movie that happens to be made of LEGO.

Spoiler

Especially in a movie where a natural element, Meowthra, is the only real plot twist this movie has. This is despite the fact that Meowthra was a major part of advertising in this movie, which made said plot-twist incredibly anti-climactic.

All of his could be fixed if they had established that they needed to master Spinjitzu in order to create the Tornado of Creation in order to ultimately defeat Garmadon. Creation with LEGO would have established the necessary undertone this movie longed for.

It should also be said that natural animation is much more affordable to create and render in comparison to an entire world made of LEGO. Which begs for the question to be asked: Did production cut corners in animation due to a smaller budget? Did some story pieces get chosen over others just to finish the movie by the very specific, and never changing (after the official announcement), release date for this movie? Did this also effect how the videogame was planned (potential lack of content supplemented with TV show stuff)? Were the sets designed as if they had a different direction in mind mid-way through production that effected the direction sets were designed?

Edited September 23, 2017 by Penkid11

[Robert8]

33 minutes ago, Penkid11 said:

Did this also effect how the videogame was planned (potential lack of content supplemented with TV show stuff)? Were the sets designed as if they had a different direction in mind mid-way through production that effected the direction sets were designed.

I can't find the article now, but I remember it was reported that some of cast returned to record new lines for the movie like around late may/early june, and one of the them was Olivia Munn. It seems they were like some last minute changes. Also, some of stuff in the trailers was different in the movie. Like some lines/scenes didn't match

[Kopaka25]

The more I think about about, the more I realise how perfect Garmadon's original goal would be for a LEGO movie. If you remember, in the show he wanted to recreate the world in his own image. That could be taken super-literally in a LEGO movie! Imagine Garmadon destroying parts of Ninjago and rebuilding the bricks to make something dark and twisted instead! It would also drive the point of him being this massive narcissist, and maybe tie into the message of the movie by realising his greatest creation was always his son (or something a bit less cliché).  

Instead he seems to be a more generic 'Conquer the World!' type villain in the movie. I don't know why they changed it.

[Hart New Bob]

4 hours ago, Kopaka25 said:

and maybe tie into the message of the movie by realising his greatest creation was always his son (or something a bit less cliché).  

They kind of did that at the end of season 4.  Should I even spend money to see this in a cinema? 

EDIT: Never go full Power Rangers!! 

Edited September 23, 2017 by Hart New Bob

[Ashnflash]

I personally loved the movie! But it isn't as good as it's predecessors. A little bit too much real world elements which is what a lot of people are saying. 

Also this isn't really a spoiler but I'll put it in this anyways...

I was a little sad that Ed and Edna never appeared.... Maybe they did and they were just a face in the crowd. But I was really expecting some more nods to the show, besides a few portraits of Wu and Garmadon in their TV outfits, the Ninjago song as well as I think we saw their classic outfits on a billboard or something? I don't recall. 

I just think it would've been nice to see Ronin, Dareth or even the purple mail man. 

Still great movie! Definitely worth the watch and worth getting a bunch of sets for! 

[DuckBricks]

Just finished the movie; it definitely doesn't warrant a 53% (or whatever it's at now at Rotten Tomatoes), but I'd rate it around 6-7/10.

Very Mild Spoilers (How many lines people got, some cut scenes from early trailers):

Spoiler

- For fans of the show who love the characters, expect to see Lloyd developed far more than he ever was in the show (he's a bit of a non-character in the show, which irks me, so I'm glad they remedied that). However, while I understand that a movie doesn't have time to flesh out every ninja, the majority of the cast was severely pushed to the wayside. I'm pretty sure Cole had no more than 8 or 9 lines, and almost every single one of Zane's lines was a robot joke, which got really old, really fast. Kai was pretty much a non-character here, even worse than he is in the show. The only slightly developed character was Jay, who was insecure and nervous, and Nya, who was... strong? I guess? I'm really having trouble listing just one aspect of their personalities, which is an issue.

- It's clear much of the movie was re-edited and re-cut - lots of early trailer bits like the ninja in the alleyway (which I was really excited to see) weren't present, and a lot of the trailer action (Lloyd jumping off the dragon to fight on land and saving the baby in the house by fighting with the fridge - another thing I was super excited to see) was haphazardly shoved in a Good Morning Ninjago intro, which felt like the it was placed there for the mere fact that they had already rendered the scenes fully. I feel like those action scenes could totally have been placed pretty seamlessly into the first fight scene (Lloyd could be flying on his dragon, jumped off, fought on the roof, jumped through a window to save the baby, jumped out onto his mech dragon, continue). I see no reason as to why those were cut and just shoved into the TV intro.

More spoilery stuff:

Spoiler

- What was up with that ending? I was really hyped for them to use their elemental powers in a giant fight sequence, where even maybe Misako as Lady Iron Dragon shows up to defend the city with them, but no - it was each ninja using their powers once and never again, and then Lloyd giving a 2 minute talk to Garmadon and the cat and that was it.

- Speaking of Koko, I was really hoping she'd make the choice to suit up again as Lady Iron Dragon at some point in the film, maybe to have an emotional confrontation with Garmadon, maybe to aid him and the ninja against the cat - but no, she appeared, disappeared, and reappeared at the end of the film for a few seconds.

- Where was Spinjitsu besides the silly spinning gag near the beginning (which, I'll be honest, had me cracking up)? If I recall, it was confirmed really early on that it would be in the movie, and it was even hyped up as looking really cool and unique, and then it never happened once. I figured that with the Spinjitsu Lloyd set being released winter 2018, it would happen in the film, but I was really shocked not to see it at all.

- The jokes in this film seemed not as rapid-fire and a little less funny than, say, the Lego Batman movie. The only joke where I really laughed was Sensei telling Lloyd his power was green, and only because that was a really meta joke referencing something fans have been complaining about for years. None of the other jokes really landed that much, expect maybe some of Garmadon's.

- I was actually a bit pleasantly surprised at how little the mechs were featured - they were in one (albeit long) action sequence and never showed up again because (in true Ninjago tradition), they were destroyed fast. That did give us good amounts of time with the ninja as characters (well, at least Lloyd, Wu, and Garmadon.)

 

[GarmaFan]

Spoiler

^The scores on Rotten Tomato, but spoilered cuz the pic is big. I.. really thought the audience score would be higher.

[Kopaka25]

Looks like The LEGO Ninjago Movie will make around $22M this weekend behind both Kingsman and IT... that’s really bad

Well below what I had hoped for and below most predictions 

EDIT: For comparison, The Emoji Movie made $25M on its opening weekend. 

Edited September 23, 2017 by Kopaka25

[rodiziorobs]

Here's my micro-review, which is completely plot-free, and therefore spoiler-free. Basically, this is how my experience seeing it was and what you can reasonably expect, quality wise:

I saw it a few hours ago (non-3D, for those keeping track at home), and took with me with four kids <10 years old: 2 boys of mine + a nephew and a niece. They all had an absolute blast, and for me (30-something dad, little experience in the Ninjago TV show or theme other than drooling over some of the TLNM sets), I enjoyed it: more than my second viewing of TLBM, but slightly less than my first.

The story seemed as well-written as most good-to-decent kids movies, most of the jokes landed, some got old, and the animation was amazing, although some of the close-up shots revealed almost too much minute wear-and-tear/scratch/fingerprint detail, occasionally to the point of being distracting. I thought the pacing was good, but I did miss a few scenes across the movie while taking kids for potty breaks, so I'm probably not the best judge of that. Overall, it seemed less manic than TLBM, but in a good way.

Summing up, I'd say it's more worthy of your time than any movie with Minions in it, better than a bunch of Dreamworkses and a handful of Pixars (although not in the same league as the best of either), and more enjoyable than any Disney live-action remake of a cartoon is likely to be. Rating 7/10: I will rent it when its available, but am not sure I would ever love it enough to buy it.

A note from the Target audience: my 6-yr-old just commented how he wished TLNM was on Netflix already so he could watch it again right now--if it was, I would watch it, too.

Edit: one more note, about the music, for those so nerdily inclined: so far neither TLBM or TLNM have matched TLM on song choices, but Mark Mothersbaugh's score in this is only slightly inferior to his work on TLM. It really enjoyed it, and it has me even more excited for Thor: Ragnarok (which MM also scored) in November.

Edited September 24, 2017 by rodiziorobs

[GarmaFan]

Huh.. I don't think the ninja ever used their weapons.

[KotZ]

So I saw it yesterday with a work friend who knows I love all things LEGO. I loved the movie. It wasn't as good as TLBM, but I loved this one way more than I loved the Batman film. Even though it wasn't completely brickbuilt like the first film, I think it really worked for this film compared to TLBM, and I thought the cinematography was the best of the series to date. I really liked how Jackie Chan's fighting style was incorporated into Sensei Wu. The ending of Act II and beginning of Act III dragged but picked up as we raced to the finish. Also I'm slightly tired of the butt jokes in Lego movies. Although there were a few LEGO jokes only I laughed at in the theater:

Spoiler

The Alpha Team name, be it intentional or not; some of the bricks used

But oh man, the ending was an absoulte punch in the gut for me. I've only gotten teary eyed during maybe six films in my life, both of the other Lego movies included, but at the end of Ninjago, there were tears rolling down my face and it was bad. The film made me want to call my dad right away and tell him I loved him.