LEGO Ninjago Movie Longer But More Shallow than Ninjago Episodes

What do you do if you're a teenager whose father is an evil villain intent on conquering the ciy, and everybody knows it? And what if you also lived a secret life as a masked ninja, looked up to by everyone because you're constantly thwarting your father's plans?

That's the life of Lloyd Garmadon, aka the Green Ninja. He's one member of an elite teenage fighting force that uses their giant mechs to ward off Garmadon's invasions (that usually have some sort of shark-theme to them). With his friends Cole, Jay, Kai, Nya, and Zane (a robot who, for some reason, hides the fact that he's a robot), he fights the daily invasions that come across Ninjago bay from Garmadon's easily-visible volcanic island where he fires his failing generals -- literally.

When Master Wu (Jackie Chan) slips to Lloyd that there is an Ultimate Weapon, Lloyd questions why they haven't gone straight to that to put Garmadon out of commission once and for all. But Wu says that the weapon, in the wrong hands, could be a catastrophe. And Lloyd's hands are the wrong hands, because when he weilds the weapons, unanticipated disaster results.

Now Ninjago City is being torn apart by a new threat unleashed by Lloyd. His friends' mechs have all been destroyed. But Master Wu tells them that a great distance away there is the Ultimate Ultimate Weapon, if they are ninja enough to follow him as he flutes tunes like "Welcome to the Jungle" and "It's a Hard Knock Life."

But when Garmadon learns what the ninja are up to, he intervenes, and unexpectedly becomes their ally when Master Wu gets swept away from the team. And on the journey, he reunites with his son.

THE LEGO NINJAGO MOVIE is a lot more silly than the Ninjago series, which is hardly without its own silliness. But the series also has more serious interactions, a lot of backstory to work off, and complex relationships between the characters. In the film, it's largely Lloyd and Garmadon, with the rest of the Ninjago team there to fill space or drop a line consistent with their elemental power. One would have hoped that with a feature-length film, there could have been an even deeper examination of the characters and relationships, but instead the creators opted to go for something more in the same feel of THE LEGO MOVIE. Still, for young people, THE LEGO NINJAGO MOVIE will be a source of amusement for hours.

This Blu-ray / DVD / HD combo package includes mini movies featuring your LEGO heroes, a selection of making-of videos including the Rebrick Conest Winner video, four high-energy music videos, and deleted scenes and outtakes.