LEGO Ninjago Movie Opens to Low Box Office Numbers

[Hapori Tohu]

The LEGO Ninjago Movie opened this weekend to a low $21 million, reports Forbes. Compared to The LEGO Batman Movie's $55m and The LEGO Movie's $69m, that's pretty low. If you are still on the fence about seeing it in theaters, check out BZP Reporter xccj's blog post review for an in depth assessment.

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[Lenny7092]

Well, that sounds a little disappointing. Well, if some things, like the Ninja having looked more like the show and that giant realistic cat not having appeared, would happen, things in the movie, wouldn't be too silly, in my opinion.

 

Anyway, I think that movie was beautiful, very cool, and emotional. I wonder how come the movie didn't make as much money as the other The Lego Movies? It kind of sounds unfortunate.

[Toa Imrukii]

What I watn to know is, why exactly is LEGO seemingly falling behind now a-days? The stuff they make is good, but for some reason people aren't very interested. I honestly have no clue why that could be, and I want to know why it is.

[Lenny7092]

What I watn to know is, why exactly is LEGO seemingly falling behind now a-days? The stuff they make is good, but for some reason people aren't very interested. I honestly have no clue why that could be, and I want to know why it is.

Yeah, I mean, there are so many Lego media and themes that are having problems lately. Not only this movie, but there are others during this decade, including Legends of Chima, Bionicle, Hero Factory, Constraction in general, Power Miners, Atlantis, Pharoh's Quest, Alien Conquest, Monster Fighters, Galaxy Squad, Ninjago TV show's Season 7, Nexo Knights, Mixels, and Lego Dimensions. I mean, what is going on here. These things are decreasing by value in many ways (not to mentions they get more expensive) during this decade. I'm still sad that the movie doesn't go up to the standard as the other two The Lego Movies. This is quite surprising.

[CHTrilogy]

I reckon it's because people are comparing it to The Emoji Movie. I don't know.

[xccj]

I think the reason the movie did poorly was:

A: Oversaturation of Lego movies (third one, second this year) (Some people apparently get bored of the same thing, or at least it doesn't draw in the extra crowds that the original one did.)

B: No third party characters to add appeal (Ninjago is Lego's biggest in house theme, but it's still not the same as Batman... and now I guess that it can be claimed that the best Lego movies all have Batman in them.)

C: Reviews and word of mouth were lukewarm at the get-go.

 

So like, it had a lot working against it, and it failed to be the surprise hit like the original.

 

As for declines in Lego in general... well, IMO Lego has seem huge growth lately, and it seems inevitable that it would slow down or come to an end. But I don't think slowing down will be a terrible thing, and it doesn't seem as bad as the late 90s yet, so I don't think it's an apocalyptic sign for the company.

 

Yeah, I mean, there are so many Lego media and themes that are having problems lately. Not only this movie, but there are others during this decade, including Legends of Chima, Bionicle, Hero Factory, Constraction in general, Power Miners, Atlantis, Pharoh's Quest, Alien Conquest, Monster Fighters, Galaxy Squad, Ninjago TV show's Season 7, Nexo Knights, Mixels, and Lego Dimensions.

Okay, there are some themes that have bombed, but Power Miners, Atlantis, Pharoh's Quest, Alien Conquest, Monster Fighters, and Galaxy Squad have all been one-shots, so it's kind of a built in feature that they didn't last. And what was wrong with Ninjago Season 7?

 

[Lyichir]

 

What I watn to know is, why exactly is LEGO seemingly falling behind now a-days? The stuff they make is good, but for some reason people aren't very interested. I honestly have no clue why that could be, and I want to know why it is.

Yeah, I mean, there are so many Lego media and themes that are having problems lately. Not only this movie, but there are others during this decade, including Legends of Chima, Bionicle, Hero Factory, Constraction in general, Power Miners, Atlantis, Pharoh's Quest, Alien Conquest, Monster Fighters, Galaxy Squad, Ninjago TV show's Season 7, Nexo Knights, Mixels, and Lego Dimensions. I mean, what is going on here. These things are decreasing by value in many ways (not to mentions they get more expensive) during this decade. I'm still sad that the movie doesn't go up to the standard as the other two The Lego Movies. This is quite surprising.

 

This comment is super-confusing, mainly because it assumes problems in a huge number of cases where there's no evidence there were any? Like, Chima did okay despite failing to meet incredibly lofty expectations. Mixels lasted a full three years. Hero Factory lasted FIVE. Atlantis and Power Miners were both themes that were expected to last only one year and ended up lasting two because they were so successful, which is pretty much the opposite of a problem. And Nexo Knights, from all indications, is still going strong.

 

Lego has been subject to a few disappointments in the last month or so (a dip in profits, a disappointing opening to the Ninjago Movie, etc.), but all in all the past five years or so have been a time of unprecedented success for them. In particular, Ninjago and Friends have become "evergreen" themes that might as well be considered a permanent part of Lego's portfolio, and The Lego Movie was a massive success and led to Lego being taken much more seriously in the world of entertainment. You can't just put together a laundry list of things that didn't reach those levels of success and call them all failures. Not every theme is even intended to last forever, and even "failures" only occur because Lego continues to innovate and take measured risks (some of which don't pay off, but many of which do).

[Aanchir]

Whoops, looks like somebody forgot to close their italics tags… I went and fixed that on the frontpage news story, but we might need somebody with editing powers to come in and fix it here.

 

What I watn to know is, why exactly is LEGO seemingly falling behind now a-days? The stuff they make is good, but for some reason people aren't very interested. I honestly have no clue why that could be, and I want to know why it is.

 

I wouldn't say LEGO is really falling behind… their growth has certainly stalled, but you have to look at that in context. Their revenues for the first half of 2017 were DKK 14.9 billion, down from DKK 15.7 billion during the same period last year. That's definitely a bit of a slip. But by comparison, it's still over 60% more revenue than the DKK 9.1 billion they made during the same period in 2012, and over 400% more revenue than the DKK 2.8 billion they made during that period in 2007. Really, the sales growth they were experiencing from 2005–2015 far outstripped sales growth for the toy industry as a whole.

 

 

What I watn to know is, why exactly is LEGO seemingly falling behind now a-days? The stuff they make is good, but for some reason people aren't very interested. I honestly have no clue why that could be, and I want to know why it is.

Yeah, I mean, there are so many Lego media and themes that are having problems lately. Not only this movie, but there are others during this decade, including Legends of Chima, Bionicle, Hero Factory, Constraction in general, Power Miners, Atlantis, Pharoh's Quest, Alien Conquest, Monster Fighters, Galaxy Squad, Ninjago TV show's Season 7, Nexo Knights, Mixels, and Lego Dimensions. I mean, what is going on here. These things are decreasing by value in many ways (not to mentions they get more expensive) during this decade. I'm still sad that the movie doesn't go up to the standard as the other two The Lego Movies. This is quite surprising.

 

 

There are a lot of those themes you name that we have no reason to suspect had any dire problems. Hero Factory lasted four and a half years, Legends of Chima and Mixels each lasted a healthy three years (with Nexo Knights getting ready to follow suit), Power Miners and Atlantis each lasted two years, and we have no reason to suspect that Pharaoh's Quest, Monster Fighters, or Galaxy Squad were ever meant to last longer than one year in the first place. Very, very few LEGO themes are expected or intended to last indefinitely. Even Ninjago, before it was revived and became an evergreen theme, was planned for just a 2–3 year run like many other themes before it (Exo-Force, Knights' Kingdom, etc).

 

I have to admit that as a Ninjago fan it's very sad to me that the LEGO Ninjago Movie hasn't been more successful. I hope it doesn't discourage Warner Bros. from adapting other LEGO themes into movies. I went to see it and I have to admit it didn't appeal to me as much as the previous two movies, but I still had a very good time.

Edited September 25, 2017 by Aanchir

[NickonAquaMagna]

Well, I guess that settles it. There's no way we're getting another movie based on lego's own IPs. It's just parodies of licensed stuff from here on out... sigh.

[Toa Imrukii]

Well, I guess that settles it. There's no way we're getting another movie based on lego's own IPs. It's just parodies of licensed stuff from here on out... sigh.

 

I think what LEGO needs to do is make great IPs and stick with them for decades, even if said IPs, like that of BIONICLE, no longer have sets being made, they should still stick with them in some way or another. Though I am not suggesting continuing on from old stories, running them into the ground, but maybe interact with the fans more and promote said themes that way. For example, LEGO hasn't made a train set in a while, to my understanding, if they brought back trains and promoted it a lot and really well, than maybe that would boaster popularity for it and than they could make it really well known and loved. Just an idea though, of course it depends on the contents of a theme for said theme to really kick-off and skyrocket much to the extent BIONICLE did, and has overall done in the relative public eye. I say relative public eye because though I do often meet people who know what I am talking about when I bring up BIONICLE, most people I meet have no idea about it when it comes up in passing conversation, not to say that I actively interact with local folks about an old toyline, but the point I am trying to make is the example of overall popularity of a theme or product, and that it must be sustained in the public's eye in order to be popular.

Edited September 26, 2017 by Toa Imrukii

[masterchirox580]

What I watn to know is, why exactly is LEGO seemingly falling behind now a-days? The stuff they make is good, but for some reason people aren't very interested. I honestly have no clue why that could be, and I want to know why it is.

Well I happen to be one of those people who isn't very interested in their current offerings and for me I think it's a number of factors. Part of it is down to money. All the sets I might want are way too expensive and I don't want to lose out on so many other things that I would have a lot fun with. It's also due to the fact that the way Lego handled their themes seems to have changed post 2008 I think. Back before then you had a lot more focus on creating personality for the characters in each theme but as less focus was put into creating comics and other forms of media for each theme I felt less attached to the themes over time. And it's also because I had been collecting the stuff for so many years (roughly 11 by the time I stopped) that the enjoyment just died for me. It was more an expensive routine by the end. I doubt these reasons are why most people don't gravitate toward Lego the way the company want them to but I thought I would throw that in as something to consider.

 

On the subject on the movie.... I called it. When I heard the film was being developed the first thing I said was "this is a bad idea". Lego seem to overestimate how iconic their individual IPs are. Simply put Lego is only iconic for the individual plastic bricks they produce and not their characters and themes. Ask a stranger in the street about bionicle and they won't know much about it. I expect the same to go for Ninjago. The film seems to have no appeal beyond ninjago fans. Whilst yes the bionicle movies saw some success you have to take into account that the films were direct-to VHS/DVD. Meaning they were cheaper than going to the movies (especially if you got the VHS version) and parents didn't have to watch it. My parents had very little interest in those movies and I'd usually watch it alone. So really I think the film should have been direct-to blu ray/DVD (or is it direct-to netflix now?).

[Lyichir]

 

Well, I guess that settles it. There's no way we're getting another movie based on lego's own IPs. It's just parodies of licensed stuff from here on out... sigh.

 

I think what LEGO needs to do is make great IPs and stick with them for decades, even if said IPs, like that of BIONICLE, no longer have sets being made, they should still stick with them in some way or another. Though I am not suggesting continuing on from old stories, running them into the ground, but maybe interact with the fans more and promote said themes that way. For example, LEGO hasn't made a train set in a while, to my understanding, if they brought back trains and promoted it a lot and really well, than maybe that would boaster popularity for it and than they could make it really well known and loved. Just an idea though, of course it depends on the contents of a theme for said theme to really kick-off and skyrocket much to the extent BIONICLE did, and has overall done in the relative public eye. I say relative public eye because though I do often meet people who know what I am talking about when I bring up BIONICLE, most people I meet have no idea about it when it comes up in passing conversation, not to say that I actively interact with local folks about an old toyline, but the point I am trying to make is the example of overall popularity of a theme or product, and that it must be sustained in the public's eye in order to be popular.

 

I mean, Ninjago is a great IP that they've been sticking with and promoting the heck out of, and it didn't necessarily pay off for this movie... Continuing to promote a theme that isn't even produced anymore would be even less worthwhile, since it'd basically be a money sink with only a hypothetical return on investment in the future (as opposed to spending that money on promoting themes and IPs that ARE current and relevant).

 

As for trains, unfortunately train sets have been performing more and more poorly in recent years, even high-quality "D2C" trains like the Horizon Express. It doesn't help that a train layout basically requires a large upfront investment one way or another, with less opportunity for "impulse" purchases than other themes or subthemes (and for that matter, less obvious need for expansion once you DO have a full loop of track and a train to run on it). Add in the fact that model trains in general have been on a sort of a decline in popularity, and you're left with a situation where pouring money into promotion isn't necessarily a recipe for success.

[ToaTImeLord]

Over all I feel Lego movies need two year gaps.

Once the public is needing something new, BAM! A new Lego movie. You want people to almost forget Lego now dose movie and surprise them every time.

Two in one year is not smart marketing.

[Lenny7092]

I think the reason the movie did poorly was:

A: Oversaturation of Lego movies (third one, second this year) (Some people apparently get bored of the same thing, or at least it doesn't draw in the extra crowds that the original one did.)

B: No third party characters to add appeal (Ninjago is Lego's biggest in house theme, but it's still not the same as Batman... and now I guess that it can be claimed that the best Lego movies all have Batman in them.)

C: Reviews and word of mouth were lukewarm at the get-go.

 

So like, it had a lot working against it, and it failed to be the surprise hit like the original.

 

As for declines in Lego in general... well, IMO Lego has seem huge growth lately, and it seems inevitable that it would slow down or come to an end. But I don't think slowing down will be a terrible thing, and it doesn't seem as bad as the late 90s yet, so I don't think it's an apocalyptic sign for the company.

 

Yeah, I mean, there are so many Lego media and themes that are having problems lately. Not only this movie, but there are others during this decade, including Legends of Chima, Bionicle, Hero Factory, Constraction in general, Power Miners, Atlantis, Pharoh's Quest, Alien Conquest, Monster Fighters, Galaxy Squad, Ninjago TV show's Season 7, Nexo Knights, Mixels, and Lego Dimensions.

Okay, there are some themes that have bombed, but Power Miners, Atlantis, Pharoh's Quest, Alien Conquest, Monster Fighters, and Galaxy Squad have all been one-shots, so it's kind of a built in feature that they didn't last. And what was wrong with Ninjago Season 7?

 

 

Ninjago Season 7 has less viewers than the other seasons. A friend of mine, who watched Season 7, told me that somethings is missing in there, like some unresolved stuff. Anyway, this year, 2017, doesn't seem to be a good year for the Ninjago franchise as a whole. 

 

 

 

 

What I watn to know is, why exactly is LEGO seemingly falling behind now a-days? The stuff they make is good, but for some reason people aren't very interested. I honestly have no clue why that could be, and I want to know why it is.

Yeah, I mean, there are so many Lego media and themes that are having problems lately. Not only this movie, but there are others during this decade, including Legends of Chima, Bionicle, Hero Factory, Constraction in general, Power Miners, Atlantis, Pharoh's Quest, Alien Conquest, Monster Fighters, Galaxy Squad, Ninjago TV show's Season 7, Nexo Knights, Mixels, and Lego Dimensions. I mean, what is going on here. These things are decreasing by value in many ways (not to mentions they get more expensive) during this decade. I'm still sad that the movie doesn't go up to the standard as the other two The Lego Movies. This is quite surprising.

 

This comment is super-confusing, mainly because it assumes problems in a huge number of cases where there's no evidence there were any? Like, Chima did okay despite failing to meet incredibly lofty expectations. Mixels lasted a full three years. Hero Factory lasted FIVE. Atlantis and Power Miners were both themes that were expected to last only one year and ended up lasting two because they were so successful, which is pretty much the opposite of a problem. And Nexo Knights, from all indications, is still going strong.

 

Lego has been subject to a few disappointments in the last month or so (a dip in profits, a disappointing opening to the Ninjago Movie, etc.), but all in all the past five years or so have been a time of unprecedented success for them. In particular, Ninjago and Friends have become "evergreen" themes that might as well be considered a permanent part of Lego's portfolio, and The Lego Movie was a massive success and led to Lego being taken much more seriously in the world of entertainment. You can't just put together a laundry list of things that didn't reach those levels of success and call them all failures. Not every theme is even intended to last forever, and even "failures" only occur because Lego continues to innovate and take measured risks (some of which don't pay off, but many of which do).

 

 

Well, I said these themes because: 

1. Legends of Chima may have lasted three years (that's fine), but the show lasted for two years weirdly, and it has mixed reviews by Lego fans. 

2. Bionicle - this decade doesn't seem to be a decade for Bionicle. G1 and G2 ended in a terrible way. It's like The Amazing Spider-Man movies in 2012 and 2014 all over again. Plus, there are a lot of unresolved stuff from Bionicle. Also, in G2, how the corrupted masks and villains are poorly handled, and there is no Makuta set, Mask of Ultimate Power in set form, or a planned third year for Bionicle G2. Plus, putting a TV show in Netflix and having those online animations in 2015 are bad ideas because they all rush things. 

3. Hero Factory is a sort of troubled. I mean, the TV show is completely a series of eleven TV specials that lasted four years. Some characters released in sets are not used, not every set appeared in the show completely, that Invasion From Below being terrible and having not being played in television, a lot of underused characters, no DVD releases for Episodes 8-11, the disappearance of Jimi Stringer and Julius Nex after 2011 and 2012, a live-action Hero Factory movie not being made, media being poorly handled, character development sort of need some work, and, of course, unresolved stuff. Lego had been missing some stuff, and that makes a lot of Hero Factory stuff look incomplete. 

4. Constraction in general - this decade isn't good for the constraction category. First, Bionicle G1 ended in 2010 with tiny set figures. Then, Hero Factory was sort of poorly handled. Next, Bionicle G2 ran for only two years, from 2015 to 2016. Right now, after G2, we don't have a constraction theme, with an original story by Lego, replacing G2. We only got a few Star Wars constraction sets. As much as there is no replacement theme for G2, I doubt that there will be that in next year. Plus, the media for the purely-constraction themes are poorly handled. Thus, constraction in general is suffering a Dark Age or Great Depression in this decade. (To be honest, I think Bionicle G2 is replaced by a non-constraction theme called Brick-Heads this year.) 

5. Power Miners - less sets and promoting media in 2010 than 2009. 

6. Atlantis - that TV special in 2010 lacked many sets in there, and there is no sequel in 2011 since the theme continued there. Plus, I remembered reading a comic in a Lego Magazine in 2011 where the theme (lasted two years) made a crossover with many other themes, Power Miners (well, one hero from PM joined the team, and it lasted for two years), Pharaoh's Quest in 2011 (lasted one half of a year), Alien Conquest in 2011 (lasted one half of a year), and Dino Attack in 2012 (lasted one half of a year). All of these themes are set in the same universe, where many villains from most of the themes work together to take over the world, and there have been a lot of story connections revealed along the way. Too bad of these themes ended with the unresolved story that they have together, which didn't end. The bad guys are still doing evil stuff while they aren't stopped. 

7. Monster Fighters - lasted for one half of a year, which is 2012. However, in a comic in a Lego Magazine in 2012 where the theme made a crossover with another theme called Galaxy Squad in 2013 (lasted for a year). Again, they both have a story with a connection. Too bad that both themes ended with their story being unresolved. 

8. Mixels - not all Mixels are equal by media. There is a lot of character development need to be improved. Suddenly, there is a lot of rushing and cramming. Two major characters, like Major Nixels and Booger, never had their own sets. There are a lot of things missing, too, like not putting Mixels from Series 4-9 in an app game called Calling All Mixels in 2014, not putting all Mixels from Series 1-3 and Mixels from Series 7-9 in another app game in 2015 called Mixels Rush, and there is no other Mixels app game in 2016. The shorts are a much better choice than specials. Thus, a lot of things in the Mixels franchise as a whole are poorly handled. 

9. Ninjago Season 7 - see above in this post. 

10. Nexo Knights - The TV show and app game called Merlok 2.0 don't have every big thing of the sets, and they both don't get all of the sets right. The TV show never showed all of the Forbidden Powers in existence (but the app game did for the most part while the show has some exclusives). Plus, not all of Monstrox's evil spell books are featured in the 2016 sets. The TV show had some things to work on, like some character development. That short sculptor played a major role in the TV show's Seasons 3 and 4, but he never appeared in the 2017 sets. Also, the show is having mixed reviews by the fans, and it is getting less viewers throughout its run. 

11. Lego Dimensions - The video game never had of the franchises play major roles in there. After Year 1, the game never continued its main story in a way, and there are much fewer packs in Year 2 than Year 1. Plus, the Year 2 packs are released slower than Year 1 ones. After all of the announced packs are released, there is no announcement about Lego Dimensions' future, but I believe that it is failing sort of because of these conditions and would probably end this year. I mean, come on. There are many other successful franchises in history that LD hadn't tried yet and I would like LD to try, which are Marvel, Star Wars, Bionicle, Hero Factory, The Hobbit movies in 2012-2014, classic Disney movies/Kingdom Hearts, Disney's Pixar movies, Nexo Knights, Mixels, Indiana Jones, Dreamworks animated movies (like Shrek, How to Train Your Dragon, Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda, and Captain Underpants), Angry Birds, Ice Age movies in 2002-2016, Hotel Transylvania, and some Cartoon Network shows (like Steven Universe and Codename: Kids Next Door) (I have more in mind). 

 

There are other Leg-related stuff that I haven't mentioned yet: 

1. Lego: The Adventures of Clutch Powers in 2010 - It has some unresolved things, and never got a sequel. 

2. Lego City Undercover in 2013 - I know that we got a remastered version of it this year, but there are an unresolved thing in the video game, which is one of the main guys still on the loose, and the game never got a sequel. 

3. Dino Attack - see above 

4. Lego Space Police in 2009 and 2010 - Probably. It seems to be a good theme. I think that the theme may have a potential to tell an actual story through a medium, like a TV show or a TV special, but too bad that the theme lasted for two years. 

5. Lego Ultra Agents in 2014-2015 - Same as Lego Space Police. 

 

Thus, I said all of these Lego-related stuff because they are not doing well in this decade for some reason, and I'm so shocked and sad that The Lego Ninjago Movie becomes one of those things. It's just unbelievable.

[CommanderKumo]

 

 

a live-action Hero Factory movie not being made

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Live action!? that would be weird!

 

 

 

[General Scales]

Hey, guys. Haven't posted here in a while, but I wanted to share my brief thoughts. When I saw the Lego Ninjago trailer during the commercials for The Lego Batman Movie, I immediately knew it was a bad call. It was far too soon. People liked the first Lego movie because it was unique and had crossover characters, and people liked Lego Batman because of the fact that it's basically a Batman film. There are other reasons, of course, but these seem to be the main reasons. Making a Ninjago movie was a bad call because it took away the novelty of the first two movies. The theme of Lego characters goofing around in that neat animation began to feel overused.

 

Then there's the fact that the Ninjago movie was something of a reboot. I don't have to see the movie to know that it doesn't have the same depth, story, and character development that the original series had. Lloyd and Garmadon's comedic relationship just from the first trailer is a perfect example of this. It's like they're completely different characters now. From what I remember from the show, their relationship was a much bigger deal for the overall tone of the story. I'm not saying that the original series is perfect by any means, but it seems to handle things better than this movie. I get that these particular Lego movies are meant to be funny, but I don't think this goofy, over the top style really fits the series.

[Lyichir]

Hey, guys. Haven't posted here in a while, but I wanted to share my brief thoughts. When I saw the Lego Ninjago trailer during the commercials for The Lego Batman Movie, I immediately knew it was a bad call. It was far too soon. People liked the first Lego movie because it was unique and had crossover characters, and people liked Lego Batman because of the fact that it's basically a Batman film. There are other reasons, of course, but these seem to be the main reasons. Making a Ninjago movie was a bad call because it took away the novelty of the first two movies. The theme of Lego characters goofing around in that neat animation began to feel overused.

 

Then there's the fact that the Ninjago movie was something of a reboot. I don't have to see the movie to know that it doesn't have the same depth, story, and character development that the original series had. Lloyd and Garmadon's comedic relationship just from the first trailer is a perfect example of this. It's like they're completely different characters now. From what I remember from the show, their relationship was a much bigger deal for the overall tone of the story. I'm not saying that the original series is perfect by any means, but it seems to handle things better than this movie. I get that these particular Lego movies are meant to be funny, but I don't think this goofy, over the top style really fits the series.

It's pretty clear that you haven't seen the movie, to be honest. The movie may not have been perfect, but your assessment of the areas where you think it fell short is pretty off-base.

 

The show did do a better job of developing the cast as an ensemble (partly by virtue of having more running time to work with), but Lloyd's relationship with his father is one aspect it handled significantly worse. In the show, Lloyd is woefully underdeveloped as a character compared to his fellow ninja, and his conflict with Garmadon in season two of the TV series was incredibly formulaic. Lloyd didn't want to fight Garmadon but had to do so 'cuz destiny said so, Garmadon didn't want to be evil but literally had it in his blood and was tempted by the generic doomsday villain the Overlord. When they finally did fight, Garmadon was not even in control of his own body—the father-son showdown we'd been promised got subverted by Garmadon literally being possessed by the Overlord, sidestepping any real emotional resolution.

 

The movie, by contrast, may not develop the other ninja much as characters, but Lloyd's relationship with Garmadon is much, much better handled. Instead of being whiny and getting strung along by destiny, Lloyd has complex emotions toward his absent father that manifest as anger and recklessness in battle. Garmadon is still evil, but harbors regret for his son being taken from him and had a real choice between being evil and being a father and chose the former. Yes, there's humor, but there's also much more authentic emotion as Lloyd and Garmadon get to know one another and try to resolve their differences for the sake of their family and their own emotional stability. All in all this emotional arc makes up one of the strongest aspects of the movie.

 

If anything, the movie's ambitious focus on that father-son relationship holds other parts of the movie back. While the emotional arc is solid, the plot that accompanies it is much more bare, even going so far as to eschew an action-packed finale in favor of a mostly emotional one. The only character development the other ninja get focuses on their collective relationship with Lloyd, and not any individual struggles or achievements. These are definitely areas the movie could have handled better, and as a fan it's unfortunate that it may not get another chance.

[General Scales]

 

Hey, guys. Haven't posted here in a while, but I wanted to share my brief thoughts. When I saw the Lego Ninjago trailer during the commercials for The Lego Batman Movie, I immediately knew it was a bad call. It was far too soon. People liked the first Lego movie because it was unique and had crossover characters, and people liked Lego Batman because of the fact that it's basically a Batman film. There are other reasons, of course, but these seem to be the main reasons. Making a Ninjago movie was a bad call because it took away the novelty of the first two movies. The theme of Lego characters goofing around in that neat animation began to feel overused.

 

Then there's the fact that the Ninjago movie was something of a reboot. I don't have to see the movie to know that it doesn't have the same depth, story, and character development that the original series had. Lloyd and Garmadon's comedic relationship just from the first trailer is a perfect example of this. It's like they're completely different characters now. From what I remember from the show, their relationship was a much bigger deal for the overall tone of the story. I'm not saying that the original series is perfect by any means, but it seems to handle things better than this movie. I get that these particular Lego movies are meant to be funny, but I don't think this goofy, over the top style really fits the series.

It's pretty clear that you haven't seen the movie, to be honest. The movie may not have been perfect, but your assessment of the areas where you think it fell short is pretty off-base.

 

The show did do a better job of developing the cast as an ensemble (partly by virtue of having more running time to work with), but Lloyd's relationship with his father is one aspect it handled significantly worse. In the show, Lloyd is woefully underdeveloped as a character compared to his fellow ninja, and his conflict with Garmadon in season two of the TV series was incredibly formulaic. Lloyd didn't want to fight Garmadon but had to do so 'cuz destiny said so, Garmadon didn't want to be evil but literally had it in his blood and was tempted by the generic doomsday villain the Overlord. When they finally did fight, Garmadon was not even in control of his own body—the father-son showdown we'd been promised got subverted by Garmadon literally being possessed by the Overlord, sidestepping any real emotional resolution.

 

The movie, by contrast, may not develop the other ninja much as characters, but Lloyd's relationship with Garmadon is much, much better handled. Instead of being whiny and getting strung along by destiny, Lloyd has complex emotions toward his absent father that manifest as anger and recklessness in battle. Garmadon is still evil, but harbors regret for his son being taken from him and had a real choice between being evil and being a father and chose the former. Yes, there's humor, but there's also much more authentic emotion as Lloyd and Garmadon get to know one another and try to resolve their differences for the sake of their family and their own emotional stability. All in all this emotional arc makes up one of the strongest aspects of the movie.

 

If anything, the movie's ambitious focus on that father-son relationship holds other parts of the movie back. While the emotional arc is solid, the plot that accompanies it is much more bare, even going so far as to eschew an action-packed finale in favor of a mostly emotional one. The only character development the other ninja get focuses on their collective relationship with Lloyd, and not any individual struggles or achievements. These are definitely areas the movie could have handled better, and as a fan it's unfortunate that it may not get another chance.

 

True, I didn't see the film, but that's also why I said I didn't have to see the movie to know that it doesn't have the same depth as the show (mostly because of how much more screen time the show had). I could tell right off the bat that the other ninja were going to be sidelined in favor of Lloyd. I was going to see the film, just for something fun to do, but the reviews honestly made me change my mind (although that might not be the case now), and the lack of focus on the other characters puts me off of it. The only characters that seem to be well developed are Lloyd and Garmadon, and what you told me confirms that; especially the fact that their relationships holds other parts of the movie back, which is unfortunate.

 

However, I completely agree with you on Lloyd and Garmadon's relationship being better in the movie, now that you explained it to me. Compared to the show, it seems much more natural and far less generic. I'm happy to hear that they actually get some real screen time here, and I admit, I was not too fond of Lloyd's character in the show, mostly because he started off as a Garmadon Jr. brat who suddenly became the main character later on, or at least one of the main heroes who could do pretty much anything. From what you're telling me, he seems to be an overall better character in the movie. There's depth when it comes to that, which I was wrong about (I just thought it was going to be nothing but jokes and a rushed resolve), so I'm happy to know that those parts of the movie were done well.

 

Perhaps I will see the film out of curiosity. Just a shame that it turned out the way it did, and like you said; it may not get another chance for another film.

Edited September 28, 2017 by General Scales