The antagonizing father/son relationship provides the plot with much needed complexity and impetus while also landing some of the most unexpected jokes. The personal stakes vis a vis resentments and eventual reconciliation are arguably the best parts of the movie. 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 kicker is one of Ninjago's heroes the enigmatic Green ninja (Franco) is secretly Garmadon son Lloyd. 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). Are LEGOs a generational symbol for latchkey kids and I just didn't know it? Ninjago however seems geared towards the younger set. 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. 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. The LEGO Ninjago Movie on the other hand feels like a funny joke that you've heard three times on the same night. 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 first film burst onto the scene with so much frenetic energy and easygoing glee that the kid in all of us rightfully celebrated. 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.
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