By Mandy Day
Staff Writer
Legendary martial arts actor Jackie Chan and the cast of Warner Bros. The Lego Ninjago Movie took over Legoland California to promote the film’s release Friday. Media converged on the bustling town in northern San Diego County to participate in two preview screenings; a worldwide press conference; and media interviews. Inspired by the television show Lego Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitsu, and the video game Lego Battles: Ninjago, the film reflects a years-long resurgence of Lego products and entertainment based on the iconic plastic block.
Deviating from the norm for Hollywood press junkets, Warner Bros. and its partners brought in media large and small to promote the film. Large entertainment journalists from television shows like Entertainment Tonight, newspapers, magazines, and press agencies like AP were all represented, as were small scale internet media like family bloggers and budding social media journalists not yet old enough to drive cars. After each night’s preview film screenings, Lego themed activities were planned for press and VIPs at the Legoland Hotel, and included visits from Ninjago characters: Lego construction projects: a designated video game area: and green screen photo booths.
While large studios in Hollywood are under intense scrutiny for failing to diversify casting, The Lego Ninjago Movie is a refreshing change from the longtime pattern of whitewashing films. Starring Jackie Chan as Master Wu, more than half of the main voice actors for the film are ethnic minorities. Alongside Chan, The Lego Ninjago Movie also stars, Olivia Munn, know for X-Men: Apocalypse; Saturday Night Live alum and Portlandia star, Fred Armisen; Crash star Michael Peña; and Silicon Valley star Kumail Nanjiani, who recently wrote and starred in the The Big Sick. While Chan was cast to voice the character that mentors the teenaged ninjas, Warner Bros. also hired Chan’s stunt team to design action sequences throughout the film. Chan said while using boxy Lego characters in martial arts scenes complicated the process, animated film give him the opportunity to participate in such scenes without risk of physical injury.
The film opens in live-action, with Chan as the owner of a Chinese antiques store who encounters a young boy who lacks self-confidence. Chan begins
to create a story surrounding the well-worn Lego character the young boy is carrying in an attempt to instill some confidence in the child. His intro leads into the animated portion of the film as he narrates the story before the characters come alive.
Ending the previous Lego film in live-action disappointed many viewers who had thought the whole story wasn’t in someone’s imagination, but constructed in their basement.
This film started in live-action and then transitioned to animation
The Lego Ninjago Movie is poised to be more successful than its predecessor, The Lego Batman Movie, a film this viewer found slow and poorly executed. Both, however, share witty screenwriting that provides comedy for both the kids and the adults.
As Garmadon (Justin Theroux) threatens to take over Ninjago City, his estranged son, Lloyd (Dave Franco) attempts to fit in among the citizens who despise him, yet idolize his alter ego, the green ninja. Under the direction of Master Wu, the ninjas, which include: Kai (Peña), Cole (Armisen), Jay (Nanjiani), Nya (Abbi Jacobson), and Zane (Zach Woods), attempt to help Lloyd navigate the isolating high school environment while training to uncover their own inner ninja. Lloyd’s mom, Koko (Munn), tries to normalize Lloyd’s life as much as possible while concealing her own past that introduced her to Garmadon.
When the ninjas lose a major battle to Garmadon and he takes over Ninjago City, they embark on a mission to find their inner “piece” as the Warner Bros. presser calls it. Each has their own strengths and weaknesses, but they don’t know their true strength because they haven’t learned to really work as a team to defeat Garmadon, the menace from the volcano. Along the way, Master Wu is separated from the young ninjas and they must rely on their prisoner, Garmadon himself, to lead them toward their destination. Garmadon is forced to confront his own philosophy for leadership while reconnecting with his son, whom he calls L-Loyd.
The film is filled with music fit for the generations of parents that will be taking their kids to see the movie. Jokes are geared toward fans of East Asian culture at times and kids get a kick out of Garmadon’s secret weapon, sharks. The only major criticism of The Lego Ninjago Movie is that as Hollywood often does, there is a fusion of Chinese and Japanese cultures that often leads people to assume both cultures are more alike than in reality. The television concept is of a place that is a mixture of both, but for the cultural purist, it can get to be a tired trope to see pop up time and again in film. Koko’s character having chopsticks in her hair; references to omakase and boba in the same prolonged fight scene; and traditional Japanese/Chinese architecture peppered throughout the skyscrapers, the film is riddled with cultural oversimplification and inaccuracies.
Overall, The Lego Ninjago Movie is the best of the trio of Lego movies to come out. The plot is better developed and executed to entertain audiences of all ages, and it excels at doing so.
The Lego Ninjago Movie opens tomorrow, Friday September 22, 2017 at theaters nationwide. It will also screen in 3D. The Lego Ninjago Movie is directed by Charlie bean, Paul Fisher, and Bob Logan. The script was written by Bob Logan, Paul Fisher, William and Tom Wheeler, and dan and Kevin Hagemen. Feature animation was provided by Animal Logic.
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