The Lego Ninjago Movie (dir. Charlie Bean, Paul Fisher & Bob Logan)

There's another cinematic helping of the Danish toy in cinemas this week, in the form of The Lego Ninjago Movie. Nobody was more pleased when back in 2014, The Lego Movie hit cinemas with an equal amount of fresh and contemporary humor and breathtaking visuals. A financial and critical success, The Lego Batman Movie arrived as early as February of this year, which satirized a popular DC character and also brought some aesthetically pleasing visuals for the kids and adult nerds alike. Unfortunately then, for this incarnation, the winning formula adopted by 21 Jump Street directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller in the first film is diminished in this incarnation, which ultimately targets it's merchandising options instead of narrative cohesion.

Adapted by the successful TV series Lego Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu, we begin with a hastily orchestrated live-action opening sequence with Jackie Chan (which attempts to set up the ensuring drama) before being transferred into the toy world of Ninjago. Under constant threat of tyrannical rule, the town has adopted six ninjas who protect the town from unwanted assailants. Head of the mercenary unit is Lloyd (Dave Franco), the green ninja, who assembles his co-horts in the vein of the Power Rangers. When the tyrannical Lord Gormodon (Justin Theroux) - who happens to be Lloyd's estranged father - attempts to overrun the town, the team must muster all of their strength and heed advice from their mention Master Wu (Jackie Chan) to thwart this nefarious patriarch.

As has become customary with the Lego cinematic offerings, there's an aesthetic beauty about the large vistas which the three directors Charlie Bean, Paul Fisher & Bob Logan present. An opening action sequence, which sees our Ninjas adopt their chosen fighting vehicles is impressively orchestrated. But the snappy dialogue and sardonic wit, which saw The Lego Movie and it’s Batman spin-off work so well with all audiences, are somewhat ham-fisted here, as their post-modern humor is at times excruciating to hear, and the sheer amount of gags thrown at you are enough to cause a burnout.

The worry with transferring the Lego toy to the big screen was always going to rest on it’s ability to make you forget you’re essentially just watching a big-screen toy commercial. Lord and Miller’s 2014 hit did this with an equal measure of wit and originality, which was also evident in the Batman spin-off. But here, there’s an element of exhaustion about the series; the usually pristine character development and solid narrative structure give way this time for gentle reminders that all of the stuff on screen can be bought after the credits.

A short featuring Master Wu (Jackie Chan) played before The Lego Batman movie last year - which gave us a clue of what was to come with this incarnation - excited audiences and diminished the qualms that the Lego film series was becoming to overbearing. But what’s strange is this short, which mainly includes a wiley-eyed chicken outsmarting the kung-fu master, is perhaps more satirical than the feature length film in question here.

Of course, the sequel to The Lego Movie is a couple of years out, i should imagine the Warner Brother’s Execs behind this production should have kept this to the Blu-Ray extra it began as. Though you’ll find it hard to be bored - as they colorful vistas and impressive action are always astute enough to carry your attention, in comparison with it’s sister films, this is about as much fun as stepping on your step-sons Lego pieces on the way to the kitchen.

Rating 2/5.