THIRD LEGO OUTING HAS A HEARTWARMING KICK

UNLESS you’re a die-hard Lego fan or have young children, you may not plan on watching But rest assured even adults will enjoy this thrilling, comical and heartwarming story, the third instalment of the franchise. The film stars the voices of Dave Franco, Justin Theroux, Fred Armisen, Olivia Munn, Zach Woods, Michael Pena and Jackie Chan. It starts off with a live action scene of a young boy who ventures into an old vintage shop where he meets the mysterious owner, Mr Liu (Jackie Chan).

Mr Liu begins to tell the boy the story of Ninjago. From this point on, the film opens up a 3D animated world inside the futuristic city of Ninjago on a strange island that blends elements of Japanese and Chinese pop culture.

Teenager Lloyd Garmadon (Dave Franco) is often mocked by his peers for being the son of Lord Garmadon (Justin Theroux). Lord Garmadon is the four-armed evil master who often invades Ninjago with his powerful entourage.

But when Lord Garmadon comes to attack Ninjago, he is always defeated by a squad of warriors led by the Green Ninja, who is actually Lloyd in disguise. Lloyd, who lives with his single mother Koko (his father abandoned him when he was very young), intensely resents his father.

Lord Garmadon is unaware that Green Ninja is actually his son. In fact, even Lloyd’s own mother does not know that he is the Green Ninja.

The conflict escalates when Lloyd’s resentment towards his father eventually clouds his judgement which enables Lord Garmadon to take over the city. Lloyd and his warrior squad then have to embark on a journey to find their inner strength to take down Lord Garmadon. They are mentored by Master Wu (voiced by Chan).

Besides the action-packed kung fu-like scenes, the director cleverly packs plenty of laughs and couples it with deep messages of friendship, acceptance, sacrifice and courage.

Family relationships take precedence in the movie franchise. This movie highlights the father-son conflict and touches on feelings of abandonment. Will the father and son be forced to bond and reconcile in the end?

Children are unlikely to understand or be captivated by the father-son melodrama but adults will certainly be emotionally touchedby it. It’s not just a movie about fighting off the bad guy trying to take over the city; the messages that come along with it are deep and moving as well.