Ninja heroes get reboot

THE LEGO NINJAGO MOVIE

Kick back with the ninja heroes of this entertaining animated action comedy, based on the popular Ninjago TV series. The third in the Lego Movie franchise is aimed at primary school kids, and, once in its rhythm, is another brightly coloured and fast-paced romp.

Lloyd is at high school but his life is complicated by his secret identity as the leader of a team of colour-coded ninjas. With the exception of a girl and a robot, they’re all anonymous blokes.

They protect Ninjago city from the frequent attacks by the warlord Lord Garmadon, who happens to be Lloyd’s estranged father.

When the forbidden Ultimate Weapon is unleashed – a brilliantly funny moment – the ninjas set off to find the Ultimate Ultimate Weapon to defeat Garmadon.

2014’s superior The Lego Movie devised a superb shift into the real world to allow for a father-and-son reconciliation.

In this movie, there’s a brief opening scene in the real world when a young boy encounters Jackie Chan’s wise old shopkeeper. He tells the boy to ignore everything he knows of Ninjago, for he’s about to learn the legend behind the legend. This allows the film to plunge into the animated realm and reboot the characters minus their TV history.

For example, there’s no mention of their special powers of Spinjitzu. And everyone having entirely new voices is initially distractingly. Chan also voices the ninja’s teacher, Master Wu.

With each ninja having their own mechanised transport such as a dragon, giant spider or huge, shark-firing mechanoid, no child will leave bereft of ideas for Christmas.

This hasn’t been such a hit in the US as previous Lego movies, possibly because there are seven series on TV. But mostly, I suspect, because it doesn’t have Batman in it.

Cert U Running time 101 minutes

Get the weekend started with this British comedy horror which offers shots of gore, sex and humour in roughly equal measure.

Michael Socha plays an idiot jack-the-lad who tries to engineer the loss of his mate’s virginity. Danny Morgan is the guileless soul who turns 30 the next day and is routinely humiliated for his poor physical condition.

The quest for casual sex leads them to a bar where they identify two sisters as suitable conquests.

Kelly Wenham is impressively ripped as a kick-boxing vamp while Georgia Groome is the sweet and sensitive young sibling. However, the women have a butterfly fixation, daddy issues and their own agenda.

Soon events turn messy in a toxic rush of alcohol, drugs and violence, and complications arise when two of the four start developing feelings for one another.

It’s much more than the town which ends up painted red in the energetic and bloody finale.

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