Distributor: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
Episodes: 10
Duration: 22 min (per episode)
Ninjago – Masters of Spinjitzu The Hands of Time: Season 7 (DVD) – Series Review
It hasn’t been long since we reviewed the LEGO Ninjago film ‘The Day of the Departed’, and now we are here already with more LEGO Ninja. Season seven of the Ninjago series starts off where the movie ended, and takes you on a ride with new villains to conquer, and more challenges at hand, maybe even the most difficult ones so far for the young ninja.
At the ruins of the monastery of Spinjtzu outside Ninjago City, Master Wu (Paul Dobson) is completely on his own when the sky suddenly opens to release Acronix (Ian Hanlin), one of the Hands of Time. Wu has been waiting for him for decades, to finish what they long ago have started. Many years ago, before the current ninja were even born, Wu fought against Acronix and his twin brother Krux (Michael Daingerfield), together with the ninja’s parents, the Elemental Masters. Krux and Acronics were able to control time, speeding it up or slowing it down as suited them best, which gave them a huge advantage in battle. Forty years ago, Wu, Garmaddon and the Elemental Masters managed to fight the brothers off, but Wu knew it wouldn’t be forever, and that the time has come now to face them again. It wasn’t his smartest decision to come alone though, as while he fought hard, Acronics managed to strike him with this time blade, causing Wu to age fast.
Soon it turns out that not only Acronix has returned, but his brother Krux as well. Or rather: Krux has been in Ninjago all along these past forty years, disguised as the friendly Dr. Sander Saunders, working at the Ninjago museum. He hasn’t been lazy either during this time, as he created a new army to help him and his brother gain control over the whole of Ninjago and far beyond: the Vermillion Warriors. Now that Acronix is back in Ninjago, they are determined to go through with their plan to conquer the world. The ninja will have to react fast, as Master Wu is aging quickly, and can’t help them in their attempts to stop the twins. Lloyd (Jillian Michaels) takes over as leader of the team, while the ninja try to figure out the past, namely the battle their parents fought, to maybe find a clue as to how to stop these villains in the present. Kai (Vincent Tong) and Nya (Kelly Metzger) never knew their parents, but now slowly start to find out more and more about them. It’s something that keeps them going throughout their entire effort to stop Krux and Acronix, even though they might not always like what they find out.
Story wise, this seventh season is quite a bit different than the previous ones. For the first time, Master Wu is quite out of the picture, and makes room for the young ninja to truly develop and prove what they are worth. They still need a strong leader though, and it’s up to Lloyd to show them that he can do it. You can still feel that they are a bit uncertain now and then, missing Master Wu to guide them, but they also prove that they are slowly but surely ready to stand on their own feet.
The story feels a bit chaotic at first, and it actually takes quite long for it to become more clear, as you discover more of what exactly happened in the past with the Elemental Masters. All in all, we didn’t find there to be that much progression either, not when it comes to battling the villains, in any case. When it comes to character development however, there was a clear progression noticeable, which will hopefully project to season eight.
LEGO Ninjago always does it, and it does it again now: great voice acting. The villains sound like true villains, while the ninja sound very lively and young, and even overenthusiastic, which actually suits their youthful characters.
As is often the case with LEGO releases, this series doesn’t come with any extras. It’s always a bit of a shame when a series doesn’t have any additional content. Bonus material certainly makes potential buyers take the plunge, so it’s a bit of a missed opportunity here not to add any.
Conclusion
Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu The Hands of Time: Season 7 is a fun season to watch, with Lloyd taking over as the leader of the ninja. While the story is definitely entertaining to watch, there is not as much progression as we are used to. Nonetheless, character development is great, making us curious to see what the next season will bring.
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