All 4 LEGO Movies, Ranked From Worst To Best

Long before "Barbie" blew everyone away at the box office and solidified a new standard for movies based on toys, there was the LEGO Movie saga. Beginning with the 2014 feature "The LEGO Movie," this franchise upended all expectations for what toy-originating motion pictures could look like. In a time of "Battleship" and "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," "The LEGO Movie" vibrantly declared that toys could spawn movie adaptations rife with imagination and even potent social commentary. These didn't just have to be lengthy commercials. They could be incredibly special in their own right.

After the whirlwind success of that initial installment, three further films were released. It's now been years since a proper LEGO Movie entry graced multiplexes, but their legacy certainly lives on. Ranking these four LEGO Movie installments from worst to best (based on this author's subjective opinion and excluding 2024's "Piece by Piece" given that it's not from Warner Bros.) unfortunately illustrates the greater creative hurdles that helped sour people on this franchise. On the other hand, this ranking demonstrates the creative feats that gave the initial LEGO Movie adventures such an illustrious reputation.

Not quite everything is awesome within the four LEGO Movie entries, but ranking these titles from worst to best still displays the greatest moments in this franchise. At their best, these productions stand tall as shining examples of what movie adaptations of toys can be.

Fans of the broader Ninjago universe, including the long running "Ninjago" TV show, may bristle at the question, but in hindsight, why on Earth did Warner Bros. Pictures try keeping the "LEGO Movie" momentum going with "The LEGO Ninjago Movie?" Circa. 2017, the Ninjago brand was still nascent and lacked the all-ages appeal the original "LEGO Movie" had. The studio would've been better off trying to adapt another live-action Warner Bros. property into the LEGO brand or even trying to wring early nostalgia out of Bionicle. Unfortunately, "The LEGO Ninjago Movie" isn't nearly clever or entertaining enough to ward away the dubiousness over its existence.

Some amusing elements crop up in this hyperactive take on the martial arts movie. The use of a live-action kitty and the inexplicable deployment of a Jim Croce tune elicit chuckles. Meanwhile, voice-over performances from the likes of Justin Theroux prove lively. Unfortunately, "LEGO Ninjago" is too noisy and unsurprising for its own good. Worst of all, it drowns its third act in didactic emotional beats. The screenwriters mistakenly believed that having characters rigidly monologue about their arcs would create poignancy on par with the opening of "Up."

Instead, that method zaps all the energy out of "LEGO Ninjago." While not devoid of laughs, the proceedings are clumsy enough to keep viewers wondering why this endeavor was undertaken in the first place.

"The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part" is packed with small easily missed details. Unfortunately, that's part of the problem with this sequel. Director Mike Mitchell and company bite off way more than they could chew with this enterprise. That includes trying to juggle two characters voiced by Chris Pratt, which doesn't end up working in the film's favor. Meanwhile, the realization of the Duplo characters isn't as rife with inventiveness or comic humor as the imaginative versions of Superman (Channing Tatum) or Batman (Will Arnett) from the original "LEGO Movie."

The unfortunately surface-level approach to both these pivotal characters and the dystopian version of Bricksburg leave crucial elements in "The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part" feeling undercooked. "The LEGO Movie" was a brilliant comic puzzle that satisfied as it came together. "The Second Part," meanwhile, just comes off as busy juggling its disparate threads. Thankfully, screenwriters Phil Lord and Christopher Miller bring some fun gags to the proceedings, including some chatty raptor antics. Voice-over artists like Elizabeth Banks and Will Arnett also continue being sublime MVP's.

Above all else, "The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part" deserves props for not resting on its laurels. Its willingness to try something different, though, can't erase the problems and lack of sensational punchlines in this installment. In the pantheon of Lord & Miller animated features, "The LEGO Movie 2" can't compete.

Every Batman movie has its devotees. However, for sheer fun and artistry, one 2017 animated Batman title outshines nearly all live-action Batman incarnations. That would be the Chris McKay directorial effort "The LEGO Batman Movie," the first extension of "The LEGO Movie." It's also the only follow-up that captured the same creative success while injecting its own identity into the proceedings. "The LEGO Batman Movie" is an absolute riot that's also the quintessential Batman film.

After all, what other big screen adaptation of Batman features so many of his supporting characters, from Dick Grayson/Robin (Michael Cera) to Killer Croc to Clayface and everyone in between? Better yet, there's a genuinely compelling story here about Will Arnett's LEGO Batman learning to let other people in, including the endlessly adorable incarnation of Robin. Along the way, gut-busting laughs abound, particularly whenever the Zach Galifianakis-voiced LEGO Joker appears. The clown prince of crime has had many feature film iterations over the years, but he's never been this amusing, human, or emotionally relatable.

An absolute joy to experience that brims with entertainment, "The LEGO Batman Movie" stands heads and shoulders above nearly all other Batman movies. Needless to say, that means it's almost the high point of the entire LEGO Movie franchise as well.

Despite how nearly every Phil Lord and Christopher Miller movie reflects the duo's penchant for turning impossible ideas into wondrous cinematic marvels, it's still remarkable "The LEGO Movie" turned out as glorious as it did. On paper, a feature based on LEGO bricks sounds as bad as the starting concepts for many movies based on toys that never happened. Yet the saga of Emmet (Chris Pratt) and friends is chock full of wit and heart. This title is an incredibly funny exercise so full of amusing sight gags that multiple watches are required to absorb them all.

Hilarious lines about carrier pigeons going to "an internet cafe" to reach other Master Builders or Emmet defending Presidents Business (Will Ferrell) as "a good guy" by listing off all the things he owns are just a few of the film's superb dialogue-based jokes. Patterning the CG animation off of stop-motion LEGO videos was also a stroke of genius, both making these characters feel like they're made out of bricks and allowing this world to feel unique unto itself. Best of all, "The LEGO Movie" dovetails into a masterfully realized finale that incorporates live-action characters and tear-inducing pathos.

Lesser installments in this franchise show that balancing silliness and heart is no easy task. Yet "The LEGO Movie" executes that balance with astonishing grace. Lord & Miller's magic struck again.