Within the first 15 minutes of Ninja III: The Domination, SCREAM Factory’s latest high definition gift to cult cinema lovers, a ninja on a golf course is killing everyone in sight for no reason at all. An armada of cops traveling by car, bike and helicopter descend upon the ninja, only to be vanquished at every turn. They eventually get the drop on him and begin shooting the ninja point blank well over 30 times, which doesn’t seem to matter because he somehow still escapes and staves off death just long enough to find a beautiful young lady passing by that he hypnotizes his soul into so that he may continue living on within her and carrying out his need for killing.
If you read that and don’t want to watch this movie immediately, I don’t think we can be friends.
Such is the set-up of Ninja III, or at least all that the film provides. The young woman, Christie (Lucinda Dickey of Breakin’ & Breakin’ 2: Electric Bugaloo fame) is now caught up living a double life. In one, she’s an aerobics instructor/electric company lineman (seriously) who is being hounded into love by a cop named Billy (Jordan Bennett). In the other, she becomes overwhelmed by the ninja’s spirit and continues his killing spree by targeting all of the cops that took him down at the golf course.
It may be hard to tell, but Ninja III is gloriously ridiculous. The over-the-top action sequences are one thing. Christie seducing Billy by pouring a can of V-8 juice all over her chest is another. Throw in an arcade game working as a form of communication with the spirit world, an absolutely wonderful exorcism scene and another one-eyed ninja who might be the key to it all and you seriously have a film that is worth every penny to see.
Director Sam Firstenberg obviously had one thing on his mind: action. As I described above, this film is almost non-stop action sequences. While a good bit of them are tame compared to the nowadays blockbuster fare, but it is quite refreshing and a bit nostalgic seeing actual stunts and choreographed fight scenes. The 80’s cheese only adds to the charm.
Dickey does a pretty nice job portraying Christie and her descent into full-on possession. As the ninja spirit takes her over more and more, she tackles the more action-y aspects with great ease. She also has a charisma about her that makes you think believe that someone pouring tomato juice on themselves might indeed be enticing after all.
High-Def Presentation
One area that SCREAM has consistently shined in their Blu-ray releases is the transfers and Ninja III is no exception. Sporting a 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encode, Ninja III looks almost astonishing. A lot of the film’s action happens in daytime, and colors are always rich and full. The detail is so sharp you’ll feel lost in Billy’s sweater of chest hair. Close ups definitely fare better as there is a bit of softness in wider shots, but those moments are few and far between. It’s obviously not going to be a film that’s demo worthy, but considering its age and history, it’s truly amazing how great this film looks.
The audio, a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mix, is nearly just as good. Dialogue is always clear and the action, although out of sync occasionally, is quite immersive. One sticking point for some may be the soundtrack. It’s heavily synthesized which means I love every second of it. It does run throughout almost the entire movie, rarely giving a moment of peace for any scene. I personally didn’t have a problem with this as I was quite enjoying the soundtrack along with the film, but I’ve seen some people feel it takes them out of it. Regardless of taste, it’s balanced well and that’s what’s most important. All in all, this mix suits the film just fine.
Beyond the Feature
Considering the film has been toiling around in obscurity since its debut, it is no real surprise that Ninja III comes to Blu-ray with next to no extras. Any fan of the film is more than happy just to have the film in some format, let alone a Blu-ray. SCREAM did include a pretty comprehensive Photo Gallery, which highlights a lot of excellent key art created for the film from all over the world as well as some behind the scenes candids.
More importantly, SCREAM was able to get a brand-new Audio Commentary featuring Director Sam Firstenberg and Stunt Coordinator Steve Lambert. This commentary is almost as much of a blast as the movie itself, although Lambert tends to get a bit overexcited and cuts off Firstenberg on several occasions. My favorite bits were Firstenberg’s absolute enjoyment at taking credit for the V-8 juice enticement and his explaining that the whole reason for the Ninja to possess Christie was they needed a believable way to show a pretty white girl being able to do martial arts. This commentary will be a sure favorite for fans of the film, old and new.
Also included is a DVD copy of the film.
With Ninja III: The Domination, SCREAM has yet another winner amongst their ever-growing stable of horror and cult classics. Combing the best bits of 80’s martial arts action flicks with the supernatural and the absurd is an absolute recipe for success and makes Ninja III a must own for any genre fan. To top that off, SCREAM gave the film an audio and visual upgrade that I would have never thought possible for such an overlooked and near forgotten film. Yes, the extras are light, but the commentary alone is beyond entertaining and enlightening. Pick up Ninja III: The Domination as soon as you can.
Ninja III: The Domination Blu-ray Review
If you read that and don’t want to watch this movie immediately, I don’t think we can be friends.
Such is the set-up of Ninja III, or at least all that the film provides. The young woman, Christie (Lucinda Dickey of Breakin’ & Breakin’ 2: Electric Bugaloo fame) is now caught up living a double life. In one, she’s an aerobics instructor/electric company lineman (seriously) who is being hounded into love by a cop named Billy (Jordan Bennett). In the other, she becomes overwhelmed by the ninja’s spirit and continues his killing spree by targeting all of the cops that took him down at the golf course.
It may be hard to tell, but Ninja III is gloriously ridiculous. The over-the-top action sequences are one thing. Christie seducing Billy by pouring a can of V-8 juice all over her chest is another. Throw in an arcade game working as a form of communication with the spirit world, an absolutely wonderful exorcism scene and another one-eyed ninja who might be the key to it all and you seriously have a film that is worth every penny to see.
Director Sam Firstenberg obviously had one thing on his mind: action. As I described above, this film is almost non-stop action sequences. While a good bit of them are tame compared to the nowadays blockbuster fare, but it is quite refreshing and a bit nostalgic seeing actual stunts and choreographed fight scenes. The 80’s cheese only adds to the charm.
Dickey does a pretty nice job portraying Christie and her descent into full-on possession. As the ninja spirit takes her over more and more, she tackles the more action-y aspects with great ease. She also has a charisma about her that makes you think believe that someone pouring tomato juice on themselves might indeed be enticing after all.
High-Def Presentation
One area that SCREAM has consistently shined in their Blu-ray releases is the transfers and Ninja III is no exception. Sporting a 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encode, Ninja III looks almost astonishing. A lot of the film’s action happens in daytime, and colors are always rich and full. The detail is so sharp you’ll feel lost in Billy’s sweater of chest hair. Close ups definitely fare better as there is a bit of softness in wider shots, but those moments are few and far between. It’s obviously not going to be a film that’s demo worthy, but considering its age and history, it’s truly amazing how great this film looks.
The audio, a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mix, is nearly just as good. Dialogue is always clear and the action, although out of sync occasionally, is quite immersive. One sticking point for some may be the soundtrack. It’s heavily synthesized which means I love every second of it. It does run throughout almost the entire movie, rarely giving a moment of peace for any scene. I personally didn’t have a problem with this as I was quite enjoying the soundtrack along with the film, but I’ve seen some people feel it takes them out of it. Regardless of taste, it’s balanced well and that’s what’s most important. All in all, this mix suits the film just fine.
Beyond the Feature
Considering the film has been toiling around in obscurity since its debut, it is no real surprise that Ninja III comes to Blu-ray with next to no extras. Any fan of the film is more than happy just to have the film in some format, let alone a Blu-ray. SCREAM did include a pretty comprehensive Photo Gallery, which highlights a lot of excellent key art created for the film from all over the world as well as some behind the scenes candids.
More importantly, SCREAM was able to get a brand-new Audio Commentary featuring Director Sam Firstenberg and Stunt Coordinator Steve Lambert. This commentary is almost as much of a blast as the movie itself, although Lambert tends to get a bit overexcited and cuts off Firstenberg on several occasions. My favorite bits were Firstenberg’s absolute enjoyment at taking credit for the V-8 juice enticement and his explaining that the whole reason for the Ninja to possess Christie was they needed a believable way to show a pretty white girl being able to do martial arts. This commentary will be a sure favorite for fans of the film, old and new.
Also included is a DVD copy of the film.
With Ninja III: The Domination, SCREAM has yet another winner amongst their ever-growing stable of horror and cult classics. Combing the best bits of 80’s martial arts action flicks with the supernatural and the absurd is an absolute recipe for success and makes Ninja III a must own for any genre fan. To top that off, SCREAM gave the film an audio and visual upgrade that I would have never thought possible for such an overlooked and near forgotten film. Yes, the extras are light, but the commentary alone is beyond entertaining and enlightening. Pick up Ninja III: The Domination as soon as you can.
Shop for Ninja III: The Domination on Blu-ray for a discounted price at Amazon.com (June 11, 2013 release date).
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