SoSheOhPathix
13-05-2010, 11:50 AM
http://www.grrr.co.za/forum/MGalleryItem.php?id=24I've been waiting for this one. There really have been no decent martial arts films released in ages.
There still haven't...
Now I fully realise that Ninjas are like... leet, and all that, but come on... regeneration? Through meditation?
That's a bit of a stretch.
Then there's the whole 'become one with the shadows' trick which is pretty neat. Right up there with the 80's ninja movies and their teleport smoke bombs.
They had a reasonable story to begin with, but I don't think they knew what to do with it.
Mr AssKicker is adopted into a ninja clan as an orphaned kiddy. He spends most of his formative years engaging in educational activities like 'get your ass handed to you by your class mates', and 'get beaten to mush by teacher' in some relatively well-choreographed fight scenes, although (and admittedly I have little knowledge of the Ninjitsu curriculum) the jumping about all over the place like Tinkerbell on PCP seemed a tad impractical to me.
No mistake, the man is very adept with both swords and his wikkid chain/whip/kama thingy.
Unfortunately, the story and fights get a bit weak about halfway through the film, when, despite his training/brainwashing, our ninjing hero develops a conscience and immunity to pain and injury/blood loss (which there is no shortage of... remember the bloodletting in Kill Bill? Poke someone with a sewing needle, and they explode in a shower of blood. Similar concept) and decides to go on a grand crusade whereby he slices and dices ninjas with gay (no, not gay like in Cape Town... gay as in 'I'm very pleased with sticking this sharpened bit of metal into your face') abandon.
Obvioulsy (otherwise it would have been a pretty short film), the hero is waaaay leeter than anyone else that did the very same training he did, even when they come in huge groups, and can throw shurikens hard and accurately enough to go straight through ballistic body armour, walls, cars, people, etc.
Basically, what they've done is take the mysticism of the ninjitsu cults/clan, mix in the ridiculousness of 'Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon' (flying through the air, walking up walls, etc.), attach it to a story they really could have been put to better use, stir in a handful of over-the-top gore (I fail to believe anyone can cut someone clean in half with a sword, regardless what training they have), and try attract ignorant audiences with Westernised dramatic Ninjitsu. Plus, they made it all work harmoniously through the liberal application of CGI fighters (very disappointing).
If you're looking for a good fight movie, keep looking.
If you are after mindless gore and violence (wanna guess why I rented it?) it's passable as light entertainment
There still haven't...
Now I fully realise that Ninjas are like... leet, and all that, but come on... regeneration? Through meditation?
That's a bit of a stretch.
Then there's the whole 'become one with the shadows' trick which is pretty neat. Right up there with the 80's ninja movies and their teleport smoke bombs.
They had a reasonable story to begin with, but I don't think they knew what to do with it.
Mr AssKicker is adopted into a ninja clan as an orphaned kiddy. He spends most of his formative years engaging in educational activities like 'get your ass handed to you by your class mates', and 'get beaten to mush by teacher' in some relatively well-choreographed fight scenes, although (and admittedly I have little knowledge of the Ninjitsu curriculum) the jumping about all over the place like Tinkerbell on PCP seemed a tad impractical to me.
No mistake, the man is very adept with both swords and his wikkid chain/whip/kama thingy.
Unfortunately, the story and fights get a bit weak about halfway through the film, when, despite his training/brainwashing, our ninjing hero develops a conscience and immunity to pain and injury/blood loss (which there is no shortage of... remember the bloodletting in Kill Bill? Poke someone with a sewing needle, and they explode in a shower of blood. Similar concept) and decides to go on a grand crusade whereby he slices and dices ninjas with gay (no, not gay like in Cape Town... gay as in 'I'm very pleased with sticking this sharpened bit of metal into your face') abandon.
Obvioulsy (otherwise it would have been a pretty short film), the hero is waaaay leeter than anyone else that did the very same training he did, even when they come in huge groups, and can throw shurikens hard and accurately enough to go straight through ballistic body armour, walls, cars, people, etc.
Basically, what they've done is take the mysticism of the ninjitsu cults/clan, mix in the ridiculousness of 'Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon' (flying through the air, walking up walls, etc.), attach it to a story they really could have been put to better use, stir in a handful of over-the-top gore (I fail to believe anyone can cut someone clean in half with a sword, regardless what training they have), and try attract ignorant audiences with Westernised dramatic Ninjitsu. Plus, they made it all work harmoniously through the liberal application of CGI fighters (very disappointing).
If you're looking for a good fight movie, keep looking.
If you are after mindless gore and violence (wanna guess why I rented it?) it's passable as light entertainment