Ninja III: The Domination is certainly a strange movie with a half-baked script for sure, with questionable character motivations nearly all around, but it’s hard not to be entertained by its silliness.
Ninja III: The Domination
— Collector’s Edition —
(1984)
Genre(s): Martial Arts, Fantasy
Shout Factory | R – 92 min. – $27.99 | June 12, 2018
Date Published: 06/08/2018 | Author: The Movieman
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Shout! Factory provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post.
The opinions I share are my own.
THE MOVIE — 3.0/5 |
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Plot Synopsis: Part-time aerobics and power lineswoman Christie Ryder (LUCINDA DICKEY) becomes possessed by the spirit of an evil ninja when she comes to his aid after he was shot down following an assassination and shootout with the authorities. Dominated by the killer’s vicious and relentless rage, she sets out to brutally kill his enemies. Her new boyfriend, and police officer, Billy Secord (JORDAN BENNETT) is confused by Christie’s changing personality and ultimately receives help from a man named Yamada (SHO KOSUGI) in town to hunt down the person known as the Black Ninja as the two have had a past run-in. It is up to Yamada to save Christie as only a ninja can kill a ninja… Quick Review: Ninja III: The Domination is one hell of an experience to watch. The story is, to say the least, haphazard in its execution with character motivations, like why Christie would even entertain the idea of dating Billy makes no sense, as does the central plot of this Black Ninja abilities to possess, why he’s even killing (like the businessman and his wife in opening), not to mention an ever-so-thin background which we only get a short scene which was only to provide context to his relationship with Yamada (so I guess we should be thankful to get even that). On the positive side, all things considered the acting isn’t half-bad as I did like Lucinda Dickey and her on-screen charisma who shined beyond the poor script; the fight choreography was mostly impressive save for the flimsy finale and as an overall experience, I can’t say there was ever a dull moment. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 3.5/5 |
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This “Collector’s Edition” release came with a matted slip cover. Audio Commentary with Director Sam Firstenberg and Stunt Coordinator Steve Lambert. It’s a casual enough track as the pair give their insights into the production and offer memories. Audio Interviews is with Production Designer Elliot Ellentuck and Co-Composer Misha Segal which plays over the movie and also has isolated tracks from the original score. Dancing with Death (18:24; HD) is a new interview with actress and star Lucinda Dickey where she recounts her career, getting the role on Ninja III, provides some vivid stories working on the production and what happened afterward where she ultimately retired. Secord’s Struggle (10:25; HD) has actor Jordan Bennett giving his stories on working on the movie and with his fellow cast and crew members. He’s quite an animated character and lots of fun to watch. Birth of the Ninja (11:47; HD) is another new interview, this time with Producer and Stuntman Alan Amiel. Rounding thins out, there is the Theatrical Trailer (1:37; HD), Trailers from Hell with Screenwriter Josh Olson (1:57; HD) where he comments over the trailer, a Stills Gallery (3:07; HD) and Behind the Scenes Gallery (4:10; HD). |
VIDEO – 4.25/5 |
| Ninja III arrives on Blu-ray (again following a 2013 release) through Shout Factory and received a restored picture, culled from the original film elements and scanned in 4K. I was pleasantly surprised by this, the video clarity was rather good on some of the close-up shots, though the more distant ones lose some of the detail. But colors are brilliantly bright throughout and skin tones appear natural while black levels have a good bit of depth to them. |
AUDIO – 3.5/5 |
| The included DTS-HD Master Audio Stereo track isn’t very intense, even during the fight scenes, yet dialogue levels were pretty good and I didn’t notice any signs of hisses or any other aural flaws. This isn’t going to engulf your theater room, but it is still half decent for a 30+ year old film. |
OVERALL – 3.25/5 |
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Overall, Ninja III: The Domination is certainly a strange movie with a half-baked script for sure, with questionable character motivations nearly all around, but it’s hard not to be entertained by its silliness. This “Collector’s Edition” release from Shout Factory has some decent bonus material and the video/audio transfers were well done. |
Check out some more 1080p screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.