Where this series started as a fun good bad movie, American Ninja 4: The Annihilation turned into just a plain old bad movie that oft Cannon Films are known for. Although we did get the return of Michael Dudikoff, and his presence at times were welcoming, it wasn’t near enough to make the movie watchable.
There’s something to be said that the making-of featurette was the best thing about this release as American Ninja 3: Blood Hunt, unlike its predecessors, lacked charm and all around fun; it’s doubtful Michael Dudikoff could’ve helped though Steve James, bored as he looked, was perhaps the only bright spot.
American Ninja 2: The Confrontation, on the whole, might not be as good as its predecessor but it still contains that fun one would expect from a 1980s Cannon Film release. The acting isn’t the best but both Michael Dudikoff and Steve Price possess just enough to make the film watchable.
American Ninja is not a ‘good’ film in the traditional sense yet god help me, I liked it for just how 1980s it feels and looks. The acting isn’t great and the scriptwriting was horrible, yet Michael Dudikoff and Steve James managed to save it from itself and made a really fun bad movie.