Alien vs Ninja
Directed by:Seiji Chiba Starring:Mika Hijii, Ben Hiura, Shuji Kashiwabara, Masanori Mimoto, Synopsis: Returning from a deadly mission against a rival clan, a small group of legendary Iga Ninja warriors witnesses a blazing fireball roaring across the sky before crashing to earth in the distant forest. Rushing to the scene to investigate, they are caught completely off guard when they discover and are besieged by a pack of brutal and extremely ravenous extra-terrestrials and their slimy offspring – unwelcome visitors who most definitely have not come in peace. Quickly realising their swords, knives and throwing stars are ineffective against these intergalactic predators, the fearless ninja find themselves facing their greatest challenge ever in a mammoth fight for survival. Review:Alien Vs Ninja is an excellent concept, given an average execution. The set-up is brilliant, but the Rubber creatures just didn’t do it for me. We are immediately introduced to a team of three super-ninja, just completing their latest mission which culminates with the destruction of an enemy castle. On their way back to their village, they spot a shooting star arcing across the sky, and crashing into the forest nearby. 
After a small altercation with a rival team (who are meant to guard the village) our intrepid ninjas are sent out once more, to discover what the shooting-star was. On their journey they come across another ninja team led by the gorgeous Mika Hijii. Some of you might recognise her as Scott Adkins’ love interest in
Ninja
. In my review of that film I noted that Mika’s screen fighting skills weren’t as well developed. Mika seems to have thought so too, as she has obviously been taking lessons in the art of kicking ass. She also has an excellent weapon too – a pair of steel padded gauntlets.
The fight scenes are really well done, and there is a pretty high quotient of gore on show for those who like that sort of thing (me). It’s just...the damn aliens look stupid. There’s no getting around that. It’s a guy in a glorified Godzilla suit, fighting ninjas instead of Rodan and Mechagodzilla. I found the creatures to be a real obstacle to enjoying the film, and it’s to the film’s credit that I did actually get a buzz from it. Everything else works. Just not the creature. I’d say that this film is ripe for a Hollywood remake, but I guess we already have Cowboys and Aliens heading our way.Verdict: I wish I could give Alien vs Ninja a full-blooded recommendation but the Alien design (huh) is just awful and drags things down in my opinion. However the rest of the film is fine, and is worth catching to see Mika Hijii live up to her Ninja potential. 6 out of 10 (MikeOutWest) New! CommentsHave your say about this! Leave me a comment in the box below. |
