Well, if you grew up as a kid in the 1980s then you are well-familiar with the wave of ninja movies that swept over the home video front. Cheesy? You got it. Funny? You betcha. Enjoyable? Well...
I had the opportunity to sit down and watch the 2021 released "New York Ninja" and I was intrigued by the movie's cover/poster, because it definitely had that particular 1980s vibe to it. And as the movie progressed, I must admit that I was taken aback with the sheer 1980s feel that the entire movie had, from the costumes, to the fight scenes, the scenery and the entire movie actually. Then I read up on the movie and found out that the movie was actually shot in 1984, but the movie was only released now, as the studio stumbled upon it, but had lost the audio tapes, so they had to record a new sound for "New York Ninja". And truth be told, that added audio just added to the enjoyment of the movie, as it felt like a bad dubbing track.
If you enjoyed the ninja movies back in the 1980s, when the ninja movies were at their highest, then you will certainly enjoy the 2021 "New York Ninja". It has all the cheese and loveable things from that era.
The storyline told in "New York Ninja" was as to be expected from a ninja movie filmed in 1984. I enjoyed it, no doubt about it, and it was a trip back to the childhood and watching the ninja movies all over again.
The acting performances in the movie were as to be expected as well. For a movie of this type, then you know what you are getting yourself into.
And as for the action and martial arts scenes, well they were cheesy. So very, very cheesy. But again, it was a 1984 movie, so of course it was. And I do love the way that the bad guys and thugs always just come one at a time against the ninja. Very considerate henchmen actually if you think about it.
The gang members in the movie were hilarious to look at. Now, I grew up in the 1980s, and I don't ever recall seeing anyone wearing outfits like they were. They were colorful and hilarious to look at, to say the least, and added a comedy and goofy value to the movie.
I was looking through the cast list after the movie, and I have to say that I was really surprised with seeing the names of Don Wilson, Cynthia Rothrock and Michael Berryman on the list. But I found out that it was voices only, so it made perfect sense, as I hadn't seen any of them in the movie.
You should sit down and watch "New York Ninja" is you enjoy the cheesy ninja movies. It certainly was a blast.
My rating of directors John Liu and Kurtis Spieler's "New York Ninja" lands on a six out of ten stars.
