Ninja Terminator – Neon Eagle Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Hong Kong, 1986
Director: Godfrey Ho
Writers: AAV Creative Unit, Godfrey Ho, Warren See
Cast: Richard Harrison, Jeong-lee Hwang, Jonathan Wattis, Maria Francesca, Phillip Ko, James Chan, Jack Lam, Sing Chen, Paulo Tocha

Release Date: April 15th, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 90 Minutes 44 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $29.95

"As anyone who has seen the film knows, a description of the plot is almost impossible. More or less: a group of ninjas compete to control the ultimate artifact of their craft - the Golden Ninja Warrior statue! Meanwhile, a secret agent tries to bust up an organized crime ring that is somehow connected to the statue. But really, the plot is beside the point. Rather, it's the constant display of cheesy insanity onscreen that will keep you hooked from the first minute until the final battle!" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "Restored from a 4K scan of the negative."

Ninja Terminator comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 42.1 GB

Feature: 26.5 GB

The source looks great; colors look very good, image clarity and black levels are strong, compression is solid, and there are no issues with digital noise reduction.

Audio: 3.75/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in English with removable English SDH. Dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. That said, there are some sibilance issues, and range-wise, things are limited.

Extras:

Extras for this release include reversible cover art, a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 13 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an interview with director Godfrey Ho titled Ninja Master (16 minutes 34 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English subtitles), an interview with Godfrey Ho and dubber Simon Broad titled Golden Ninja Dubs (17 minutes 4 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English subtitles), an interview with Chris Poggiali, co-author of ‘These Fists Break Bricks’ titled Ninjamania: How Ninjas Invaded the West (19 minutes 4 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with Kenneth Brorsson and Phil Gillon of the Podcast on Fire Network, and an audio commentary with Asian film experts Arne Venema and Mike Leeder.

Summary:

A group of ninjas fights for the coveted golden ninja warrior statue.

The creative force behind Ninja Terminator was Godfrey Ho; he is like the martial arts equivalent of Jess Franco. Godfrey Ho was a prolific filmmaker who, on many occasions, crafted new films from existing films by combining newly shot footage with existing footage. Case in point, Ninja Terminator, a film that takes footage from a Korean martial arts film, The Uninvited Guest of the Star Ferry. Besides using existing footage from another film, there is familiar music caused by Pink Floyd’s Echoes, the main theme from A Clockwork Orange, and Ennio Morricone’s main theme from Violent City.

Made at the height of the 1980s ninja film craze, Ninja Terminator is an incoherent mess that someone manages to engage and entertain throughout. For a film combining footage from two films, the end result is surprisingly effective. That said, to help merge all of the footage, a new dub has been created. Also, though the acting leaves a lot to be desired, the performances are helped by unintentionally funny dialog.

As mentioned before, plot is secondary, and when it comes to action, it is at the forefront. Though ninjas are the focal point, and there are many moments with them, the strongest action sequences are the scenes with a character named Jaguar Wong. Rounding things out are some exploitation elements like a pair of racy sex scenes and a scene with menacing crabs. Ultimately, Ninja Terminator is not a film that you watch because of plot; it is best experienced by just sitting back and enjoying the craziness that ensues.

Ninja Terminator gets a first-rate release from Neon Eagle Video that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and informative extras; recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer