Throughout the 80s the martial arts film craze took the industry by storm and at the forefront was the ninja genre. Only one man dominated the ninja films during this time the legendary Sho Kosugi. At this time Golan-Globus Cannon debuted what was known as the ninja trilogy including Enter the Ninja and Revenge of the Ninja. What was strange is that none of these films had anything to do with the other than the ninja theme and star Sho Kosugi. The most elusive of the trilogy and the only to be named as such was Ninja III: The Domination that took a more supernatural approach and up till now hadn’t been released, but thanks to Shout Factory it’s getting the Blu-ray treatment.
Ninja III: The Domination follows a female aerobics instructor who becomes possessed by the spirit of an evil ninja after she comes to his aid after being gunned down. Now dominated by his rage, she sets out to destroy all of his enemies, but she must also face off against another ninja determined to stop her and exorcise the demon from her body. This is easily one of the cheesiest of all the ninja films to come out during the 80s but also one of the most unique. Where there has always been a supernatural element to the ninja mythology, this film takes it to a new level adding possession to the mix. Everything about this movie screams 80s from the workout clothes to the music, to the production. This is by no means a great movie, but instead a guilty pleasure of fun cheese bringing all the fun of both of these genres together to create something memorable. While there is plenty action most of it isn’t all that great with the exception of the opening sequence that features a ninja taking on an entire police force that is great fun.
Besides the always awesome Sho Kosugi who is pushed to supporting character, this film also stars Lucinda Dickey best known for her roles in Breakin' and Breakin' 2: Electirc Boogaloo who does a decent enough job leading the charge. This is not only one of the more memorable ninja films to come out of the 80s it is also the most ridiculous and sought after due to its lack of release so sure to be a must have by fans.
In addition to the film this release offers up bonus content including new interviews, commentary, trailers, still gallery and a new 4K scan from the original film elements. Grab your copy of Ninja III: The Domination Collector's Edition when it hits Blu-ray on June 12th from Shout Factory.
Review by Bobby Blakey - Bobby reviews way more movies on his own website than the genre-specific ones I post here. Check out Bobby's awesome website and his live show he co-hosts with his wife, Drusilla, at Hollywood Matrimony.
