6.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
On a remote Caribbean island, Army Ranger Joe Armstrong investigates the disappearance of several marines, which leads him to The Lion, a super-criminal who has kidnapped a local scientist and mass-produced an army of mutant Ninja warriors.
Starring: Michael Dudikoff, Steve James (I), Larry Poindexter, Gary Conway, Jeff CelentanoAction | 100% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Sam Firstenberg's "American Ninja 2: The Confrontation" (1987) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Olive Films. The supplemental features on the disc include an original theatrical trailer for the film; exclusive new audio commentary with director Sam Firstenberg and producer Elijah Drenner; and exclusive new featurette with new interviews with director Sam Firstenberg, actors Michael Dudikoff and Gary Conway, executive producer Avi Lerner and stunt coordinator BJ Davis. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
Joe
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-AVC and granted 1080p transfer, Sam Firstenberg's American Ninja 2: The Confrontation arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Olive Films.
The release has been sourced from the same MGM master that 88 Films worked with for the British release of American Ninja 2: The Confrontation. I did some direct comparisons in select sequences where I had previously noticed some light scratches and dirt spots and I can confirm that they are also retained here. Obviously, it is fairly easy to tell that there is room for improvement as a lot of the panoramic shots actually lack the type of depth fresh masters guarantee, but detail and clarity are still decent. A lot of the close-ups actually look pretty good, though the larger your screen is, the easier it will be for you to see where time has left its mark (see screencapture #12). Colors are stable, but saturation should be better. There are no traces of recent problematic degraiing corrections, but grain certainly can be much better exposed and resolved. A lot of the darker footage, for instance, struggles with light noise that affects definition. No attempts have been made to resharpen the film, which is certainly very good news. Finally, overall image stability is very good. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.
The audio does not appear to have been recently remastered, but I think that its key qualities -- clarity, depth, and stability -- are very good. I mentioned in our review of the British release that if it is remastered some minor balance improvements are likely to be made, but as it is the lossless track does indeed serve the film very well. There are no audio dropouts, pops, or digital distortions to report.
Sam Firstenberg's sequel to American Ninja is a classic bad Cannon Group film. It makes very little sense, but it really is perfect to see with a group of friends. The key to enjoying the film is to approach it with the right mindset. Do it and I guarantee you won't be disappointed. This new Blu-ray release from Olive Films comes with yet another very good exclusive new audio commentary with director Sam Firstenberg and producer Elijah Drenner, as well as an exclusive new featurette with brand new cast and crew interviews. RECOMMENDED.
1989
1990
Special Edition
1985
1985
Special Edition
1986
Special Edition
1981
Special Edition
1983
Killers Die Hard
1978
Tian can di que / 天殘地缺
1979
1985
1995
Special Edition
1993
1987
Special Collector's Edition
1988
1979
1981
Special Edition
1982
2K Restoration
1979
1983
Slipcover in Original Pressing
1985