Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Five Element Ninjas Blu-ray Movie Review

Five Element Ninjas is a thrilling classic with enormous spectacle for action fans. Executive produced by Run Run Shaw (Return to the 36th Chamber, To Kill a Mastermind), Five Element Ninjas is a classic audiences won’t want to miss. Produced by Mona Fong (Lifeline, Painted Faces), the film has an impressive ensemble cast led by the great Tien-Chi Cheng.

Revenge is on the to-do list. A ruthless and violent group of ninjas infiltrates a kung-fu school and kill every student on premise with the exception of one lone survivor: Shao Tien-hao (Tien-Chi Cheng). The other students were brutally murdered by the skilled ninjas and the school was covered in the blood of the fallen.

The evil ninjas, trained in expert skills, used the earth, sun, water, fire and wood to attack the students – and these enemy ninjas are thus known to others as the Five Element Ninjas. Lone survivor Shao Tien-hao enlists the help of four graduate students in the skills of martial arts and experts in the field of ninjutsu to help fight the Five Element Ninjas. The four students and their master, Shao Tien-hao, become their own clan and the revenge-filled journey begins.  

Five Element Ninjas features an ensemble cast of supporting characters including Brother Li (Tien-Hsiang Lung), Shi Shang (Meng Lo), Chin Tien-Chun (Michael Wai-Man Chan), Senji (Pei-Hsi Chen), Lien Mu (Li Wang), Chen Chun (Ke Chu), Huang Fa (Tai-Ping Yu), and Chief Kang (Shen Chan). The ensemble has terrific fun and the cast shine with their roles. The performances are solid and the entire cast adds something special to the production.

The production is managed by Lieh Chen (Clans of Intrigue, Masked Avengers). The production aided the sense of scope for the feature-film. The end result is a larger canvas for the artists to work with and build on.

The production features superb art direction by Johnson Tsao (The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, The Treasure Hunters). The art direction is an essential highlight of the filmmaking. Tsao adds great wonderment to the aesthetic of the film – the sets and design attributes of vital importance. Outstanding.

The costume designs by Chi-Yu Liu (The Avenging Eagle, The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter) are fun and well-designed for each respective character. The designs certainly add much to the production. The results are important to the storytelling – the costumes vital to the energy of the cast of characters.

Five Element Ninjas features solid hair and makeup. The hair styling by Min-Hua Pan (Once Upon a Time in China, The Spirit of the Sword) and Yen-Lien Peng (How to Choose a Royal Bride, Hong Kong Godfather) is impressive and is certainly commendable. The makeup by Ji-Cheng Liu (How to Choose a Royal Bride, Hong Kong Godfather) adds to the artistic sensibilities of the production, too. These efforts add to the visual style of the filmmaking.

The action is thrilling and essential to the filmmaking. The stunts were coordinated by Tien-Chi Cheng (The Mystery of Chess Boxing, The Nine Demons) and Ke Chu (The Boxer's Omen, House of Traps). An impressive effort was made with the stunts. The stunts add so much to the feature-film and that is incredible to see. Five Element Ninjas is a great action showcase and martial arts fans will find the adventure outstanding.

Edited by Hsing-Lung Chiang (The Love Eterne, The Avenging Eagle) and Yen-Hai Li (The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, The Kiss of Death), Five Element Ninjas is something special. The pace of the editing is terrific. There is a lot to admire about the editing approach by Chiang and Li. The efforts made the film flow enormously well and there is a lot to appreciate about a well-paced action gem.

The score composed by Chin-Yung Shing (The Seventh Curse, The Boxer's Omen) and Chen-Hou Su (Hong Kong Godfather, The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter) is terrific and a wonderful part of the production. The music soars. The score builds on the epic scale of the film and adds to the action-adventure and epic qualities of the filmmaking.

The cinematography by Wen-Yun Huang (Drunken Master II, Bloody Parrot) is a highlight and something to cherish. The visuals are lush and visually wondrous throughout the feature. Huang is a talented and noteworthy cinematographer with a good visual sensibility. The end result is a beautiful looking film.

Written by Cheh Chang (Shaolin Hellgate, One-Armed Swordsman) and Kuang Ni (The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, Dirty Ho), Five Element Ninjas has a terrific script. The concept and script add so much to the film. The storyline is well-done.

Directed by Cheh Chang (Five Deadly Venoms, The Brave Archer), Five Element Ninjas is another must-see gem by the iconic martial arts filmmaker. Chang is one of the best in the genre and a master who commanded the screen for many classic Shaw Brothers films. Chang is brilliant with composing shots and bringing out the best in the cast. Chang is also terrific in showcasing the elaborate action scenes. Five Element Ninjas is a must-see Shaw Brothers classic – audiences won’t want to miss it.

Five Element Ninjas Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Shout Factory, Five Element Ninjas is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 widescreen. A quality presentation with crisp encoding. The release has excellent color reproduction. Indeed, the colors on display on the release look exceptional – vibrant and pleasing.

The scan has little to no issues with its print quality. There are no egregious issues with print damage or wear to the presentation. The film presentation does have some digital noise reduction (DNR) and though it's not a perfectly filmic scan, the transfer still looks surprisingly good all things considered. Considering the source Shout Factory utilized for the release I was quite pleased.

Five Element Ninjas Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (with English subtitles) and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono. The release has crisp and engaging lossless audio. Dialogue is crisp and well-refined. The score is a nice highlight of the audio presentation. The English subtitles are well done and are free from egregious spelling or grammatical errors.

Five Element Ninjas Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Audio Commentary with Film Critic James Mudge

Audio Commentary with Film Historian Brian Bankston

In His Element – Interview with Veteran Shaw Actor Chu Ke (HD, 16:08)

Enter the Ninjas – Interview with Critic and Author David West (HD, 12:59)

Original Theatrical Trailer (SD, 4:15)

Celestial Trailer (HD, 1:07)

Five Element Ninjas Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Five Element Ninjas is outstanding. The action-packed filmmaking delivers in spades. There is great spectacle and the action is terrific. Director Chang is a legend for a reason: he delivers. Five Element Ninjas is a must-see Shaw Brothers classic.

The Blu-ray release features a selection of audio commentaries, interviews, and trailers. The release is well-rounded. Highly recommended.