Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

Ninja Apocalypse Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman August 9, 2014

If ever there was an example of a "decent" low budget film -- one that's clearly made on-the-cheap but that's really in no way insultingly bad or, on the other end of the scale, epically good -- this would be it. Ninja Apocalypse is a fun little baseline entertainment sort of film, a movie with no real surprises, nothing all that remarkable to offer, but one that manages to squeeze out just enough entertainment value to make it worth a watch. The film plays within its limits, never overextending itself and not making it a habit to rely on cheap visuals or other components that betray its true abilities. It caters to a specific audience and, if said audience keeps expectations modest, there's no real reason to turn up the nose at a movie of this caliber.

That looks familiar.

After the Great War, feuding ninja clans are brought together under a flag of truce to attend a peace summit led by the great Fumitaka (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa). One of the arriving clans is the "Lost Clan," a group led by the honorable Cage (Christian Oliver). When the meeting gets underway -- it's taking place in an old underground compound that once housed survivors from nuclear fallout but that is now home to an army of zombies on its lower levels -- tragedy strikes. Fumitaka is assassinated and Cage is pegged as the killer. Now, he and his clan must go on the run inside the deadly deathtrap of a compound and fend off not only the undead but the living masses of ninjas out for revenge. Cage and company must fight for their lives but also fight for the opportunity to reveal the truth behind Fumitaka's death.

Ninja Apocalypse plays like an open book. It's a classic example of a movie delivering on its promise, nothing more and nothing less. It has feuding ninja clans and a fight for survival in an underground bunker in a post-World War III (called "The Great War" in the movie) landscape. The film never tries to make itself look or feel bigger or more dramatically important than that, and it never wavers in its delivery of those basic plot driving devices. It presents its story and action in a mostly entertaining manner. It's not nearly as slick as a bigger budget would allow and the swordplay and ninja action isn't even as crisp as what viewers can find in other mid- to low-budget genre efforts like Ninja II, but the film nevertheless carries itself well, counterbalancing the slight drop in pure excitement and precision choreography in favor of a linear but fluidly delivered story, strong pacing, and a quality assortment of characters who aren't quite as well developed as they might could have been but who nevertheless help push the film forward towards its twisty finale.

The film feels like a ninja-themed re-imagining of the original Resident Evil, that film also featuring a group of combatants attempting to fight their way through a cavernous underground facility and back to a war-ravaged surface while fending off hordes of unpleasant creatures along the way. "Nobody has ever returned from the lower floors alive," a character tells the Lost Clan members as they enter the facility. They go down twenty floors rather than the full fifty, and it feels like the movie misses out by not lowering the characters further and allowing them to battle the truly frightening stuff that must be down there rather than merely tickling the surface with what lingers around the 20th and above. That's a shame, because one of the movie's only major downfalls is the lack of more consistent zombie action. Audiences are treated to a few tastes but not quite the substantial gloomy, hopeless sort of combat against a nonstop wave of hungry undead that would have made the movie all the better. Blame that on budget, though, and again, even as the movie is no great shakes in the grand scheme of things, it represents a nearly best-case scenario for a movie of modest origins. It keeps ambition in check not because it wants to but because it has to, and even with a few shortcomings it's still a mostly entertaining ride that should please core genre viewers.

Ninja Apocalypse Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Ninja Apocalypse arrives on Blu-ray with a satisfying 1080p transfer. The high definition image, sourced from a digital shoot that produces a fairly flat and lightly glossy appearance, yields very well defined details throughout. The brighter outdoor scenes fare best. Facial and clothing textures are extremely well defined and beautifully complex and natural. Foliage and terrain are nicely defined, too, and various surfaces inside the bleaker underground interiors reveal general wear and tear to satisfaction. Colors are a little less favorable, key word being "little." Outside, that green vegetation stands nicely apart, as does blood red and blue clothes. Inside, however, the image favors a fairly consistent gray dominant appearance on both clothes and background surfaces. The image frequently appears slightly blown out and overly bright. Black levels reveal a hint of crush, and moderately heavy but sporadic noise is evident. Overall, however, the very strong detailing and crisply defined imagery carry the day and make for an impressive Blu-ray release.

Ninja Apocalypse Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Ninja Apocalypse features an aggressive, enveloping, and satisfying Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The opening montage produces some big, sweeping sound effects that play with solid power and stage movement. Deep, rumbly bass and a push of power after the nuclear blast help set a freighting tone and establish the soundtrack's potential strengths. Indeed, the track doesn't disappoint thereafter. Big, spacious, and cleanly and accurately delivered music is met with equal ambition and quality from swordplay and general combat sounds. The stage is wide and full, including a healthy, but not overwhelming, surround structure. Support ambience is nicely defined in several scenes, including heavy dialogue reverberation in chapter three. General dialogue is presented from the center channel with solid clarity and authority throughout. Overall, this is a good quality presentation from Naedomi Media.

Ninja Apocalypse Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

All that's included is the Ninja Apocalypse trailer (1080p, 1:40).

Ninja Apocalypse Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Ninja Apocalypse is a fun little crossover film that brings together two audience favorites -- ninjas and zombies -- for a linear but mostly satisfying journey of combat, treachery, and endless danger. The movie could have been so much more with a larger budget, but the filmmakers are to be commended for crafting something of this quality on what was obviously a rather meager budget. This won't become a genre staple or a cinema classic, but it's a relatively safe bet for an evening when low budget action with a good and rather novel core idea sounds like fun. Naedomi Media's Blu-ray release of Ninja Apocalypse features good quality video and audio. Only the trailer is included. Definitely worth a rent and genre fans might find this worth a purchase at a bargain price.