Ninja Scope Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.5

Ninja Scope Blu-ray Movie Review

Dragon Showdown (aka The Magic Serpent) is a thrilling action-adventure classic. Produced by Takesuke Niimi (The Retaliation of Gonza, Hatamoto yakuza) and Shigeru Okada (Shogun's Shadow, Eleven Samurai), Dragon Showdown (aka The Magic Serpent) is full of fantastic visuals. Starring Hiroki Matsukata, Tomoko Ogawa, Ryûtarô Ôtomo, Bin Amatsu, Nobuo Kaneko, Izumi Hara, Kensaku Hara, and Masataka Iwao, Dragon Showdown (aka The Magic Serpent) is well worth seeing.

Ikazuchi-Maru (Hiroki Matsukata) must go on a brand-new adventure. The journey takes Ikazuchi-Maru on a path of vengeance. Both Ikazuchi- Maru’s parents as well as his beloved friend, a wizard, need his vengeance for a better tomorrow.

With the help of a magical big bird, Ikazuchi-Maru sets forth to reclaim the kingdom once thought as lost and to fight for justice – while taking on giant monsters, too. The clash leads to confrontation and battle with a giant toad monster and a huge serpent. A clash of otherworldly monsters arrives. Can Ikazuchi-Maru find success in his search for vengeance while retrieving and protecting the kingdom?

Hiroki Matsukata is an impressive lead. The supporting cast of characters in Dragon Showdown includes Sunate (Tomoko Ogawa), Orochi-Maru (Ryûtarô Ôtomo), Daijô Yûki (Bin Amatsu), Dôjin Hiki (Nobuo Kaneko), Spider Woman (Izumi Hara), Zenbei (Kensaku Hara), and Kido (Masataka Iwao). The cast members add gusto and enthusiasm. Energetic performances full of spectacle.

Edited by Tadao Kanda (A Savage Beast Goes Mad, Ninja in Moonshade), Dragon Showdown is well paced fun. There is a lot of high-octane energy in the feature. Dragon Showdown builds to a huge action-packed climax.

The art direction by Seiji Yada (Red Peony Gambler: Here Comes Oryu, Watari, Ninja Boy) is reason enough to see the feature. The production values are impressive and showcase a lot more style in comparison to what some would expect. The epic scope of the visuals is outstanding.

Composed by Toshiaki Tsushima (Night Train, Yakuza Graveyard), Dragon Showdown is an energetic and exciting old-school score. Tsushima is a talent with a good grasp on film composition. The music works exceptionally well at enhancing the action scenes. During the epic conclusion, the score is especially engaging.

The cinematography by Motoya Washio (Sex & Fury, Female Yakuza Tale: Inquisition and Torture) is a visual wonder. Washio is a talented cinematographer with a keen visual sensibility for the feature. With any genre production, the cinematography is an essential ingredient for a fun film. Washio helped make Dragon Showdown look outstanding.

Written by Masaru Igami (Legend of Dinosaurs and Monster Birds, Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot), Dragon Showdown is a fun script. The characterizations are well-done. The pace is excellent and the screenplay builds on the narrative in an engaging way.

Directed by Tetsuya Yamanouchi (The Ninja Hunt, Akakage: 3-D Adventure Movie), Dragon Showdown is impressive as a genre production and the sense of scale brought by the filmmaker helps to expand on the story and provide a fun old- school adventure. The sense of scope builds throughout the film and audiences will appreciate the engaging conclusion.

Ninja Scope Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray Shout Factory, Dragon Showdown is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.33:1 full frame. The release features a crisp and engaging high-definition presentation. The scan is naturally filmic.

The print is clean and free from egregious print damage. There are some occasional specks on the transfer but it looks great overall. An excellent encoding.

Ninja Scope Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (with English subtitles). The lossless audio is a superb aspect of the presentation. Dialogue is well reproduced. The score well reproduced on the release. The English subtitles are well-done and free of egregious spelling or grammatical errors.

Ninja Scope Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Theatrical Trailer (HD, 3:17)

Ninja Scope Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Dragon Showdown is a fun old-school adventure for genre fans. The special effects are impressive throughout the film. The filmmaking is both creative and engaging. The Blu-ray release features a quality high-definition presentation and lossless audio encoding. Recommended.