Revenge of the Ninja Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

Revenge of the Ninja Blu-ray Movie Review

Sam Firstenberg's "Revenge of the Ninja" (1983) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Australian label Umbrella Entertainment. The only bonus feature on the disc is an original trailer for the film. In English, without optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Revenge of the Ninja Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Sam Firstenberg's Revenge of the Ninja arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Umbrella Entertainment.

The release is sourced from an older master, and if I had to guess I would say that it is the same master that MGM prepared quite some time ago for the U.S. DVD release of Revenge of the Ninja. Most of the daylight footage looks decent, but more often than not it is impossible to ignore the fact that it is a lot softer than it should be. During the darker/indoor footage there are typical traces of crush and the type of flatness that is present on many older masters from the DVD era (see screencapture #4). There are no traces of recent degraining or sharpening corrections, but grain is frequently mixed with light noise and elsewhere it appears smeary. The color scheme is also not optimal, though the primaries and some of the nuances are tolerable. Some minor flecks, scratches, and tiny stains can be spotted. Image stability is very good. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Revenge of the Ninja Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are not provided for the main feature.

Dynamic intensity is quite good and there are no balance issues to report, but as it was the case with Enter the Ninja it is pretty easy to tell that the audio has not been remastered because in the mid/high registers some unevenness is frequently present. So I am fairly certain that if one day the audio is fully remastered there will be improvements that help the overall fluidity. The dialog is clear and easy to follow.

Revenge of the Ninja Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailers - original trailer for Enter the Ninja and Revenge of the Ninja. In English, not subtitled. (5 min).

Revenge of the Ninja Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Revenge of the Ninja is not exactly a masterpiece, but when compared to Enter the Ninja it is pretty difficult not to agree than Sam Firstenberg was a better dierctor than Menahem Golan and Shô Kosugi a much more convincing ninja than Franco Nero. I would probably argue that the cheesy material is also a bit more entertaining. Revenge of the Ninja and Enter the Ninja are included in this double-feature release from Australian label Umbrella Entertainment. You can consider picking it up but only if your find it on sale. RECOMMENDED (but only to fans of the films).