3 Ninjas Kick Back

Last updated
3 Ninjas Kick Back
3 Ninjas Kick Back.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byCharles T. Kanganis
Written by Sang-ok Shin
Mark Saltzman
Produced byMartha Chang
James Kang
Arthur Leeds
Starring
CinematographyChristopher Faloona
Edited by Jeffrey Reiner
David Rennie
Music by Richard Marvin
Production
company
Sheen Productions
Distributed by TriStar Pictures
Release date
  • May 6, 1994 (1994-05-06)
Running time
93 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$20 million
Box office$11,798,854 (Domestic) [1]

3 Ninjas Kick Back is a 1994 American martial arts film directed by Charles T. Kanganis. It is a sequel to the film 3 Ninjas . Despite being released as the second installment of the franchise, Kick Back is chronologically the third installment of the 3 Ninjas series. Originally the other sequel 3 Ninjas Knuckle Up was shot back-to-back with the first film and with the original cast, but due to distribution issues it was released in 1995. [2] Max Elliott Slade is the only actor to reprise his role from the previous film as Jeffrey "Colt" Douglas, one of the three main characters. The film has a continuity error in which Mori's last name changes from Tanaka to Shintaro for no apparent reason. [3]

Contents

It is the only film in the series to receive a video game adaptation.

Plot

The three titular ninjas of the story, 13-year-old "Rocky", 12-year-old "Colt", and 7-year-old "Tum-Tum" are brothers experiencing the pressures of growing up. They frequently spend time training in the ninja arts with their grandfather, Mori Shintaro (Mori Tanaka in the previous film). Mori plans a trip for the four of them to Japan to take them to a martial arts tournament of which he was the champion fifty years ago. Only Tum-Tum seems interested in going, and even then, only out of interest in seeing sumo wrestlers due to how much food they get to eat. Mori tells the boys he hopes to return a dagger awarded to him at the tournament when he defeated a boy named Koga, so that it may be presented to the new winner. In Japan, a man later revealed to be Koga breaks into a museum and steals a sword before escaping via hang glider. At a baseball game, Rocky seems too focused on a cute girl to pitch properly, Tum-Tum causes constant breaks due to getting snacks, and Colt's temper causes a fight with the opposing team that causes the umpire to call off the game until the next week, driving a nail into the boys' plans to travel.

Meanwhile, back at Mori's cabin, a trio of thugs led by Koga's nephew, Glam, try to break into the house to steal the dagger. The boys manage to drive them off and dismiss it as an ordinary robbery attempt. Mori leaves for Japan alone, but the boys' father, Sam, accidentally gives him Tum-Tum's bag. Once he arrives in Japan, Mori's taxi is rear-ended by Glam and his friends, who steal his bag. After hearing from Mori at the hospital, the boys discover the bag mix-up and realize that they have the dagger. They arrange a trip with Mori's credit card and meet him in Japan. He instructs the boys to give the dagger to the Grand Master of the tournament. Glam and his friends record the conversation and deliver it to Koga, who punishes them for not retrieving the dagger. At the tournament, Colt takes the place of a fallen competitor where he loses to his female opponent, a girl named Miyo Shikigawa. She helps them deliver the dagger to the Grand Master, and allows the boys to stay with her and her mother. She has a love of baseball where she is a good power hitter, but is not very good at catching. The boys offer to train her in baseball if she trains them in martial arts. Rocky becomes fond of Miyo. The two almost kiss but they are distracted by Colt and Tum-Tum.

Koga attempts to trap the boys and retrieve the dagger himself by pretending to be the Grand Master, but the boys and Miyo catch onto his scheme and flee. They face several adversaries before they are finally captured. Meanwhile, Mori is kidnapped from the hospital by Ishikawa after fleeing Glam and the others. Koga forces Mori to tell him the location of the Cave of Gold, an urban legend which the sword and dagger are the keys to open. Fearing the safety for his grandsons, Mori agrees to aid Koga. Soon after, the children come up with a plan and escape Koga's fortress on hang gliders, arriving at the cave shortly after the adults. Inside, Koga and Mori realize the legend is true after they encounter walls and monuments of gold within. While the two battle each other, the boys and Miyo drop in on them and Koga pulls a gun. Using Mori's lesson on focus, Colt throws a ball bearing into the muzzle of the gun, causing it to backfire and start a cave-in. The group flees the cave, and Koga, now realizing the price of his greed, apologizes and leaves the group unharmed. Rocky realizes that they are a day ahead of America and that they can still make it home by the championship game.

At the game, the boys overcome their flaws. Down by two in the 9th inning, an opposing batter gets a hit off Rocky's pitch, until a new player, Miyo, catches the ball. In the bottom of the inning, Colt focuses and hits a home run, allowing all three boys to score and win the game. Members of the opposing team confront them after the game, and Darren (their leader) picks Miyo to fight for ruining his home run, which she politely agrees. Darren screams as the boys ready to attack him. The screen cuts to black as the fight begins.

Cast

Reception

The film had a mostly negative reaction. [4] [5] [6] On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 15% based on reviews from 13 critics. Scott Weinberg of eFilmCritic.com gave it 1 out of 5, saying it was "even worse than the original ... which was pretty dire to begin with". [7] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 39 out of 100 based on 14 reviews, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". [8]

Box office

The film opened in the #3 position on opening weekend with a total of US$3,556,310. [9] [10] By the end of its 4-week run, the movie grossed $11,798,854 domestically.

Other media

In 1994, NOW Comics published a three-part comic book adaptation of the movie, which was written by Clint McElroy. [11] [12]

In 1994, Sony Imagesoft published a video game adaption for the Sega Genesis, SNES, and Sega CD platforms.

Related Research Articles

<i>Mighty Morphin Power Rangers</i> American live action childrens television series

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (MMPR) is an American superhero television series that premiered on August 28, 1993, on the Fox Kids programming block. It is the first entry of the Power Rangers franchise, and became a 1990s pop culture phenomenon along with a large line of toys, action figures, and other merchandise. The show adapted stock footage from the Japanese TV series Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger (1992–1993), which was the 16th installment of Toei's Super Sentai franchise. The second and third seasons of the show drew elements and stock footage from Gosei Sentai Dairanger and Ninja Sentai Kakuranger, respectively, though the Zyuranger costumes were still used for the lead cast in these two seasons. Only the mecha and the Kiba Ranger costume from Dairanger were featured in the second season while only the Kakuranger mecha was featured in the third season, though the Kakuranger costumes were later used for the mini-series Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers. The series was produced by MMPR Productions and distributed by Saban Entertainment, while the show's merchandise was produced and distributed by Bandai Entertainment.

Frank William Dux is a Canadian-American martial artist and fight choreographer. According to Dux, a ninjutsu expert named Senzo Tanaka trained him as a ninja when he was a teenager. He established his own school of ninjutsu called Dux Ryu Ninjutsu, and has said he won a secret martial arts tournament called the Kumite in 1975. His alleged victory at the Kumite served as the inspiration for the 1988 film Bloodsport starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. Dux's victory at the Kumite has been disputed, as has the existence of both the Kumite he described and Senzo Tanaka.

<i>Bloodsport</i> (film) 1988 American martial arts film by Newt Arnold

Bloodsport is a 1988 American martial arts sports action film directed by Newt Arnold and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, Leah Ayres, Forest Whitaker, Donald Gibb, Roy Chiao and Bolo Yeung. The film centers on Frank Dux, a United States Army Captain and ninjutsu practitioner, who competes in an underground full-contact martial arts tournament called the Kumite in Hong Kong. Based on Dux's real-life claims, the film was marketed as a true story. It was one of Van Damme's first lead roles and showcased his abilities, launching his career as a mainstream action star.

Taiki Matsuno is a Japanese actor and voice actor from Shinagawa, Tokyo. He is attached to Aoni Production. His real name, as well as his former stage name, is Tatsuya Matsuno. Matsuno is most known for the role of Hajime Kindaichi in Kindaichi Case Files, Kōga in Inuyasha, Japanese voice of SpongeBob in SpongeBob SquarePants, Tart in Fresh Pretty Cure!, Ling Tong and Liu Shan from Dynasty Warriors and Warriors Orochi series, Agumon in Digimon Savers and Shurikenger in Ninpu Sentai Hurricanger.

<i>Surf Ninjas</i> 1993 American film

Surf Ninjas is a 1993 American family comedy film involving martial arts, directed by Neal Israel and written by Dan Gordon. The film stars Ernie Reyes Jr., Rob Schneider, Nicolas Cowan and Leslie Nielsen. Surf Ninjas follows two teenage surfers from Los Angeles who discover that they are crown princes of the Asian kingdom Patusan and reluctantly follow their destinies to dethrone an evil colonel who rules over the kingdom.

<i>Yōtōden</i> 1987 film directed by Osamu Yamasaki

Yōtōden is a 3-episode Japanese original video animation produced by J.C.Staff, the studio's first production. In 1989, Yōtōden was re-edited into a feature film version titled Wrath of the Ninja for English-speaking regions, but is currently out of print. A manga adaptation was serialized in Newtype.

<i>3 Ninjas</i> (film) 1992 American martial arts comedy film directed by Jon Turteltaub

3 Ninjas is a 1992 American martial arts comedy film directed by Jon Turteltaub and starring Victor Wong, Michael Treanor, Max Elliott Slade and Chad Power. It was the only 3 Ninjas film released by Touchstone Pictures, while the others were released by TriStar Pictures. The film is about three young brothers who learn martial arts from their Japanese grandfather. The film was released on August 7, 1992, and was preceded by the Bonkers D. Bobcat cartoon Petal to the Metal in theaters.

Michael Treanor is a former actor and martial artist who starred in 3 Ninjas and 3 Ninjas Knuckle Up. He is the third son of Richard and Peggy Treanor.

Max Elliott Slade is an American former child actor who starred in 3 Ninjas, 3 Ninjas Kick Back, and 3 Ninjas Knuckle Up as the character named Jeffrey Douglas, later nicknamed Colt by his grandfather Mori Tanaka. He was the middle child of the Douglas family in the films. He was featured as Jay Lovell in Apollo 13, young Mark Goddard in The Sweeper, and young Gil Buckman in Parenthood.

<i>The Samurai</i> (TV series) 1962 Japanese historical fiction TV series

The Samurai is a Japanese historical fiction television series made by Senkosha Productions during the early 1960s. Its original Japanese title was Onmitsu Kenshi. The series premiered in 1962 on TBS and ran continuously until 1965 for ten self-contained story arcs (seasons), usually of 13 episodes each. Also created were two black-and-white feature films by Toei Company, made in 1964 by the same crew which created the TV series, and a stage show.

<i>3 Ninjas Knuckle Up</i> 1995 American film

3 Ninjas Knuckle Up is a 1995 American martial arts comedy film and a sequel to 3 Ninjas and 3 Ninjas Kick Back. The film was directed by Shin Sang-ok, using the pseudonym "Simon Sheen". The film was shot in 1992, the same year the first film was released, but was not released in the United States until 1995.

<i>3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain</i> 1998 American film

3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain is a 1998 American martial arts film. It is the fourth and final installment in the 3 Ninjas franchise.

Ryōichi Tanaka is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator from Suginami, Tokyo. His younger brother Kazumi Tanaka(田中 和実, August 11, 1951 - December 20, 2007) is also a voice actor. He is currently affiliated with Aoni Production.

<i>Samurai Reincarnation</i> 1981 film written and directed by Kinji Fukasaku

Samurai Reincarnation is a 1981 Japanese dark fantasy film written and directed by Kinji Fukasaku and starring Sonny Chiba, Kenji Sawada, and Hiroyuki Sanada. It is based on the novel of the same name by Futaro Yamada.

<i>3 Ninjas Kick Back</i> (video game) 1994 video game

3 Ninjas Kick Back is a beat 'em up platform game for the Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and Sega CD. It was released in 1994 and was developed by Malibu Interactive. The Genesis version was published by Psygnosis while the SNES and Sega CD versions were published by Sony Imagesoft. The Sega CD version was released exclusively in a bundle pack with another game Hook and was not release separately.

J. Evan Bonifant is an American actor. As a child actor, he played small parts on television shows such as One Life to Live and starred in several films, including the lead role in Todd Haynes's Dottie Gets Spanked in 1993. His most notable role was that of Tum Tum, for which he was nominated the Young Artist Award in 1994 in 3 Ninjas Kick Back. He portrayed ten-year-old Buster Blues in Blues Brothers 2000. In 2008, Bonifant portrayed the role of Jerko Phoenix in the Disney series Wizards of Waverly Place.

<i>Ninja Assassin</i> 2009 martial arts film directed by James McTeigue

Ninja Assassin is a 2009 martial arts film directed by James McTeigue. The story was written by Matthew Sand, with a screenplay by J. Michael Straczynski. The film stars South Korean pop musician Rain as a disillusioned assassin looking for retribution against his former mentor, played by ninja film legend Sho Kosugi. Ninja Assassin explores political corruption, child endangerment and the impact of violence. The Wachowskis, Joel Silver, and Grant Hill produced the film for Legendary Pictures, Dark Castle Entertainment and Silver Pictures. It was distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.

The Hoodlum Soldier is a Japanese film directed by Yasuzo Masumura. The Hoodlum Soldier was the first of a series of nine films that followed two soldiers, Kisaburo Omiya, a former yakuza who has become a soldier, and Arita, an intellectual from a good family who has deliberately failed the officer examination.

3 Ninjas is a series of action comedy family films about the adventures of three young brothers who are trained by their Japanese grandfather in the art of Ninjutsu. Victor Wong is the only cast member to appear in all four films.

<i>Pray for Death</i> 1985 American film

Pray for Death is a 1985 American martial arts action film directed by Gordon Hessler and starring Sho Kosugi, James Booth, Norman Burton, Michael Constantine, and, the lead's sons Kane and Shane Kosugi.

References

  1. ↑ 3 Ninjas Kick Back at Box Office Mojo
  2. ↑ 3 Ninjas Kick Back (1994) - Trivia - IMDb
  3. ↑ 3 Ninjas Kick Back (1994) - IMDb
  4. ↑ Petrakis, John (1994-05-06). "MOVIE REVIEW '3 Ninjas' Kick Back, But Why?". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved 2010-12-29.
  5. ↑ Thomas, Kevin (1994-05-06). "Movie Review '3 Ninjas' Shows Concern for Values". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 2010-12-29.
  6. ↑ Holden, Stephen (1994-05-07). "Review/Film; The Three Ninja Siblings Are Back at Work, in Japan". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-12-29.
  7. ↑ "3 Ninjas Kick Back (1994)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved 2020-05-04.
  8. ↑ "3 Ninjas Kick Back Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  9. ↑ Welkos, Robert W. (1994-05-10). "Weekend Box Office 'Honors' Tops in a Lackluster Bunch". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 2010-12-28.
  10. ↑ Fox, David J. (1994-05-16). "The Crow' Takes Off at Box Office Movies: The opening is the biggest ever for Miramax. In second place is 'When a Man Loves a Woman', with 'Crooklyn' third". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 2010-12-29.
  11. ↑ "The Adventure Zone's Clint McElroy and Carey Pietsch Talk Fantasy, Spies, and Onomatopoeia". The B&N Sci-Fi and Fantasy Blog. 25 October 2017.
  12. ↑ "3 Ninjas Kick Back comic books from Now". atomicavenue.com.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.