Ninja Apocalypse

Last updated
Ninja Apocalypse
Ninja Apocalypse poster.jpg
Film poster
Directed byLloyd Lee Barnett
Written byAshley Scott Meyers
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyAashish Gandhi
Edited byMax Carlson
Music byTim Montijo
Production
company
Ninja Production Services
Release date
  • August 5, 2014 (2014-08-05) [1]
Running time
83 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Ninja Apocalypse is a 2014 American martial arts film directed by Lloyd Lee Barnett, written by Ashley Scott Meyers, and starring Christian Oliver, Les Brandt, Tara Macken, Kaiwi Lyman, and Isaac C. Singleton Jr. as ninjas who are framed for the assassination of a respected clan leader (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa). It was released direct-to-video on August 5, 2014.

Contents

Plot

In a post-apocalyptic future where the survivors have banded together into ninja clans, representatives of the Lost Ninja Clan – brothers Cage and Surge, deaf-mute Sky, Trillion, and Mar – are called to an underground bunker to attend a peace conference. Each of the ninja clans has a magic power, and the Lost Ninja Clan control electricity. Fumitaka, a respected clan leader, believes that the disparate ninja clans are under threat by an external force. He proposes that they band together to increase their chances of survival. Though this is well received by the assembled clans, he is assassinated at the end of his speech. Three witnesses step forward to identify Cage, the leader of the Lost Ninja Clan, as the assassin. Confused and protesting his innocence, Cage leads his clan to safety as they fight through the hostile crowd. Cage uses most of his magical power reserves to temporarily knock most of the other ninja unconscious.

The Lost Ninja Clan separate to explore the bunker; each fight off several opponents, though Mar is eventually overwhelmed and killed. After they bury Mar, Trillion leads them to an elevator he scouted. They fight through ninja commanded by Becker, head of a rival ninja clan that uses fire-based powers, and each clan accuses the other of being Fumitaka's assassin. However, the elevator is a decoy, and it takes them to the bottom level, where the Lost Ninja Clan encounter hordes of zombies. Trillion is bitten, and the clan panics. Surge and Cage fight for leadership of the clan until Sky steps in to stop them. A repeating message from Hiroshi, Fumitaka's lieutenant, reveals the existence of a second, working elevator, though it cuts out before he can give the location. The clan fights through the zombies to the working elevator, and Sky sacrifices himself to give the others a chance to escape.

Demoralized, the survivors continue on, only to be stopped by the Siren Clan, an all-female clan composed of seeming clones. Initially friendly, the Siren Clan seduces the Lost Ninja Clan, then viciously attacks. Trillion is killed, and Surge is poisoned. Cage and Surge fight their way to the exit, where Becker again confronts them. Cage and Becker fight each other; when Cage spares Becker's life, Becker questions Cage's guilt. As Cage and Surge stop to get medicine, a double of Cage appears and stabs Surge. Hiroshi reveals himself as a shapeshifter and says that he killed Fumitaka to prevent Cage from becoming Fumitaka's new lieutenant. Weakened and with his powers exhausted, Cage is outmatched by Hiroshi. Before Hiroshi can finish off Cage, Surge recovers and kills Hiroshi. Afterward, Becker, impressed with Cage's honor and skill, swears loyalty to him.

Cast

Production

Shawn Austin, founder of Big Boss Creative, produced the film after becoming interested in expanding his involvement in the entertainment business. Instead of producing a film and finding a distributor, he went directly to the distribution companies and asked them what they wanted. They told him that ninja films were currently in demand. [2] Distribution partners rejected the first version of the script as not representative enough of ninja. A second draft, with more elements of ninja lore, such as swords and fantastic powers, was accepted. Shooting took place over 12 days. The visual effects were performed by director Lloyd Lee Barnett, who had previous experience. [3]

Release

A screening took place at the 2014 San Diego Comic Con. [2] Ninja Apocalypse was released direct-to-video on August 5, 2014, in the United States. [1]

Reception

Reviews were mixed; positive reviews highlighted the fight choreography, while negatives ones criticized the plot as derivative. [2] Paul Mount of Starburst rated it 2/10 and wrote, "Horribly bland and charmless, Ninja Apocalypse will surely only appeal to undemanding action fans who still can't resist the allure of any tacky film with the word 'ninja' in the title." [4] Nav Qateel of Influx Magazine rated it D+ and wrote, "The bottom line is, the writing wasn't very good, the direction was lacking and the acting was uneven." [5]

Related Research Articles

<i>Ninja Scroll</i> 1993 film by Yoshiaki Kawajiri

Ninja Scroll is a 1993 Japanese animated jidaigeki-chanbara film written and directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri, starring the voices of Kōichi Yamadera, Emi Shinohara, Takeshi Aono, Daisuke Gōri, Toshihiko Seki and Shūichirō Moriyama. The film was a co-production between JVC, Toho and Movic, with Madhouse serving as the animation studio. Ninja Scroll was theatrically released in Japan on June 5, 1993, and received an English-dubbed release through Manga Entertainment in 1995.

<i>Showdown in Little Tokyo</i> 1991 US action film directed by Mark L. Lester

Showdown in Little Tokyo is a 1991 American buddy cop action film directed by Mark L. Lester, who also produced with Martin E. Caan. The film stars Dolph Lundgren and Brandon Lee; it was the latter's first American film role. The film was released in the United States on August 23, 1991. The film gained a cult following among action fans especially for the chemistry between Lundgren and Lee.

<i>Mortal Kombat</i> (1995 film) 1995 film by Paul W. S. Anderson

Mortal Kombat is a 1995 American martial arts fantasy film directed by Paul W. S. Anderson. Based on the video game franchise of the same name, it is the first installment in the Mortal Kombat film series. Starring Linden Ashby, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Robin Shou, Bridgette Wilson, Talisa Soto, and Christopher Lambert, the film follows a group of heroes who participate in the eponymous Mortal Kombat tournament to protect Earth from being conquered by malevolent forces. Its story primarily adapts the original 1992 game, while also using elements from the game Mortal Kombat II (1993).

<i>Samurai Fiction</i> 1998 film

Samurai Fiction is a 1998 comedy-samurai film directed by Hiroyuki Nakano. It is almost entirely black-and-white, and follows a fairly standard plotline for a comedy and jidaigeki samurai film, but the presence of Tomoyasu Hotei's rock-and-roll soundtrack separates it from the films it was inspired by, such as the works of Akira Kurosawa. A loose spinoff was released in 2001, as Red Shadow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Hand (comics)</span> Marvel Comics fictional group

The Hand is a supervillain organization appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Hand first appeared in Daredevil #174 and was created by writer/artist Frank Miller.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foot Clan</span> Fictional ninja clan in the TMNT franchise

The Foot Clan is a fictional ninja clan in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics and all related media and are the main antagonists. It is led by the devious Shredder and his second in command Karai. The Foot Clan was originally a parody of the criminal ninja clan The Hand in the Daredevil comics published by Marvel Comics. In addition to the obvious similarity in their names, both clans originate from Feudal Japan, practice ninjutsu and black magic, and are now powerful global organized crime rings who are familiar with multiple illegal activities such as drug smuggling, counterfeiting of money, gunrunning, murder, assassination, computer hacking, theft, and terrorism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel Pesina</span> American actor

Daniel Pesina is an American martial arts expert and a former freelance employee of Midway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa</span> Japanese-American actor (born 1950)

Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa is a Japanese-American actor and producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Massee</span> American actor (1952–2016)

Michael Groo Massee was an American actor. Active on screen during a three decade career, he frequently portrayed villainous characters. His film roles include Funboy in the dark fantasy The Crow (1994), Newton in the horror anthology Tales from the Hood (1995), Andy in the neo-noir Lost Highway (1997), and the Gentleman in The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) and its 2014 sequel. Massee also voiced Bruce Banner in the first two entries of Marvel Animated Features in 2006. On television, he played Ira Gaines on the first season of the Fox action drama 24 (2001–2002), Isaiah Haden on the NBC fantasy mystery Revelations (2005), Dyson Frost on the ABC science fiction drama FlashForward (2009–2010), and Charles Hoyt on the first two seasons of the TNT police procedural Rizzoli & Isles (2010–2013).

<i>The Perfect Weapon</i> (1991 film) 1991 film by Mark DiSalle

The Perfect Weapon is a 1991 American martial arts action film directed by Mark DiSalle and starring Jeff Speakman, John Dye, Mako, Mariska Hargitay, James Hong, Dante Basco and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa. The film relates the story of a young man (Speakman), who is trained in the martial art of American Kenpo, and his fight against the Korean mafia in Los Angeles. It was released by Paramount Pictures on March 15, 1991.

<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.

Ninja in the Dragon's Den is a 1982 Hong Kong martial arts film directed by Corey Yuen in his feature film directorial debut, who also writer with Ng See-yuen, who also producer. It stars Conan Lee, Hiroyuki Sanada and Hwang Jang-lee. The film was released theatrically in Hong Kong on 24 June 1982.

Shadow Warriors is a Japanese television jidaigeki show featuring Sonny Chiba that ran for four seasons in the early 1980s. The first season was a reimagining of the 1980 film Kage no Gundan: Hattori Hanzō directed by Eiichi Kudo.

Mark Heidelberger is a music video, commercial, documentary and feature film producer. He was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania, on August 5, 1977. He is a founder of the entertainment production company Treasure Entertainment.

Roberto "Robbie" Andres Peralta is an American mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Featherweight division. A professional competitor since 2006, he has competed for the UFC, the World Series of Fighting, Strikeforce, and Bellator.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is an American animated television series developed by Ciro Nieli, Joshua Sternin, and Jennifer Ventimilia for Nickelodeon, based on the characters created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. The series begins with the Turtles emerging from their sewer home for the first time, using their ninjutsu training to fight enemies in present-day New York City. The series ran in the United States from September 28, 2012, to November 12, 2017.

<i>The Man with the Iron Fists 2</i> 2015 American film

The Man with the Iron Fists 2 is a 2015 American direct-to-video martial arts action film directed by Roel Reiné and written by RZA and John Jarrell. It is the sequel to the 2012 film The Man with the Iron Fists. The film stars RZA, Sahajak Boonthanakit, Pim Bubear, Ocean Hou, Grace Huang, Andrew Lin and Khiri Steven Lowenstein. The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray on April 14, 2015.

<i>Sanada Taiheiki</i> (TV series) 1985–1986 Japanese television series

Sanada Taiheiki (真田太平記) is a Japanese television jidaigeki or period drama that was broadcast on NHK in 1985–1986. It is based on Shōtarō Ikenami's novel Sanada Taiheiki. The drama focuses on the history of the Sanada clan during the late Sengoku period. The complete DVD box is available.

<i>Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpions Revenge</i> 2020 film by Ethan Spaulding

Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge is a 2020 American direct-to-video adult animated martial arts film based on the Mortal Kombat franchise created by Ed Boon and John Tobias. South Korean studio Mir animated the film and was produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It is the first installment in the Legends series. Borrowing source material from Mortal Kombat, the film contains two plots: one dealing with Scorpion seeking his revenge on those who murdered his family and clan after being resurrected by Quan Chi, the other follows Johnny Cage, Liu Kang and Sonya Blade, who are chosen to participate on the Mortal Kombat tournament for the fate of Earthrealm.

References

  1. 1 2 Frost, Bill (2014-07-30). "Need for Speed, Californication". Salt Lake City Weekly . Retrieved 2015-01-14.
  2. 1 2 3 Groff, Kirsty (2014-08-06). "Former Silver Spring resident brings ninjas to Big Screen". The Gazette . Maryland. Archived from the original on 2015-01-15. Retrieved 2015-01-14.
  3. ↑ "MAMJ Exclusive: Interview with Cast and Crew of Ninja Apocalypse". MartialArtsMovieJunkie.com. 2014-07-22. Archived from the original on 2015-01-15. Retrieved 2015-01-14.
  4. ↑ Mount, Paul (2014-09-24). "Ninja Apocalypse". Starburst . Archived from the original on 2015-01-15. Retrieved 2015-01-14.
  5. ↑ Qateel, Nav (2014-07-25). "Ninja Apocalypse". InfluxMagazine.com. Retrieved 2015-01-14.
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.