Five Element Ninjas

One of my all time favorite martial arts/ kung fu movies gets a proper American release. The film quality is excellent! There has always been a lacking quality in all subsequent region 1 releases (poor picture quality /full screen/ no sub titles). The English dub is still the same and while I'm not one to harp on translation and voice acting, the American dub is pretty lame. I can always look past such things as it is not part of the true film itself. I will not go into plot details to extremes because you can read many other reviews on why people love this movie, but here are a few reasons why it tops my list. The plot is fairly simple, the costumes are lavish and super hero like, the blood flows, the variety of cool weapons is unmatched, there are ninjas (duh!) whose weapons and costumes match their element style, there is gore (fighter steps on his own guts/man gets drawn and quartered, etc.), the fight choreography is imaginative, wild and well executed, there are slow motion sequences, Meng Lo is a bad ass, jeez this list could keep going! I still get excited seeing the very beginning open were blood flows to reveal the title (how cool is that?). I absolutely love the first battle scene between the two clans. The top fighters are going one on one to see who is best. Each fighter has a different weapon style. It's just killer! If you own any other version of this film or if you just love over the top wild martial arts films, you need to own this! It is the best version out there. As I've said before if you are a martial arts realist nerd stay away! And while the film is based on actual ninja techniques and weaponry, it is a fantasy, it is a comic book, and it is a lot of fun!

Bonus: Subtitles. During certain scenes Chinese characters pop up in the upper parts of the screen. The subtitles reveal what element style is being preformed (something I have always wondered, never being able to read Chinese).

In 1982, Chang Cheh's Venom team was no more. His 1982 classic, "Five Elements Ninjas" (Super Ninjas), saw the return of Lo Mang, with Ricky Cheng in the lead. Kuo Chui went to Taiwan with Lu Feng & Chiang Sheng to choreograph, direct and star in his own Ninja film, "Ninja in the Deadly Trap", which wasn't half-bad. "Five Elements Ninjas" not only had Lo Mang & Ricky Cheng, but it also starred Chu Ko (who did the choreography with Ricky), Wang Li, Yu Tai-Ping, Lung Tien-Sheng & real-life former Triad gang member, Chan Wai-Man, as the Ninja leader. Despite the fact that I thought some of the sets looked a little on the cheap side, it had all of the Chang Cheh elements.

There seemed to be quite a bit of research done on Ninjitsu & Japanese martial arts to make it seem more authentic. That part was based on historical literature and literary references from noted Japanese martial artists; it doesn't state that the story is based on historical fact. The literature is about martial arts, not Japanese culture. The 22 minute climatic showdown is worth the price of admission alone. Tokyo Shock did a great job with this transfer; remastered, widescreen, behind-the-scenes photos & an awesome segment on "Golden Arm Kid" Lo Mang. You can watch it in either Mandarin (with remastered subs) or the English dub; which unfortunately is kinda lame this time. Either way it's a classic though.

If you are a fan and a collector of quality gems such as Shaw Brother Martial Arts movies then what are you waiting for my friend? Aren't you sick of watching that full screen 3rd generation dub? Well then..buy this copy!!

I watch all of my dvd's on a Blu Ray player at 1080p 24fps so let me tell you
this copy at that rate is outstanding. Therefore, on a standard progressive scan dvd player it will look terrific!!

This copy is crisp with great color and clarity. One of the best and bloodiest of all of Chang Cheh's movies.

Only gripe...the mono mix is good to great for the english dub. When there is no music in the background the dialogue seems to dip a bit every now and then however, this is very minor. Overall it is a 5 star pick up for your catologue. Get it now!