Reviews

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  ★★★★½ review by nathaxnne walker on Letterboxd

  i was 10 years old in 1984 and so attuned to the idea that ninjas are magick that i was sold on a tv show that starred Lee Van Cleef as a ninja master called The Master and watched it every week until it went away so i know for a fact that if i had learned then that there was a vanishingly small but non-negligible possibility that if i, despite the seemingly disqualifying birth defects and developmental disabilities, immediately began a career of telephonic maintenance and power aerobics i too might one day be possessed by the spirit of an evil magickal ninja to continue their one-ninja war against the police who killed them and that the sound of evil-from-beyond-the-grave-hyper-cackling would be vocally realized by Diamanda Galas as i levitated with my magickal ninja sword glowing purple-white neon in my leg warmers and lycra catsuit above the barren desert landscape aflame with the wreckage of police cruisers and exploded helicopters my eyes ablaze with evil lazers i would have signed up for that and never deviated until my wishes were eventually granted or i perished in the process. the fact that i have never seen Ninja III: The Domination until today is a bittersweet experience. i am alive to tell of having done so but will forever be robbed of that narrow path to eternal glory. hail <3

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  ★★★½ review by Todd Gaines on Letterboxd

  Ninja Gaiden meets Flashdance. A ninja playing golf. A fine ass aerobic instructor ninja. Ninja action in a hot tub. A ninja with an eye patch. Lots of ninja madness. A cop who needs some Nair. This film is strictly for my ninjas.

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  ★★★½ review by sydney on Letterboxd

  yes, it's exactly as racist and sexist as you think a 1984 cannon production about the spirit of an evil ninja possessing the body of a sexy telephone company worker/aerobics instructor is going to be, but it's also even more amazing than you're imagining it is

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  ★★★½ review by Jeff on Letterboxd

  So I started this at about 3 AM when I got up with the kid, but I had to rewatch it from the beginning because I had a hard time believing/understanding what I had seen. Even now I am at a loss for where to start with this movie.

  An evil ninja is killed and somehow possesses the body of an aerobics enthusiast. The aerobics enthusiast, after thwarting his advances, seduces the police officer wooing her by pouring V8 down her cleavage. Then the evil ninja's sword floats through the room on some wonky wires. Then the officer takes off his shirt and has the hairiest back anyone's ever seen. Then an arcade game goes berserk because maybe the evil ninja is inside it? Then there is the funniest exorcism I have ever seen. Then the aerobics enthusiast seems to try to defend herself against the evil ninja spirit by dancing in her living room. Then Shô Kosugi shows up and lays some hot ninja action on us.

  People, I do not take drugs any more, but I might suggest taking something before watching this. Rating a 3.5 because the endless parade of confusing shit that happens is also very entertaining.

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  ★★★★ review by matt lynch on Letterboxd

  i watched this over and over on cable as a kid but it's been maybe 20 years, and i'm delighted to find it's still pretty wicked. it's rare for even the best of the 80s psychotronic canon to maintain this film's staggering pace. a relentless, can't-be-mimicked barrage of unintentional kitsch, whiplash plotting, fluctuating production value and genuine cheap thrills.

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