Perhaps you remember the late 80s and early 90s when people would go to see a movie simply because the title had the word "ninja" in it. While I can see some merit in the Ninja Turtles movies, pictures like the 3 Ninjas were campy and cheesy, merely there to capitalize on an emerging trend.I think you know what I'm trying to get at: Ninja Assassin came out two decades too late. The movie is lacking in originality and humor, reducing it to a CG gore-fest, unlike its campy counterparts. The script feels dated rather than timeless (but more on that later).
You may think that I'm missing the point, but I don't think I am. I realize that this movie is supposed to carry a serious tone. The problem is that the plot is far from compelling, and I'm pretty sure we've done better.
Ninja Assassin is essentially a story about revenge. Our vengeful protagonist, Raizo, questions his master's ways and his training. His love interest is killed at the direction of his master, having tried to escape from the ninja camp. Raizo finds himself at odds with his past and becomes a lone-wolf resistor. What follows is a kaleidoscope of ninja slaughter.
If I'm not mistaken, about 40% of the movie is made up of flashbacks. That may have worked for Titanic, but they feel more like an interruption with this film. Raizo's past isn't half as interesting as you may think it to be. The other 60% is roughly 10% dialogue and 50% action. Oh, and did I mention that this movie is gory?
I was seriously underwhelmed by this movie. I have nothing against serious plots. In fact, I think I would enjoy a good ninja movie with a serious tone. Let's just say that Ninja Asssassin isn't it. What's with the title anyway? Isn't it a little redundant?
For me, there's another area where this movie falls short. Most of the actors are not Japanese. While I'm not implying that ninjas have to be Japanese, the movie would have had a far more authentic feel if they had made a point of using more Japanese actors. The Rise of Cobra suffers from the same problem (seriously, did you think I wouldn't notice when supposedly Japanese characters are speaking Chinese?).
If they had made a B movie out of this, it would have been far more entertaining than what they ended up with.
