Shaolin Vs. Ninja: Reviews

The local Japanese inhabitants have long since craved the land occupied by the Shaolin temple and are just waiting for an excuse to snatch it from under the monk's noses. When a Japanese monk arrives to advocate peace he is murdered, seemingly by a Shaolin monk, so the Japanese seize their chance to force an investigation upon the temple and demand the guilty party is brought forward. To help pile the pressure on the monks the Japanese hire a clan of Ninjas in the hope that they will force them into combat, thus condemning their good names. Unwilling to be brought into such petty arguments the Shaolin organise a friendly tournament within their temple so that the Ninja will be taught a valuable lesson. Which side will emerge victorious and will the Shaolin be able to restore their reputation?

When an original style of film makes it big, it is pretty much expected that a thousand imitations will follow in an attempt to cash-in on the current trendsetter. The Asian film market is a particularly guilty party when it comes to this process and 'Shaolin Vs. Ninja' is a prime example. Displaying clear signs of a film rushed into production, it relies heavily on the influence of Jet Li's 'Shaolin Temple' and the whole Ninja mythos (which were in the ascendance at this time) to provide a quick and easy claim to fame. Sadly, it suffers from the same handful of flaws as the majority of films produced this way; the budget is low, the plot is poor (or non-existent) and it lacks decent direction. Lo Rei's presence could and should have raised it's pedigree but his part is limited to cameos during the action which causes the film to plod along without a clearly defined hero or main character/s. This leaves the fight sequences to provide a certain saving grace which they do thanks to a well choreographed tournament between the Shaolin and Ninja but even this did little to lift my general opinion on 'Shaolin Vs. Ninja'.

'Shaolin Vs. Ninja' is a very poorly made film that is so badly thought out that it is often completely unwatchable. The fight sequences allow for a few distracting moments but they are not enough to make it a worthwhile purchase.