Ninjas Vs Zombies (2008) – Film

“Ninjas Vs Zombies”

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Eric, who died mysteriously after dabbling in magic, is accidentally resurrected by his brother, Randall, after he discovered The Book.  Eric begins consuming souls and turning people into zombies.  Randall consults The Book, and gives their friends, Cole, Kyle, and Fitz, the power of Ninja. Now only they can stop the zombie menace.

There are plenty of reasons why this is not a technically good movie.  Including rather low production value, an inexperienced cast, a hugely ambitious fight scene that wasn’t quite as exciting as intended, and an overabundance of one-liners and pop culture references lacing the dialogue, this film toes the line of being a fan-boy wish-fulfillment piece.

Okay, enough about the negative, this movie is completely awesome.  The first time I saw it, I was struck by the enthusiasm, energy, and chemistry among the cast (which, I think, goes a long way in making up for lack of experience in front of the camera).  Our heroes (and villain) are imperfect, likable, and easy to empathize with.  Daniel Ross portrays the feisty, smart ass, foul mouthed, aspiring actor, Kyle. Cory Okouchi portrays the insecure, self-absorbed, but ultimately able to pull himself and the ninjas together, Cole.   Carla Okouchi portrays the heart weary, but tough, tired of waiting for Cole to notice her, Lily.  And  P.J. Magaw is Eric, our evil, almost suave, zombie master, who really appears to have fun being evil, oh, and he was Lily’s boyfriend before he died.

This film is full of physical humor, cheesy gags, and nice, simple special effects that work well, and some that don’t.  The fight scenes were obviously a priority in this film and the choreography work put into them is evident.   The dialogue, as mentioned before, is heavy with quotes (homages) to pretty much everything in Geekdom, which, depending on your point of view, is either entertaining or lame.  I choose entertaining.  Each time I’ve watched this I’ve caught something I hadn’t previously.   The story is fresh and the characters develop through the movie.  The filmmakers weren’t afraid to kill off characters if it moved the plot along, or go with an unexpected twist.

The soundtrack is good, but the Ninjas vs. Zombies theme song is a damn catchy tune that will stick with you.

I gave this one 3 rum & cokes.  I thought the movie was very successful, as it entertained and kept my attention (indeed had me bouncing and grinning) throughout.  This movie is the first installment of a trilogy.  In The Audience shall return with the further escapades of the Ninja Heroes.

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