It’s not often I find myself speechless after watching a film, let alone two, yet here we are. I’m a true believer that a movie can be so bad that it’s good, and this latest release from Visual Vengeance supports that statement. You get not just one, but two SOV feature films that defy all sensible logic while delivering an unparalleled good time.
Born a Ninja and Commando the Ninja, both released in 1988, were products of Godfrey Ho’s “cut and paste” mentality. He’d take bits and pieces from other films, splicing them together into something new. I wouldn’t say any of them turned out particularly good, but they’re essential viewing for connoisseurs of bad cinema.
There’s no shortage of Ho’s work either, having put together over a hundred films under at least 40 different aliases to avoid any copyright issues. Visual Vengeance delivers these two films, for better or worse, and I recently took the dive.
In Born a Ninja, Larry (Daniel Garfield) and David (Patrick Laregent) stumble on a World War II germ formula that’s created Tanaka, a mad scientist. This pulls them into a web of destruction as they fend off a psychotic mastermind bent on world destruction. The only thing that can save them is the mysterious martial arts style known as Hocus Pocus.
With Commando the Ninja, Larry and David find themselves pulled into a war over germ-warfare secrets created by Tanaka. They’re pulled into a deadly web and have to pull out every trick in the book in order to save the world.
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Do those plots sound similar to you? They certainly did to me, but it’s never really clear whether we are dealing with a sequel, a prequel, a remake, or something else. None of it really makes sense, but with films like these, if they leave you laughing or smiling, then their mission was accomplished. They may be best viewed in a group, but you’ll have fun either way. There’s no hating on them, just a good time.
Visual Vengeance presents both films with new SD transfers from the original tape elements. They include commentary tracks on both films, two video essays, an interview with Kwan Chung, an image gallery, trailers, optional subtitles, two fold mini-posters, a reversible sleeve, and a booklet with an essay by ninja movie expert C.J. Lines.
There are hours of entertainment on this disc in addition to the two equally wild movies. The interesting behind-the-scenes information helps you appreciate the wild world of Godfrey Ho.
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