3 Ninjas (1992) - A Review

 

Classic 90s family movie. Underrated, I think.

3 Ninjas is an American family comedy martial arts movie released in 1992 and starred Victor Wong, Michael Treanor, Max Elliott Slade, Chad Power, Kate Sargeant, Rand Kingsley, and Professor Toru Tanaka. 3 Ninjas was directed by Jon Turteltaub, with Rick Avery as stunt coordinator and Monty Cox as second stunt coordinator.

Michael Treanor as Rocky, Chad Power as Tum-Tum, and Max Elliott Slade as Colt: The 3 Ninjas!

In 3 Ninjas, Victor Wong plays Mori Tanaka, a master in the martial art of ninjutsu who is taking care of his three grandsons over the summer. At the end of the summer, Mori gives them nicknames based on their personalities: The oldest brother, Samuel Douglas Jr., (played by Micheal Treanor), is named Rocky; the second oldest, Jeffrey Douglas (played by Max Elliot Slade) is named Colt; and the youngest brother, Michael Douglas (played by Chad Power), is called Tum-Tum. Before the kids head back home, Mori is visited by an old friend, Hugo Snyder (played by Rand Kingsley), who wants Mori's son-in-law Sam, the kids' father, to stop investigating him. Snyder threatens Mori's family if he doesn't get Sam off his back...

Hugo Snyder was almost caught by Sam and the FBI previous to this, in a sting selling illegal warheads. Mori doesn't help Snyder, so Snyder decides to kidnap the kids. He sends his assistant's bumbling nephew (and his two friends) to kidnap them. For the kidnappers, their mission doesn't go so good, as the 3 Ninjas are able to defend themselves. Unfortunately, Snyder's bodyguard (played by Professor Toru Tanaka) shows up and kidnaps them anyways. Sam must trust Mori to confront Snyder and help get the kids back. The 3 Ninjas, must find a way out of their situation while keeping faith that their grandfather isn't a bad guy...

Victor Wong as Mori Tanaka, the 3 Ninjas' grandfather. He rules in this!

I'll just say it, and it's been said before: 3 Ninjas is basically Home Alone with martial arts. This isn't a bad thing, though! 3 Ninjas is still funny and entertaining in it's own right, after all these years. It's good clean fun for the whole family (though there are two instances of offensive words in regards to handicapped people used; unfortunately, that is how kids talked back then...and even now). Yes, most of the comedy is kid humor, but there's nothing wrong with going back to your childhood and enjoying what was funny to you back then (if you are an adult reading this review). Kids reading this review, just go watch the movie!

I like the relationship between the three brothers: Rocky is steady and unshakeable, Colt is hotheaded, and Tum-Tum is...a little kid that loves to eat. Rocky and Colt don't always include Tum-Tum in their celebrations, and Tum-Tum repeats what his older brothers says a lot. Rocky calms Colt down when he's fired up, but Colt always backs up his brothers. Tum-Tum is the funniest of the brothers, I would say. The brothers are confident in themselves and in their skills. The brothers love their grandpa, as well as their parents; so the conflict between their father and their grandpa (Sam doesn't approve of Mori teaching the kids ninjutsu) has an effect on them throughout the movie.

The three kidnappers, lead by Fester (played by Patrick Francis Labyorteaux) are three of the dumbest surfer/skater dudes you'll ever see! Think Bill and Ted, but way, way dumber. When I was kid, they annoyed me so much (and I loved Bill and Ted), but watching it now, I think they are hilarious! The main villain, Snyder, is quite the bombastic jerk! He is rich, greedy, and an expert martial artist. Rand Kingsley gives a good performance as Snyder, but he is not a really memorable kids movie villain. Victor Wong as Mori/Grandpa is great in this. You can tell through his performance that he loves his grandchildren. He is a bit stubborn, in a good way and in a bad way, but he is willing to compromise. Victor Wong rules!

The 3 Ninjas don't hold back in their fight scenes!

The action in 3 Ninjas is pretty good...for a kids movie. Nothing too violent to worry about. At first, the 3 Ninjas fight their enemies using their surroundings (what Jackie Chan is famous for in America). It is very comedic, and it's funny to see the enemies flying around like ragdolls after getting hit by the kids. Later on in the movie, we get to really see the ability of the kid ninjas. They definitely have the skill! The best fights involving the kids is at the end when they are trying to escape being kidnapped. Mori also fights quite a bit in this, but it is obviously a stuntman. It's fine, though. There actually are some scenes where you can't tell if it's Victor Wong himself or a stuntman, so kudos to the stunt team and the editor! The early fights are fun and silly, the later fights are a bit more serious with higher stakes.

I do recommend 3 Ninjas, for sure! It's just an enjoyable, funny movie safe for the whole family. I will say, the version I watched (which was on the streaming site Tubi) was the international version. This version is a little longer and has some things changed from the original 'American' version I watched as a kid. To say what the differences are would spoil the movie, but it doesn't change the movie as a whole. Anyways, 3 Ninjas is really underrated nowadays, and I think people should give it a chance in the 2020s.

(ROCKY loves EMILY, by the way.)

Reviewed by David Williams