Verdict
Summary
Five Element Ninja is a martial arts masterpiece that delivers on inventive ninja action and tells a story that is truly made up of pure action sequences. While it would have been nice to see some character development in some of the heroes, and some of the acting is a little over the top at times (especially some of the bulgy-eyed deaths) none of that detracts from the awesome spectacle that this movie offers. In my opinion, this is one of the best ninja movies ever made.
Plot: After losing a tournament to decide who will dominate the martial world, Chief Hong hires a Japanese ninja master and his team of Element Ninjas to wipe out his opposing clan. The lone survivor of that clan Shao Tien-hao (Tien-chi Cheng) trains with an old master in the woods to defeat the seemingly invincible Element Ninjas and avenge his clan.
Review: Arriving a year before Chang Cheh left Shaw Bros., Five Element Ninja (released in North America as Chinese Super Ninjas) may not be the best movie in terms of story, but it’s certainly one of the most exciting, fun and creative martial arts movies Shaw Bros. put out. It’s simply wall-to-wall fighting, displaying a mixture of martial arts skills and a wide array of weaponry, wrapped in some very impressive choreography.
The movie begins with a match between two clans. Each of the clans’ best fighters square off in blistering battles until one clan wins. Being a sour puss, the loser Chief Hong hires a mysterious Japanese ninja lord Kembuchi Mudou and issues another challenge to the winning clan, this time pitting them against an invincible team of ninjas called the Element Ninjas. Each faction of this team employs techniques, weaponry and colors according to one of the five elements they specialize in, including gold, earth, water, wood and fire. The next set of action scenes features each one of these factions basically slaughtering the other clan. Further damage is done when a female ninja infiltrates the clan and wipes the rest of the warriors out. Lone survivor Shao Tien-hao recalls an old ninjitsu master in the woods and enlists his help to avenge his clan. Teaming with three new warriors and armed with new combat knowledge, Shao Tien-hao and his new allies set out to defeat the Five Element Ninjas once and for all.
What’s ingenious about this movie is, while watching it you might not believe that there’s an actual plot, but the action scenes basically are the plot. The initial slaughter sets up the powers and techniques of the Element Ninjas for the audience to a point where they can be turned on their ear in the final fights without confusion. All of the fighting techniques and weaponry used by Shao Tien-hao’s clan in the introductory fights are then modified in the final confrontations. So basically, Five Element Ninja is an ingenious collection of set-ups and follow-throughs using the language of action to tell the story.
The Element Ninjas themselves are amazing, sporting striking designs and creative weapons and fighting styles. The gold ninjas are decked out in golden ninja costumes with coolie hats that are used to reflect the sun into their opponents’ eyes and shoot out daggers from the seams of the hats. The wood ninjas disguise themselves as trees, sort of like the tree characters in Wizard of Oz, but with claw hands and ninja stars. The earth ninjas swim through the earth under their opponents’ feet and swing their blades upward through their enemies. The water ninjas swim and jump through water like seals, albeit armed with ninja spears. And the fire ninjas blow smoke and fire. Each one sports their own colors which makes them look all the more awesome.
The strength of Five Element Ninja is that it’s full of visual surprises. Each power, each costume design and each trap and weapon is unpacked one by one by one throughout the movie to the end. Just when you think you’ve seen all that the movie has to offer, the unique ways that the heroes dispatch each of the Element Ninjas turn out to be inventive and pay off what was shown in previous scenes.
Five Element Ninja is a martial arts masterpiece that delivers on inventive ninja action and tells a story that is truly made up of pure action sequences. While it would have been nice to see some character development in some of the heroes, and some of the acting is a little over the top at times (especially some of the bulgy-eyed deaths) none of that detracts from the awesome spectacle that this movie offers. In my opinion, this is one of the best ninja movies ever made.