Ninja III: The Domination (1984)

(On Cable TV, June 2021) The Cannon Group’s Ninja Trilogy has never been about mature, respectable realism, but even by the wild standards of the series, Ninja III: The Domination is particularly ludicrous. Fully assuming the mystical portrayal of the ninja, this third instalment has a body-hopping ninja spirit taking over our heroine, wild action sequences (including the opening one, in which a ninja takes down a helicopter from a nearby palm tree) and impossible action beats (such as drilling down into the ground so hard as to, um, create a canyon?) Then there’s the production date of the film and all it carries with it — it goes without saying that our heroine is not only a telephone linewoman, but also an aerobics instructor, giving the film a chance for some leotard-driven leering. I’ll give it something: it’s hard to stop watching when you’re constantly wondering what crazy thing the film is going to pull out of its hat. But as far as narrative continuity, character development or even consistent tone is concerned, this is really not the best choice. “Only a ninja can destroy a ninja” is the guiding principle of the plotting in the film’s second half, and you get what you get from that. Definitely funny despite not being made as a comedy, Ninja III: The Domination does conclude Cannon’s Ninja Trilogy on a dubious high point — but there’s a limit to the appreciation that such a film can generate, and a late-night cult classic is really not the same thing as a real classic, or even a solid film that avoids derision.