Alien VS Ninja (2010)

Who's up for some goofy, campy fun?

I knew you would be.

Then you can do a lot worse than 'Alien Vs Ninja', one of those low budget Japanese films that are so abundant, you could probably pave the road to Tipperary with it.

Far fetched metaphors, me?

Just a warning: if you're going into this expecting something serious, just turn around. This film is goofy to the Nth degree and honestly: if you couldn't gather that through the title alone, you really need to adjust your expectations.

The story takes place several hundred years ago and we follow a small band of shinobi, who see a fireball crash into the forest. This turns out to contain ferocious aliens and soon they are fighting to stay alive.

Yes, that is the whole plot. Nothing more. What did you want, a Shakespearean tale of deceit and revenge?

This film is as silly as a bag of cats, but that is also where the fun lies. Nevermind that the story is supposed to take place hundreds of years ago, when the armor of the ninja is so clearly plastic, vinyl and rubber (some parts apparently borrowed from skateboarding gear). Nevermind that the alien is of course modelled after the now classic HR Giger Xenomorph (because which extraterrestrial after that seminal film isn't?) and that the CG is a little iffy at best. You get a lot in return. As soon as the mayhem starts, it never lets up until the very end. Sure, you have to wait for about 20 minutes for things to kick in high gear, but that's okay. There is some gore, but it's not meant to disturb here. Most of the fight scenes are rather well done considering, and the person in the alien suit is pretty impressive and mobile at times. Okay, they kept it very slim and humanoid except for the head, but still: it can't be easy swiftly moving in what is in essence a rubber sock.

This is also more of a comedy than anything else. Some of the secondary characters are over the top, but you often get that in Japanese films. They're not as annoying as in some other films and they aren't on screen that much anyway. But if you go in expecting this to be serious, you are in for quite a surprise.

Despite its obviously shoestring budget, what did impress me at times was some neat camerawork and some interesting angles and movement. It is a little reminiscent of Sam Raimi's early work, albeit it of course less groundbreaking. But still, props to the cinematographer!

'Alien VS Ninja' is a fun little film that is bound to entertain fans of the sillier Japanese cinema. It's a joyous ride if you're into this sort of thing.

If anything of the above does not seem to your liking, give this a wide berth.