ALIEN VS NINJA

DIRECTED BY: SEIJI CHIBA

STARRING: MASANORI MIMOTO, SHUJI KASHIWABARA, DONPEI TSUCHIHIRA

RUNNING TIME: 81 MINUTES

I have just sat down and watched this and to be quite honest I don't know what the fuck to say... This is one bizarre mix up of a movie that shouldn't work yet is still entertaining in a totally insane kind of way.

The plot is very simple... A group of Ninjas are sent out to find out what the fire from the sky was... Once out in the forests they quickly discover that the fire was not of this planet and what it has brought with it is hungry for food and domination.

So you now have a martial arts, sci-fi movie with enough blood and guts to satisfy any horror fan...

...Oh, and did I mention that its a comedy.

Now, don't go shaking your head. I know what you're thinking and your wrong. It is the comedy that binds this entire film together. Without the comedy AvN just would not work.

The writer and director clearly knows that he has a very limited budget to work with and as such he knows his Aliens are not going to look like much more than men in suits. He knows he is having to shoot in a forest and will have to rely on over the top effects and madness to equal everything out.

And surprisingly he does this very well. It won't be to everyone's taste but I felt it worked well... I smiled, I laughed and I was entertained by the madcap action that embraced its ability to become crazier and crazier as it went on.

AvN is a curiosity but one definitely worth taking a look at if you want a slice of fun that feels like a mash up of John Woo, early Peter Jackson and totally fucked up Power Ranger's creatures.