I love how in the very middle of the film when hero Randall has lost all hope he’s greeted by the vision of a young girl who insists the only way to beat the zombies is ninjas. Almost as if that’s been the natural choice for every decision involving zombies in pop culture. Ninjas, duh! “Ninjas vs. Zombies” is the pop culture ode that I could definitely get behind. Sure it’s micro budget and lacking in solid performances, but it’s such an unabashed celebration of this ridiculous concept it’s tough not to enjoy. I’m not surprised there’s a follow-up on the way, that’s for sure.
Randall is a lonesome gent who takes to séances and spells in his comic book shop and is intent on raising his brother Eric from the dead. The spell works too well as Eric rises from the grave and is now a villainous demonic entity who has the ability to turn the living in to his own minions of the walking dead. Now armed with his magic, Randall seeks out the answer to beat his brother. And it’s ninjas! Well, not so much ninjas as it is the local karate fans of the city, all of whom are a separate entity practicing their own go nowhere lives unaware that their fates lie within Randall who has a higher purpose for them against pure evil. Beyond the gut munching and evil monologuing, there’s a coming of age tale for a group of man children who find out that they’re worth something when the dead come knocking down their doors.
The characters are all fairly cliché for what the indie format would dictate but that didn’t deter me from enjoying what was put on screen by Timpane who does his best to make this preposterous premise come to fruition as something that’s only logical and inevitable. He not only clashes together two popular archetypes, but builds upon a potential franchise where these men can come together to fight just about any monster you can imagine. Werewolves, Witches, Wendigos, it’s all fair game.
The tiresome portion of the film can tend to be the pop culture homages where characters rip lines from other films and to curb the eye rolls point out the nods as if a self-aware nod to the audience that we’re watching a movie. The gag gets very old very fast, but the charismatic portrayal of these two character molds battling to the death makes for some unique entertainment and hilarity. Especially when the plump and out of shape men can’t believe they’re taking down these specters of death with pure ease. “Ninjas vs. Zombies” is far from the perfect production. The sound editing is off and I was never sure what the hell Eric was trying to accomplish by turning people in to the walking dead, but as an enthusiastic old fashioned throw down of monsters and heroes, it has value as entertainment and a lesson in indie filmmaking.