Ninja Academy (1989)

[AlbertV]

Does anyone remember this B-movie from director Nico Mastorakis. Think POLICE ACADEMY with ninjas.

I have to admit, this is one of those films I consider one of the ultimate guilty pleasures. One of those cheesy comedies I never got tired of watching. It revolves around the rivalry between two top martial arts school, the Beverly Hills Ninja Academy, run by Addleman (Seth Foster) and the mysterious Toppanga Ninjitsu-Ryu Academy, led by Chiba (Gerald Okamura). Addleman and Chiba had been longtime rivals since Addleman's training in Japan.

The misfit crew joining Chiba's school include a pompous rich boy who squanders his father's riches and is cut off unless he joins the school and completes the program; two young women who want to impress some Tai Chi guy one meets on the beach; a klutz in dire need of self-confidence; some local hunter guy who speaks like Clint Eastwood; some reject from the James Bond academy; and a bullied mime (No joke!)

So why do I still like this film? Well, some of the top talent in martial arts appear in this film. Aside from Gerald Okamura, James Lew plays one of the assistant instructors (trying to teach Claude the art of invisibility on numerous occasions); Karen Sheperd has a brief role as a member of the BH Ninja Academy; and Art Camacho as Gonzalez, Addleman's #1 who spies on Chiba's school to see why they are the #1 Ninja academy...this does showcase some comic relief from Camacho

There are some comic bits, including the pompous rich boy on a run finding of all things...a freaking nudist camp! Then he gets flipped by Gayle, Chiba's daughter, because he is being a complete smartaleck.

Here's the trailer:

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[AlbertV]

Anyone remember this Nico Mastorakis-directed martial arts comedy? The fight scenes were choreographed by the late Bill Ryusaki and James Lew (who also played one of the assistant instructors at Gerald Okamura's school). Look out for a brief cameo by Karen Sheperd as a member of the Beverly Hills Ninja Academy in a sparring fight against her instructor, the main bad guy of the film. Art Camacho plays the bad guy's #1, who infiltrates the school and gets himself in comic situations.

[AlbertV]

I revisited this Nico Mastorakis martial arts comedy on Prime this past weekend. Basically replace Police Academy with ninjas, especially the 3rd PA film because of the rivalry between two rival academies, the ritzy Beverly Hills Ninja Academy run by the arrogant Addleman (Seth Foster) and the more secluded Topanga Ninjtsu Ryu, run by Chiba (Gerald Okamura). 

Chiba's student include an arrogant rich boy (Will Egan), two BFFs (Kathleen Stevens and Lisa Montgomery), a mime (Jeff Robinson), a war-obsessed lunatic (Bob Factor), a klutz (Jack Freimeyer), and a secret agent with a trigger finger (Michael David). 

There are some funny bits, including a running gag where Chiba's assistant instructor (James Lew) attempts to teach the klutz the ways of the smoke bomb and Chiba constantly hitting rich boy with his kendo stick at night; Stevens' eye candy. and a potential romance between rich boy and Chiba's daughter (Kelly Randall). There's even a scene where rich boy comes across a nudist colony during a run in which the klutz also sees and tells Rambo wannabe "I could never be a nudist. I constantly pour hot coffee on my lap."  

During a training scene you can see rich boy watching ninjas spar and he grabs one as he nearly falls. That ninja he grabs is a young Mark Dacascos. Art Camacho plays Addleman's spy, who gets himself in two comic bits himself. Karen Sheperd plays one of Addleman's ninja students as well while former kickboxer Pixie Elmore plays one of Chiba's ninjas in the rumble between the ninja academies before the final showdown between Chiba and Addleman. 

Edited June 5, 2023 by AlbertV