Mirai Ninja: Keiun Kinin Gaiden

i first watched this in the late 80s when it first hit video in the UK.i only saw it once but i never forgot it-no matter how i tried i couldn't find a copy but then after learning its original title i managed to locate a us release on video.its still as good i just wish it would be released on DVD and even in its original Japanese audio. i thought about this film every few months for nearly 20 years until i found a copy on amazon which cost me a lot more then i would normally pay for a video. I've since shown the film to several mates and they all think the same,a brilliant samurai sci fi film which yes does borrow from tons of films but it still works and needs to be seen by more people.

Ahh, "Cyber Ninja," where to begin with you?

I got to see this movie at a gaming convention during a weekend-long program wherein a group of people in lab coats showed B-movies to test subjects and then monitored them, keeping track of who said the most funny comments during the movies. Sound familiar? If you're a fan of MST3K, it should. And if you can track down a copy of this movie, you'll probably be able to come up with as many riffs as I did.

I realize I haven't said anything about the movie yet, but that's just as well. The more you discover for yourself as you watch, the more brazen and outlandish the whole thing becomes. Suffice to say, it's a Japanese rip-off of "Star Wars" with "Power Rangers"-type villains and some of the silliest-looking ninja I've ever seen in my life. (Once you see how the mecha-ninja get around, you'll know what I'm talking about.)

Calling this movie "reminiscent of 'Star Wars'" -- as somebody did in the blurb on the front of the box -- is amusing since it's set in a quasi-futuristic feudal Japan (with laser guns and sword battles existing side-by-side), and "Star Wars" itself is "reminiscent" of Akira Kurosawa's "The Hidden Fortress" (i.e. Lucas stole characters and plot points wholesale from it). Does that make this a second generation rip-off? Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I think it does.

Wow. MST3K fans check this film out out, especially the English dubbed version. It's absolutely hilarious- so bad it's good. The story is ridiculous, the hero is stupid, and the villains are like something from Power Rangers. One of the villains looks like he has a bunch of snow crabs glued to his back. I especially love the horrible dubbing. For example, the opening fight sequence involves a man (our hero, I believe) rolling down a hill. Instead of the oof's and oww's that one might imagine a man rolling down hill would make, he screams like he's been chucked over a 300 ft. cliff. God, I couldn't stop laughing. A funny movie that's not supposed to be.

This movie is nothing amazing for sure. Yet it is very interesting scifi retro futuro B-class movie with a lot of swordplay and somewhat acceptable effects.

The only way how to describe this movie is mix of Star Gate with a lot of Kurosawa and maybe a little bit of Tron and Doom (the computer game, not the movie). Both parties, the cyber demons and the humans fight as they would were teleported from medieval Japan. The story leaves a lot of parts unexplained and it is open for the imagination of the viewer as it it typical for "genuine, non-Westernized" Japanese movies. This is not bad in general but it will probably leave a lot of Western viewers confused.

The movie is definitely not something special. It is probably not worthy to seek on DVD either. But it is enjoyable and well done in terms of its probably tight budget so it is not insult of the viewer nor a loss of time. It allows us to see "retro cyber punk" as it is perceived by the Japanese authors. It is comparable to "Mutant Chronicles" which is not miracle either but it is solid fun anyway. I think the more hardcore scifi fans will like it.

Gosh.. I first watched this movie when I was ten and own a bad quality copy of VHS. Fortunately though, it has original Japanese soundtrack. Having not seen the English dubbed version, I am little puzzled by other reviews because overall I thought this was a quite decent film. Although I have to admit that 7/10 rating was somewhat based on nostalgia. In any case, I like the concept of Cyborgs and robots fighting with swords, wearing samurai armors, and knives shooting out from hands. Plus you have to admit that putting ammos into katanas is kind of cool. Not to mention different types of robotic ninjas. There were actually action figures of shiranui(main character) and shouki(badass white ninja)!!