Surf Ninjas (1993) User Reviews

Not a masterpiece, but it's pretty funny

[lifeisnteverything · 6/10 · 30 June 2005]

It never fails to amaze me--no matter how many times I read over the comments about "Surf Ninjas", I'm astounded by the sheer number that are written by people who must look down their noses at any movie that does not fit into the category of "serious film". You would think that an Oscar contender was being reviewed, not a children's movie from the early 90's about surfing ninja-princes.

Come on. How much can a person expect from a movie called "Surf Ninjas"? All you can expect, as far as I'm concerned, are ninjas who surf. This movie has both, therefore it is a complete success.

I have to say, I loved this movie when I was little. I rented it every weekend for three months straight. Last Christmas, I found a VHS of it at Wal-Mart for $3.99, and, of course, I bought it. When I watched it, I was pleasantly surprised that it not only lived up to what I remembered of it, but that it was full of inside jokes and one-liners that my kid's brain couldn't quite get, but that my now-adult brain totally comprehends. And, might I add, finds rather funny.

Few movies could make a running gag out of a line like "Money can't buy knives", but "Surf Ninjas" pulls it off. Don't watch this expecting a masterpiece, but as a slice of good old 1990's nostalgia, it's great.

For the kids

[gmiller8 · 4/10 · 4 February 2005]

This is a kids movie. Do not watch it if you are older than the age of ten. I saw this film when i was seven and i loved it. So by all means rent it for the kids but it probably would not entertain any other age group. I used to love all these ninja movies when i was a kid. It is just something about kids kicking butt that makes a child feel empowered. I even used to have a sega genesis like the youngest surf ninja. This is a spin off of the three ninjas movies, which i absolutely used to love. If you have kids and you want to rent them some movies you should get them the three ninja movies first and then maybe surf ninjas.

Chicks got a veil, dudes gotta bail....

[FlashCallahan · 5/10 · 11 May 2013]

Brothers Johnny, and Adam, grow up care-free in California as adopted sons of Marine veteran Mac, and friends of Iggy. Colonel Chi's military reign of terror culminates in their tiny birth-land, island state Patu San, off the Viet Nam coast.

Former royal guards officer Zatch summon the brothers to return and restore the pacific monarchy, because they are the sons of the murdered king, whom Mac took in exile for safety.

They are joined on the adventurous journey by a Californian police detective whose attention was drawn by the ninja team that failed, thanks to Zatch, to murder the brothers in Mac's home.....

I can really honestly understand why some people would think that this is a great film, it was made twenty years ago, and if I saw this when I were fifteen, I'd probably say the same thing.

I didn't, I'm thirty five and saw this last week, but it was because I had to see it, because the poster was fantastic in 1993.

Bottom line is, the film isn't very good, the leads are pretty bright and breezy and Schineider looks odd, but it rolls along at a steady pace without bothering anybody or any brain.

As for Nielsen, he really didn't need to be in this, probably just in it to attract the Naked Gun audience.

If you saw it back in the day, I envy you a little, because I missed it and so did the inner child in me.

I liked it.

[michellemybell · 4 March 2002]

I saw this movie a few years ago and I happened to see it again recently. It is definitely not meant to be a super amazing martial arts movie in the sense of Bruce Lee. Rather this movie is supposed to be fun and lighthearted. I think it does its job. You can't judge it and say "Well that was a cheesy line". After all it was made in the early 90s so there is still a little of the 80s in the movie. It would be like watching those great movies of the 50s and mocking the dramatics of the women(ya know the screams with the hands on the face kinda deal.) People today just over think movies. If this movie makes you laugh and leaves you thinking... "I'm happy with the ending" then it served its purpose. It is just entertainment!!!!!!! And I like this movie!

This movie was made for MST3K.

[Byers · 1/10 · 18 April 1999]

"Surf Ninjas" was made near the peak of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles craze and is obviously a blatant attempt to capatalize on the ninja mania. They didn't do a very good job. This movie is such a great candidate for Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K) that the producers should have skipped its distribution to theaters and sent it straight to the bots. There "story" is that a couple of kids (brothers), heirs to the throne of an island country that has been overthrown by a tyrant, are living in exile in the U.S. (they don't know they're princes, btw; what an original concept). Suddenly they are informed of their true identity, receive "super powers" (instant kung fu knowledge for one, psychic ability for the other) and must free their homeland. Throw in some stunt doubles doing cheap looking martial arts moves, a few poor attempts at humor, a few feel-good moral messages (freedom over tyranny, everyone has a special gift, blah blah blah), and a commercial tie in (Sega's Game Gear) and you've got yourself one giant waste of money.

Can't Get Much Worse Than This

[kgsmith1 · 2/10 · 26 April 2003]

This movie is a sad, sad attempt to cash in on the Ninja Turtles craze. The tie in with Sega is the most pathetic, sorry attempt at cross promoting I have ever seen. The "plotline" is so overplayed it's sad--not to mention of the 500 movies that have used this very same plotline, 498 of them did it better. It only stays away from a 1 because some (and I stress, SOME) of the ninja moves are decent. Don't rent it, don't watch it, just spend two hours hammering a nail into your hand instead--it'll be more fun and you'll feel like you acomplished something, to boot.

a little low for Leslie Nielsen, but good just as straight-forward entertainment

[lee_eisenberg · 7/10 · 12 August 2007]

OK, so "Surf Ninjas" is one of those movies that they crank out every once in a while about cool kids clobbering dumb adults. If this one was meant to be completely silly, then they succeeded in every respect, so it's funny if we accept it as such. I will say that it's weird to see Leslie Nielsen as a maniacal tyrant, but even he does some neat stuff. As for the surfing factor, who doesn't love to see some of that on screen (even if, like me, you've never surfed in your life)? There's no shortage of straight-forward entertainment here.

So, it's truly the sort of movie that you watch for pure self-indulgence. Don't approach as you would a Fellini or Kubrick movie.

Just Terrible

[davidm1128 · 1/10 · 7 March 2006]

This has to be one of the worst movies i have ever seen in my life. I was just going to my youth group like every other week, but this week was oh so different. This week we watched a movie and not just any movie it was Surf Ninjas. My friend picked it out and so i thought it would be okay but the more i watched it the harder it became to watch. I lasted throughout the whole movie, i couldn't believe it. I was so mad that we had to watch this stupid movie. After i left i couldn't help thinking how bad it was and then i realized that this is hands down in the top 5 worst movies that i have ever seen in my life. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DO NOT WATCH THIS MOVIE: YOU WILL REGRET IT. I know i did.

My Favorite Movie

[liz_ard83 · 10/10 · 30 June 2006]

Everything about this movie is ridiculous. The plot is dumb, the characters are cheesy, as the jokes are lame. It is one of the most hysterical movies I have ever watched.

I saw it first when I was about 10 because my little brother was on a ninja movies kick. I think I liked it better than he did. Of course, back then I thought Johnny was cute.

I'm quite a lot older now, and this movie still makes me laugh as I hard today as I did then. As pathetic as this movie is, it has to be my favorite.

I think everyone on the planet should see this movie at least a dozen times. It's not a cinematic masterpiece, but it's worth every minute.

fun times

[ThunderKing6 · 7/10 · 15 August 2020]

This movie was such a 90s film.

Its fun, nostalgic and it has Rob Schneider.

Verdict: wish they still made movies like this.

Worst movie EVER

[HrutkaPal · 1/10 · 12 January 2008]

As my summary says it, this is pretty much the worst movie I have ever seen. Yes, I know it's a kids-flick, but that doesn't change anything. What's the worst, I can't believe Leslie Nielsen took part in this. What was he thinking? The whole story is just ridiculous, the 'jokes' incredibly bad, not to mention the acting. You could pretty much see the background actors didn't really know what was going on, it was a mess. If you want to watch a trash-movie, this is a must-see, cause you'll laugh all the time. But if you don't want to watch this as a trash-movie,this flick is a complete waste of time, electricity and your mind. Don't watch this.

The only hunch I can surmise as to why people rated this film so low was because they were not the demographic target, but then again, neither am I, and I still enjoyed "Surf Ninjas" immensely.

[Vladimir_Grozescu · 10/10 · 23 September 2001]

"Surf Ninjas" is an excellent film. I suppose many people viewed the early 90's American pop-culture references, and dated jargon as off-putting, but to me, they gave the film a sense of nostalgic charm. The only hunch I can surmise as to why people rated this film so low was because they were not the demographic target, but then again, neither am I, and I still enjoyed "Surf Ninjas" immensely. Sure, "Surf Ninjas" is targeted at the teenage crowd, but you don't have to be a teenager to enjoy it. Even now, as an adult, I still enjoy this film. Although, it's a bit difficult pinpointing why exactly I like it so much, but one of the main reasons was because the main characters were so engaging and enjoyable. The most enjoyable characters are Johnny and Iggy, but just about everyone turns out an enjoyable performance here. One of my favourite scenes in this film is when the cast gives a hilarious rendition of the song, "Barbara Ann", right after Johnny liberates his people. Also, there are some wonderful jokes in this film, many of which are very witty. But I won't give any of them away; they're far too funny to spoil. I guess this is the type of film you could call a "guilty pleasure", but I don't really see why. Why anyone would categorize something such as this that's funnier than 90% of the American comedies out there as "guilty" is beyond me.

My rating: 9 stars out of 10

Great movie! Could have been better.

[udell · 7/10 · 11 September 2010]

I worked on this movie from start to finish. I was the accountant, so feel free dismiss the following comments as you like.

The original script by DanGordon was the funniest script I had ever read, and I was very excited to be able to work on the film. I then watched in dismay as each rewrite became less and less funny, removing many great bits and gags from the script. It was then shot in a way that was less funny than the shooting script which was not nearly as funny as the original script.

And yet, it's still a funny and silly and damn enjoyable movie. All my children have enjoyed watching it and each of them has told me that it is their favorite movie (well, until they were 4 or 5 years old, after which they were too mature for it). Unusually, for a silly movie, there are many gags that grow on you over time and a film that you would THINK is only worth one viewing, actually gets more enjoyable every time you watch it.

It was a great experience making the film in Thailand, and we got a lot of value there for a movie with quite a low budget. It was great working with the older Reyes and younger Reyes alike. The second unit director, Ernie Orsatti, was amazingly creative and contributed much to the movie. Rob Schneider, too, added a lot, both in the script development and on set.

Wipeout...

[fmarkland32 · 1/10 · 7 June 2007]

Two California teenagers learn that they are actually heirs to a kingdom in some far away Asian country island however in order to claim their rightful place, they must battle an evil dictator and save their adopted dad in the process. Surf Ninjas is of course as bad as you would expect. I mean we are talking about a movie that is supposed to feature ninjitsu masters on surf-boards who ride to the rescue. What makes this movie so dire is its complete lack of freshness or ambition. This is an obscure, low grade 3 Ninjas rip off that lacks even the remote distinguished thread. As far as these things go, we look at the humor which is inoffensive but unfunny. Acting that isn't awful but uninspired and action sequences watered down for kids. I'm guessing kids into martial arts may like this but given the fact that most kids would rather watch Bruce Lee movies or even 3 Ninjas, Surf Ninjas is only for the kid who will sit through anything. Of course adults forced to watch, may spend the running time wishing they never had kids.

1/2* out of 4-(Awful)

Best Movie Ever!

[mildcheddarcheese2 · 16 July 2003]

Okay everybody, now I know you might be saying to yourselves, "This guy is stupid, and needs to be shot very quickly, or his rare strain of stupidness might spread!" And you are entitles to your oppinion, but this time, I think you all are mistaken when you say that Surf Ninjas is a bad movie. It may not have done well at the theatres... or anywhere else for that matter, but if you were a kid, and you didn't watch Surf Ninjas hundreds of times in a row, I don't think your life is really complete. I mean, sure this movie may not have the best plot, or characters, or Ninjas, but if you are the type of person who can love and appreciate this type of movie, then you know that it was probably never meant to have those things. This movie is fun to watch because of the cheezy action sequences and the bad jokes. So maybe it isn't the "Best Movie Ever!" as I stated in my title, but it sure was good enough for me to buy it on DVD. All of you who think that it's not worth it to see his movie anywhere, let alone buy it, are all wrong. You really should do one of those things. Anyway, I'm kind of rabbling on with this, because it is pretty late. Soooooo....yeah. Watch this movie!

Suck Ninja's!

[bceclipse87 · 1/10 · 1 July 2002]

This movie was so terrible that I could only see it as a child. Now I see it and can't believe how horrible it is. I feel bad for Leslie Nielson because he appeared in this movie. Major fake and really bad acting I also feel bad for Rob.

Atrocious

[kvatter · 1/10 · 12 March 2010]

Words like hilarious, engaging, funny, light-hearted do not belong anywhere near this film. It is just plain awful and not that "it's so bad it's funny" kind of awful. Just dishwater dull awful. This seemed to be a project where a group of producers wrote down everything that would appeal to an 8 year old boy and hired a writer to incorporate all of them into one vapid story. Kids like Ninjas, check. They like video games, check. They like surfers, check. They like martial arts flicks, check. If you are 10 or under, maybe there's something here for you but I dare anyone approaching puberty or beyond to sit through this without reaching for the stop button. I squirmed as I watched Rob Schneider playing a young high school kid(yeah, a young 30 year old one)mugging and doing his best with an embarrassing role. Oh yeah and Leslie Neilsen. Very funny guy in a very unfunny role. Let us only hope that he collected a well-earned paycheck. No clever gags, no original ideas. You've seen all of this on bad TV movies many times over. Avoid.

One of those late, late, late-night movies

[Pythe · 4/10 · 2 January 2003]

I don't know, I've always had a soft spot for cheesy movies. And boy, is this movie cheesy. But sometimes, they're just what I need. If you like staying up late to check out the movies on TNT, TBS, or the Sci-Fi channel, you'll probably enjoy this.

A Must-Have for Any Film Collection

[amethystflames · 10/10 · 8 February 2009]

Whenever I see reviews of this movie, they usually include things like "Only boys under the age of nine would actually like it." When this film came out, I was a ten-year-old girl, and fifteen years later it's still my all-time favorite film.

Rob Schneider is beyond hysterical as Iggy; the only truly disappointing performance is that of Leslie Nielsen, which is thankfully overshadowed by the entertainment value of his character. The characters are so likable that it's hard to choose a favorite. The plot is silly, yes, but it's fun and entertaining and it doesn't try to be more than what it is-- a comedic kid's movie about ninjas. It doesn't bother trying to pull off angst like the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or drama like 3 Ninjas, it just sets out to make you laugh, and it succeeds.

Young boys will love it, but so will anyone interested in humor, lighthearted adventure, and fight scenes from before the days of slow motion and Matrix-disbelief.

A Very Good Bad Movie

[mynameisal · 6/10 · 26 July 2000]

You know how when someone smells something bad and they invite you to go smell it, you do so? Well that's a lot like this movie, it stinks but you wanna be around to experience it anyway. The plot is stupid, the action is cheap, and the humor is very early 90s (you know, lame with blatant abuse of the phrase "psych!") But who cares? This is a dumb movie for people who like dumb movies; and it's one of my favorites. Plus, how can you go wrong with a movie that has the word "ninja" in its title? (Except for those 3 Ninjas movies, that's a different kind of bad, the bad kind.)

-Al

Sympathetic nonsense

[Sandcooler · 5/10 · 11 August 2012]

Leave it to Neil Israel ("Moving Violations", "Bachelor Party", the script to "Police Academy") to make a vintage 80s comedy...in 1993. "Surf Ninjas" has pretty much every 80s cliché you can think of, if it wasn't for Rob Schneider you'd think this movie was kept in Israel's basement for ten years. There's even some hair metal on the soundtrack, which I'm pretty sure the entire world hated with a passion by 1985. Overall the movie isn't bad, but there are a lot of things they should have done more with. Why get Leslie Nielsen to do five lines? Scratch that, why get Leslie Nielsen to play an Asian general? That's got to be the weirdest casting choice of all time. Even with half his face covered in a mask, it's still a less-than-perfect fit. The humor is mostly left to (possibly improvised?) one-liners by Schneider, there are very little actual gags involved. The fight scenes especially are quite dry, not to mention repetitive. The running gag with the dude falling down a stairs is hilarious, but it's about the only joke I actually remember from the movie (which I saw just yesterday). Then again, there's no such thing as a bad ninja movie. This one's just sorta mediocre compared to many others.

A Funny Buddy Movie!

[consortpinguin · 8/10 · 27 February 2001]

If you liked "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" and "Wayne's World," you would like "Surf Ninjas." It didn't get very good reviews, because the reviewers were expecting logic. No, this movie is as zany as the other aforementioned buddy movies, and just as unpredictable.

Two Asian-American brothers, Johnny and Adam along with their crazy sidekick Iggy are living a good life surfing and studying as little as possible in a California coastal town. They are drawn into an adventure when suddenly ninjas start appearing and try to assisinate the two brothers.

Through a series of events the brothers learn they are princes back in their long-lost homeland and must make a journey to help liberate their country from an evil dictator played by Leslie Nielsen.

Their adventures along the way are a riot, especially with the big-talking Iggy who always seems to be waxing his board rather than actually surfing. There are a few scenes along the way when the brothers must defeat groups of Ninjas who mysteriously appear at the worst times. Tone-Loc also joins them as the Police detective assigned to the case. Johnny is very surprised to meet his "intended," Princess Ro-May played by the lovely Kelly Hu, who also makes the journey.

The photography of their beautiful but mysterious homeland was actually worth seeing on the big screen, with the ocean, the mountains, the jungles, and even an ancient temple. I believe it was filmed in Thailand. To invade the evil empire, the small band led by Johnny surfs into the beach.

If you want a logical movie, Maybe "Titanic" would do. But for an absolutely crazy buddy movie, "Surf Ninjas" will get you laughing.

So cheesy and corny I loved it!!!!

[stkilda-34404 · 6/10 · 5 October 2020]

The movie was so cheesy and dumb I loved it. I loved the fight scenes and thought they were well done. I had seen this movies years ago as a kid and came across it again just recently and thought I would watch it again. If your in the mood for a cheesy and corny martial arts movie then I think you will love this movie.

Well... I loved it as a kid...

[MagnusCthulhu · 5/10 · 31 August 2003]

It's true, this movie is not very good. I make no amends for it. It was low budget, I hesitate to call it an action flick, and made for kids, and even by kid movie standards it was bad, but, you know what? I still loved it. I must've watched it 2 or 3 dozen times as a young child, no matter that it was really idiotic, and there were much better kids movies to watch.

Another commenter mentioned that it came at a time when Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were at their peak. I didn't notice this, nor do I even know if it is true, but it does make a lot of sense. I'm sure it was meant solely to cash in on the "Ninja Craze." Whatever. That doesn't matter to a kid.

So, yeah, it was dumb, it was badly acted, it was badly written, and I loved it. It makes me real nostalgic for my younger days to just think about it. I've got it on VHS somewhere... I think I may just go watch it again...