Ninja III: The Domination (4K UHD Review)
Director
Menahem GolanRelease Date(s)
1984 (December 2, 2025)Studio(s)
Golan-Globus Productions/The Cannon Group (Kino Lorber Studio Classics)- Film/Program Grade: D+
- Video Grade: A-
- Audio Grade: B+
- Extras Grade: B
Review
Indistinguishable from the other films in the previous Ninja trilogy, Ninja III: The Domination, the third and final entry, boasts some of the wackiest decisions ever made by Cannon Films, which is saying something. Mixing in elements from Flashdance, Poltergeist, and The Exorcist, the result is one of the most unusual and unintentionally hilarious genre films of the 1980s.
Lucinda Dickey (Breakin’) stars as Christie, a telephone-pole climbing aerobics instructor who winds up possessed by an evil ninja, slicing and dicing her way throughout Los Angeles while her flatfooted cop boyfriend Billy (Jordan Bennett) attempts to stop her. Meanwhile, another ninja (Sho Kosugi) with a mysterious past follows her trail in an attempt to help exorcise the evil ninja inside her and put an end to his revenge-driven butchery once and for all. Also in the cast are James Hong, David Chung, Dale Ishimoto, John LaMotta, Ron Foster, and Earl W. Smith.
Ninja III, to put it mildly, is a film that defies the logic behind it and the criticism you can lay at it, mostly because it’s highly entertaining despite itself. Everything about it is not just wrong, but over-the-top, defying conventional movie norms at every turn. Look no further than the scene in which Christie pours a V8 down her chest to entice her boyfriend Billy for a bout of bedroom antics... 9½ Weeks it ain’t. Sam Firstenberg directed the previous film and gave the series a more violent edge. This time he gives it a wildly uncharacteristic storyline and execution, to its benefit.
Since its original Blu-ray debut in 2013, Ninja III: The Domination has become something of a cult film among the “so bad it’s good” crowd. While many overlook some of its more positive aspects, including its fantastic synthesizer-driven score, and go straight for the cheese, it’s certainly an action movie you won’t soon forget, all said and done.
Ninja III: The Domination was shot by director of photography Hanania Baer on 35mm film with Arriflex cameras and spherical lenses, finished photochemically, and presented in the aspect ratio of 1.85:1. Kino Lorber Studio Classics debuts the film on Ultra HD with a new 4K scan of the original camera negative, which has been graded for High Dynamic Range in HDR10 and Dolby Vision, and encoded to a triple-layered BD-100 disc. Like previous presentations, the opening and closing credits, which are derived from the interpositive, are still the roughest sections of the film. After that, everything is very much improved. Heavy grain is on display with a bitrate sitting in the 70 to 80Mbps range almost entirely, meaning compression is good, but not great. Detail is high, thanks in no small part to the HDR grades which widen the gamut and allow for deeper saturation and black levels. The image is stable and clean aside from some minor speckling. It’s the best the film has ever looked on home video, which has gradually improved over time.
Audio is included in English 2.0 and 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio with optional subtitles in English SDH. The tracks are identical in terms of dynamics, though a minor volume adjustment might have to be made as they’re mastered a tad too low. There are some nice steering effects here and there and the score and music have plenty of stereo space to move around in. Dialogue exchanges are clear and despite some minor balance issues that may be baked into the original mix, both tracks work well.
The Kino Lorber Studio Classics 2-Disc 4K Ultra HD release of Ninja III: The Domination sits in a black Amaray case alongside a 1080p Blu-ray containing the same new master, with an insert and a slipcover that features the original theatrical artwork. This release is also available as a part of Kino’s Ninja Trilogy 4K Ultra HD boxed set. The following extras are included on each disc:
DISC ONE (UHD)
- Audio Commentary by Sam Firstenberg, Steve Lambert, and Rob Galluzzo
- Isolated Score Selections & Audio Interviews with Misha Segal and Elliot Ellentuck, by Michael Felsher
DISC TWO (BD)
- Audio Commentary by Sam Firstenberg, Steve Lambert, and Rob Galluzzo
- Isolated Score Selections & Audio Interviews with Misha Segal and Elliot Ellentuck, by Michael Felsher
- Dancing With Death with Lucinda Dickey (HD – 18:25)
- Secord’s Struggle with Jordan Bennett (HD – 10:26)
- Birth of the Ninja with Alan Amiel (HD – 11:48)
- Trailers:
- Enter the Ninja (HD – 2:54)
- Revenge of the Ninja (HD – 1:40)
- Ninja III: The Domination (HD – 1:36)
- Pray for Death (HD – 2:16)
- Rage of Honor (HD – 1:37)
- Blind Fury (HD – 1:25)
- American Ninja (SD – 1:50)
- American Ninja 2: The Confrontation (SD – 1:34)
- Avenging Force (HD – 1:19)
- The Perfect Weapon (SD – 1:57)
First up is a very good audio commentary with director Sam Firstenberg and stunt coordinator Steve Lambert, moderated by Rob Galluzzo. It’s a very enjoyable and lively chat with the three. Rob manages to keep the conversation on track, offering lots of information about the production. Next is a set of Isolated Score Selections and Audio Interviews with co-composer Misha Segal and production designer Elliot Ellentuck, all conducted and moderated by Michael Felsher. Sections of the excellent score by Misha Segal and Udi Harpaz are interspersed between the two interviews. Three on-camera interviews by Red Shirt Pictures are also included. Dancing with Death features actress Lucinda Dickey speaking about her first leading role in a movie and the experiences that came with it; Secord’s Struggle features actor Jordan Bennett talking about his role in the film, even mentioning that the V8 juice in the love scene was his idea; and Birth of the Ninja features producer, stuntman, and assistant fight choreographer Alan Amiel discussing his upbringing and his career, covering his work for the film. The rest of the extras consist of the film’s trailer and trailers for other releases from Kino Lorber Studio Classics. Not carried over from the previous Scream Factory Blu-ray releases are a pair of still galleries and a Trailers From Hell trailer commentary by Josh Olson.
Little else can be said about Ninja III: The Domination. Chances are good that if you picked up Scream Factory’s Blu-ray release, you’ll want to grab Kino’s 4K UHD release, as well. Rest assured, it’s a fine disc and well worth adding to your collection.
- Tim Salmons
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