Set in sixteenth century Japan this film opens a group of Iga Ninjas attacking an Oda castle. After blowing it up they must fight off a group of rival ninjas. Then on the way back to their village they see a ball of fire in the sky. After returning home they are ordered to investigate the fireball. In the forests they encounter more rival ninjas but something attacks and wipes out the enemy; they have no idea what this monster is or where it came from but they know they have to defeat it. For the rest of the film they battle these alien monsters.During the opening scene I started to think that this might be terrible; as we were introduced to our protagonists; Yamata, the leader; Jinnai, his friend with a diamond stud in one ear; Rin, a sexy female ninja and Nezumi, a blond haired cowardly ninja I was sure my fears had just been confirmed... then something strange happened; I realised that I was gripped. The characters may have been somewhat ridiculous but they were also a lot of fun. Likewise the monsters may have been the most obvious 'men in rubber suits' since early 'Doctor Who' but they were still surprisingly menacing. The action was over the top and pretty bloody, with heads being severed and squashed and one ninja ripped in two. There are a few surprises; most notably when we learn what the monsters can do to some of their victims. The cast do a solid enough job; they clearly know they aren't in a great film but still made an effort; they particularly impress during the numerous fight scenes. Overall I'd say this won't be for everybody; being objective it is a bit rubbish but being subjective it is a lot more fun than it has any right to be... I'd recommend it to anybody wanting a fun monster movie with action, gore and laughs!These comments are based on watching the film in Japanese with English subtitles.

This movie has a bizarre plot. Like, wow. Still, it's kinda good fun to watch actually. See underneath.-story-An alien lands in a forest (in what we are supposed to believe is feudal Japan. Yeah, right) and is found by a bunch of ninjas. You can pretty much fill in the rest yourself.-acting-Well, Id say 2 clicks above Power Ranger level. It's not really annoyingly bad but average at best. Some typical Japanese characters just annoy the hell out of you. But alas, that's normal with Japanense movies. Somehow.-special effects-Um, yeah. Where to start. the gory bits are actually quite well done. I was pleasantly surprised to see people get torn in half in a rather good looking fashion. some other bits are quite poor CGI. And the alien suit is too obvious a suit in some scenes. but overall, again, 2 clicks above Power Ranger level.-Fights-The most important bit. let's be honest. No one will watch this hoping to see shocking plot twists or major character development. The fights are actually kinda good. especially the ninja vs ninja bits are well done. smooth and slick, actually. The alien vs ninja bits are, eh, slightly less slick. But they're humorous. In a good way. This movie doesn't try to take itself seriously and the fight scenes reflect this.-Lolz?-Yes, lolz. Couple of things though.don't watch this hoping to see an epic ninja movie - don't watch this hoping to see a scary monster / horror movie - don't watch this when you re not in a light mood and up for lulz - don't watch this and try and take it seriously. The movie doesn't take itself seriously, neither should its audience. - don't watch this and be an analysing critic. it will ruin your fun.This movie is low level popcorn entertainment. It's not long at 90 minutes. But its a good laugh all the way through. With the right mindset ('this is gonna be bloody awful but hilarious none the less') this movie -will- entertain you.I started watching this thinking 'what am I getting myself into'. As it went on I was actually having a good time. Very lulzy to watch if taken with a proper dose of cba-ness regarding anything that makes a movie quality stuff.

Though the was one part that was extremely reminiscent of the original 'Alien' movie (not to mention extreme similarities to the aliens depicted in this film and that) I found this to be extremely well choreographed, the swordplay in particular, for being one of the "less known" Asian films (at least to me). The choice of actors - and matching dubbed voices - seemed to also be very well chosen. Like most things translated and dubbed, I would have preferred this to be in the original language and subtitled, but that isn't really up to me. I may never watch it again (except for laughs and a few awesome moves), but it was pretty decent for an accidental late evening watch on Hulu. If any ever get the chance, before it's taken off Hulu, and you enjoy a semi-long action sci-fi ninja film, take a look.

This is another weird, wacky Japanese genre effort in the same vein as Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl and Robo-Geisha. The title says it all: a group of ancient Japanese ninja end up going claw to sword (and eventually sword to sword) with some monstrous aliens (that look suspiciously like people in moderately expensive Halloween costumes). There's really no more story beyond that and a hinted at love triangle between two of the male shinobi and their female counterpart. Nothing about the "aliens" is explained, they just show up and start swiping people's heads off and fiercely trying to grab boobs. Alien vs Ninja isn't as gross or ultra-violent as many similar movies can be, but it does have its moments. People get ripped in half and have little mind-controlling aliens crawl up their noses, and plenty of pink pepto bismol alien blood flows all over the place. AvN won't win any awards for storytelling or production values, but it's a goofy and occasionally fun way to waste some time. There are better similar movies, but genre fans should find it worthwhile.