3 Ninjas

Mandatory Movie Battles: ‘Beverly Hills Ninja’ vs. ‘3 Ninjas’

In the latest edition of Mandatory Movie Battles, we’re jumping into the Way Back Machine for a classic battle between 90s movies 3 Ninjas and Beverly Hills Ninja. Even though these are two movies that normally wouldn’t reside in the same sentence, they’re both celebrating anniversaries this year, so why the hell not? While both movies were remnants of the 80s ninja movie craze, they were released about five years apart. Despite this age gap, both films are broad family comedies and they both feature quasi-fantasy/adventure elements. But most importantly, they both lean pretty heavily into ninja stereotypes. Let’s do this.

Cover Photo: Paramount Pictures

It’s true that both of these movies certainly have plenty of flaws, especially by today’s standards. Even so, there’s something ironic about how, despite being vastly different, Beverly Hills Ninja and 3 Ninjas are oddly similar. Most notably, the way that they both play into Ninja tropes never really do justice to the shadow warriors of feudal Japan. At the same time, both films are entertaining in the vacuum of nostalgia. At the end of the day, Beverly Hills Ninja is only a slightly better film in terms of the ninja elements, especially because it’s essentially an obvious parody. 

Overall Winner: Beverly Hills Ninja

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