Surf Ninjas (1993)

Brothers Johnny, an adolescent surf talent, and Adam, a preadolescent video-game addict, grow up care-free in California as adopted sons of Marines veteran Mac, inseparable friends of wacky... See full summary »

Director:

Neal Israel

Writer:

Dan Gordon

Stars:

Ernie Reyes Sr., Ernie Reyes Jr., Nicolas Cowan

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ernie Reyes Sr.	...	Zatch
Ernie Reyes Jr.	...	Johnny
Nicolas Cowan	...	Adam
John Karlen	...	Mac
Rob Schneider	...	Iggy
Oliver Mills	...	Moto Surfer
Jonathan Schmock	...	School Cop
Neal Israel	...	Mr. Dunbar
Vladimir Parra	...	Back-up Singer #1
Brandon Karrer	...	Back-up Singer #2
Dathan Aragon	...	Back-up Singer#3
Phillip Bayless	...	Back-up Singer #4
Philip Tan	...	Captain Ming
Keone Young	...	Baba Ram
Romy Windsor	...	Miss Robertson

Storyline

Brothers Johnny, an adolescent surf talent, and Adam, a preadolescent video-game addict, grow up care-free in California as adopted sons of Marines veteran Mac, inseparable friends of wacky local lout 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 comes to 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 bored Californian police detective whose attention was drawn by the ninja team that failed, thanks to Zatch, to murder the brothers in Mac's home.

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Plot Keywords:

island | asian american | king | game | veteran | 

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Taglines:

Surf's up! Time to save the world!

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Family

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for comic martial arts action and some mild language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 August 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Surf Warriors

Filming Locations:

Chiang Mai, Thailand

Box Office

Gross:

$4,916,135 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

New Line Cinema

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The portable video game system Adam plays throughout the movie is the Sega Game Gear, a handheld version of the Sega Master System. It was Sega's answer to the Nintendo Game Boy, which came out a year earlier.

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Goofs

In the scene when Adam steals the jeep to rescue his family and friends, the driver's seat moves from left to right throughout the scene.

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Quotes

Adam: Say, Johnny, what if what that Zatch guy said was true? I mean, about Your Destiny to become a Warrior, and Mine to be a Seeker...
[Iggy interupts from behind the couch holding a Playboy Magazine]
Iggy: ...and don't forget, I'm the King, seriously, you guys couldn't of missed these Magazines, there is a whole stack of em underneath Your Bed...
Johnny: Iggy, you can't be the King of Patusan.
[Iggy looks at Him Discouragingly]
Johnny: You're not Asian.
Iggy: Hey, two words for you; David Carradine, and Kung Fu.

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Connections

Referenced in The Nostalgia Critic: Blank Check (2009)

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Soundtracks

"Barbara Ann"
Written by Fred Fassert
Performed by The Beach Boys

User Reviews

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.

"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