User reviews

Cheh had a long and colorful career as one of the top directors at the Shaw studio but by 1982 his stock had fallen as trends moved away from the period costume kung fu action films he was so fond of. While fellow kung fu film director, Liu Chia Liang was still able to pull off hits, Cheh was perhaps getting too quirky and obvious with his favorite themes of heroic men in revealing outfits, gruesome fights and few if no women in the story. A few films followed in this year with one released the next, but none rival Five Element Ninjas. Cheh was out of the Shaw studio by 1983 and working in low budget Taiwanese cinema he never was able to achieve anything remotely near his past successes. This is his swan song at the Shaw studios,

The plot is absolutely silly and full of absurdities even for your average Chinese made Ninja film. It's as if Cheh saw the competition and said, "Oh yeah? Well watch this!". Except for Venom star Lo Meng, the cast is composed of Shaw second stringers but that doesn't mean the action is anything less then excellent. This film has the best fight scenes in a Cheh film since "The Crippled Avengers" of 1979. Everyone is fighting with weapons in mass fight scenes that are incredibly choreographed. Unfortunately, many production credits are not translated and I don't know who was the genius behind the fight scenes. Lo Meng is the only one doing open hand fighting and he fights a samurai in the first extended fight scene! Granted the samurai sword skills on display are from outer space but it goes with the absurd nature of the entire movie. So much of this film is wacky that it's a waste of your time to recount it. It's as if everything you'd expect from a late Cheh film (good and bad) was turned up to "11" including the pace.

Bloody and nuts. Just the way a good Cheh film should be. See it.

How do you go about making an old school Shaw Brothers kung fu flick even more entertaining? Simple… by chucking in a whole load of crazy ninjas with special fighting skills and have everyone who dies do so in a shower of bright red blood.

Directed by Chang Cheh, Five Element Ninjas opens as two kung fu schools go head to head to see who is the best. One team, who wear natty matching white outfits, are clearly the superior fighters, even beating the samurai brought on as guest fighter by the other side. As the defeated samurai commits seppuku, he throws his ring at his opponents, warning that when they see another ring like it, it will mean their death.

Sure enough, a note arrives soon after with a ring attached, a challenge from the five elements ninjas. The guys in white barricade their headquarters and send eight of their finest fighters to confront the ninjas. Two of their men go up against four Gold ninjas, who wear lamé outfits and use metal hats that fire blades from the rim; both meet bloody fates. The duo who face the wood ninjas (who disguise themselves as trees!) also die in gory fashion. Another pair battle Water ninjas, who lurk under the surface of a pond, ready to strike; they fare no better than their companions. A lone fighter faces the Fire ninjas, who wear red and are equipped with smoke weapons; no prizes for guessing how he gets on. The last of the eight is attacked by the Earth ninjas and their master, who appear from and disappear into the ground; he also dies.

Meanwhile, sexy female ninja Senji (Pei Hsi Chen) infiltrates the base of the white guys (who I think are called The Alliance of the Martial Arts World, but 'white guys' is quicker to type); she sends plans of their building to her ninja pals who launch an attack, killing all but Shao Tien-hao (Tien-Chi Cheng), who makes it to the home of a martial arts master who teaches him how to fight against the ninjas. Together with three equally adept pals, Shao Tien-hao goes looking for revenge.

With all manner of cool weaponry, and superbly choreographed fighting throughout, all taken to crazy extremes by director Cheh, Five Element Ninjas is a seriously enjoyable movie, with a satisfyingly brutal finalé that sees all of the ninjas being kicked, punched, sliced, diced and literally torn limb from limb by Shao Tien-hao and his buddies. Anyone who doesn't find this a whole lot of fun should forever be forbidden from watching any film with 'ninja' in the title.

A young martial artist seeks revenge on the Ninja who kills his martial arts brothers and teacher. He finds help in the form of a new teacher (who knows Ninjitsu) and new brothers. Together the four pupils face the Five Element Ninja challenge: Wood, Earth, Gold, Water, and Fire.

From retrospective reviews, AllMovie described the film as "a legend amongst fans of Asian cult fare and for once, the legend lives up to the hype." The review noted that the plot sticks to simple martial arts tropes, while noting that the "actual methods used are so off the wall that no fan will care" and that "the final twenty minutes is the kind of high-kicking bloodbath that is guaranteed to leave any fan of these films smiling and slackjawed. Thus, Five Element Ninjas is the kind of gloriously over-the-top blowout that every genre fan needs to see." Sure, we have that same shallow backdrop we have come to expect from Chang Cheh, and we can say this film is cheesy with all its camera tricks and explosive punches. Haven't we seen this a million times by now? But you know what, this may be among the best of its kind, at least since "Five Deadly Venoms". Ninjas wrapping a guy up in chains and making him explode? Oh yeah, that happens. This is a lot more than punches and kicks, and it seems more like something Troma or Cannon would do. I absolutely love it.

Since the previous comments have pretty much nailed it on this one, all I have to add is that if you've only seen this in the seriously edited- for-television version that ran as part of the BLACK BELT THEATER/DRIVE-IN MOVIE package back in the '80's, seek out the version that can still be found for rental in some video shops. The uncut ending is a real mind-blower!!! However, this film is so good that even edited it turned enough of us on back in the days to keep us tuning in every Saturday afternoon for years.

There's something about the Chinese take on the ninja that has always captured my attention. I think its the way they take the art of invisibilty a bit further than expected. This film, known as Chinese Super Ninja in the US and is probably one of Chang Cheh's best, performs the above beautifully. The featured element of the 5 element ninja is unique and well done. Each ninja clan has its own unique attack setup (gold-shields that fire spires, wood-ninjas posing as trees and using claws, water-ninja frogmen that pull kungfu fighters to the water where they can be easily killed, fire-smoke screens and fire setting traps, earth-underground spearmen). The first 30 minutes are practically non stop action sequences, with the opening showing a tournament between japanese bushidos and kungfu weapons experts. Then we get to the ninja scenes, which are some of the goriest of kungfu films (the stepped on intestines scene is memorable). After this, however, the films slows down until the end where the main character has to use certain techniques to defeat each element. All and all worthy of any collection. If you havent seen it, go!

Thanks to Netflix, I've finally had the chance to take in some Shaw Brothers movies and see what all the fuss is about them, this movie included. It's a pretty enjoyable martial arts exercise overall; if you like the 1970s to early 1980s style of Hong Kong martial arts, you'll certainly like this one. That's not to say that it's perfect, however. The script does have a few patches that while I won't say are boring, do come off as kind of padding and may have you mildly urging the movie to get on with it. Also, the basic story is one that has been told in dozens of other martial arts movies. But with the inclusion of ninjas, it definitely has a fresh element to liven things up. Indeed, the scenes with the ninjas have enough nuttiness (not to mention well choreographed and exciting action) to make it worth sitting through the parts that are routine or a little slow. The production values are also pretty solid for this kind of movie, even though it's clear that the "outdoor" sequences are actually on a soundstage. Definitely give this movie a look if you're craving some martial arts action with a little silliness.

If you don't like Ninja movies then don't watch this movie. If you can't appreciate that this movie does not take itself too seriously then don't watch it. This is a well crafted movie. The are a lot of things wrong with this movie but there are more things that are right and work. The story is good and leaves me satisfied at the end. This is VERY key when watching any movie. The creativity is great, clever and very funny. The fighting is in no way extremely slow paced (like one person writes in the comments) but it is possible to see that it is rehearsed here and there which of course it is for safety reasons. Most of the locations are horrendous especially where the elemental confrontations take place. I don't care so much about that because the story works and the dialog is funny so these flaws don't ruin it for me.

There are a lot of movies from this period that are REALLY bad and leaves more questions than answers. This is not the case here because this movie is one of the best Ninja movies out there. I have seen A LOT of Ninja movies (well nearly all I think):)

Another wonderful albeit very different movie from that era is "Ninja in the Dragon's den". I give both these movie 7/10. Also if you like goofy Ninja movies you might wanna watch Shogun's Ninja. It's hilarious :D

The message of Five Element Ninjas isn't so much "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em." It's more "If you can't beat their style of combat, then learn their style of combat and beat them with it." The message is not a pacifist one, but it's a classic kung-fu movie - what else would you expect?

The plot is fairly minimal, and even though the betrayal that kickstarts the main narrative itself takes a while to happen, there are still plenty of fun fight scenes throughout the first half to keep things engaging. Even the training scenes don't ultimately take up much time - the revenge promised by the film's plot starts happening very quickly, and the action is frequent.

I liked some of the techniques used by the good guys and bad guys alike. People disguising themselves as trees and kind of goofy things like that - it was pretty entertaining.

This is one of the highest-rated of the classic Shaw Brothers martial arts movies, and I didn't quite connect with it the same way I have with most of their other well-established classics. That being said, I have to write a list about 10 of these martial arts films tomorrow, so this was almost (fun) homework in a way. I maybe watched a couple of them too close together to let them breathe. I'm committed to watching all the movies I write about, but it's had the downside of not letting some of them breathe the way they deserve to. At least I can always revisit this, and take a short break from martial arts movies in general before coming back to the genre at a later date; when I'm really itching for them.

Overall: this one's good. It's a satisfying action flick. Personally, it wasn't watched under perfect circumstances, but I can't deny that at the very least, it gets the job done.

This my favorite Kung Fu flick of all times that does not include a Bruce Lee. When I saw this on broadcast television in the 1980s they were calling it Super Ninja. As a young kid my imagination went wild when seeing the super techniques of the cast. It was literally like watching Superman. My cousin and I tucked bath towels in our shirts, and used mop and broom handles to imitate the cast. It was a great era to grow up in. I've had this film on video (VHS) and DVD and am glad to see it streaming on streaming services. It appears that it has been remastered as it is super clear. I LOVE IT

Another dubbed kung fu film I thought was a sequel (to 5 Deadly Venoms). It was not (not a comedy, either). On par dubbing, meh story line, but my gosh it felt like 2 movies. First half was spent watching a Chinese martial arts team get destroyed by some Japanese ninjas that follow 5 elements of style (Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth). At the midpoint, you feel like you've watched enough and are ready to move on....but the last living member of the Chinese team had a little ninja training himself. He goes back to join his ninja master, teams up with 3 others who were being trained by the ninja master, and the four of them set out to beat the elemental ninjas at their own game. The film seems like it goes on forever, but I will admit the back half does have quite a bit of innovative fight scenes. A lot of the costumes, and some of the fights, are awfully damn hokey, but some of the fight scenes are extremely well choreographed and executed (particularly the fight against Gold and the final boss fight). I wouldn't recommend this film, but if you are really into the genre, you can kill some time with it.

The Garrish colors add to this awesome action flick. The choreography is beyond superb (almost no wire use, no stupid CGI, Joel Silver not in presence.) King Fu films are like gene Kelly films or Fred Astaire films- you watch them for the beautifully choreographed moves. The Kung Fu here is among the best of all kung fu films (not classic fung fu films--ALL Kung fu films) The crap Hollywood is spewing now and calling kung fu is just their shallow brainwashed doctrines of how anything that doesn't encompass CGI or a woman for PC reasons is cheap. This is a must for your King fu collection.

'Five Element Ninjas (1982)' is a Kung fu flick about a martial arts school whose best fighters win a tournament and, in the process, cause a Japanese opponent to commit Seppuku. The man's fellow fighters send a letter to one of his allies back in Japan, an ally who just so happens to be a master ninja and leader of the eponymous five element ninja clans. Naturally, the ninjas make their way to China to avenge their fallen friend, and their mysterious martial arts skills prove to be very challenging to overcome. That's the basic set-up, even if the synopsis spoils a lot more of the narrative, and what follows is a nuts-and-bolts - but no less effective for it - revenge thriller with sequences of sometimes startlingly brutal combat and an unexpectedly nihilistic vibe. The five element ninja factions all use different methods to defeat their foes. For example, the gold ninjas use copper (?) hats to blind their opponents, the wood ninjas disguise themselves as trees, the water ninjas hide (you guessed it) underwater, the fire ninjas cloud the battlefield with smoke before striking with flaming swords, and the earth ninjas attack from beneath the ground. Each clan has several more tricks up its sleeve, but their common theme is to surprise and disorient their opponents before they viciously carve them to pieces. There are also regular ninjas who can silently infiltrate even the most heavily guarded of places, and they strike with ruthless efficiency using claws and iron fists and daggers and all manner of deadly instruments. They aren't interested in fighting fair and it's this that gives them their greatest advantage over the more traditional Chinese martial artists comprising the film's heroic side. Even though it is essentially a China vs Japan affair and there is an undercurrent of Ninjutsu being less honorable than Kung fu, the flick doesn't really feel interested in the kind of jingoism so often present in its peers (some martial arts movies are literally anti-Japanese propaganda pieces). It isn't really interested in the political implications of its premise, more so in pitting two different styles of combat against each other and making a broad but indicting statement about vengeance - and even violence - in general (one of the characters, after murdering someone who has recently wronged them, says to himself: "I didn't do anything wrong... did I?"). It's arguably uninterested in making any kind of statement at all, but its unwillingness to compromise on its focal violence speaks volumes in itself. This is sometimes downright nasty and it has no semblance of mercy to it. It also has a fairly unusual pacing that puts a lot of emphasis on the things building up to the hero's desire for revenge, rather than on the training process required to achieve it (which still appears but is much shorter so that the following segment can surprise us with the techniques the lead has learned in order to counter the various strategies of the five element ninjas). After a pretty full-on opening movement, the picture slows down significantly to introduce and focus on a kind of femme fatale character, and this somewhat humdrum segment is clearly the weakest. It's narratively important, but ever-so-slightly dull. It doesn't help that the soundtrack features an incredibly repetitive motif that builds and reaches its crescendo literally on a loop as if it's emphasising several major reveals that all occur within minutes of one another. In reality it's used to highlight things like opening a window or delivering a note, and its overused so much that it's genuinely annoying. Despite these issues, though, the film is a lot of fun when it gets out of its own way and does what it's best at: highly choreographed ultraviolence. With a colourful, almost cartoony aesthetic and a willful shunning of reality (it makes excellent use of reversed footage), the movie depicts its impressive combat as frantic, urgent and splattered with blood. Although it still tends to seem more like a painful dance than a duel (not a complaint), the film is considerably more vicious than a lot of its peers and is unafraid to showcase its brutality in shades of gleefully saturated red. People are stabbed, slashed, disemboweled and literally pulled apart, and it's all glorious. It's all in good fun (for us) and makes for some really memorable set-pieces soaked in bodily fluids and punctuated by out-of-place smiles of victory. Overall, this is a highly enjoyable and suitably silly martial arts movie that features some notable moments of gore and a strangely bleak atmosphere that's actually slightly haunting in retrospect. It's good stuff.

For a seventies/eighties era kung fu film, its good. It has interesting costumes, weapons, and action. It is the best Shaw Bros. film I have seen so far. This film is jammed packed with fights and never has a dull moment. The only thing bad about it is some moments where the wirework was unbelievable.

There's nothing bad to say about this movie. Lots of violence, lots of gore, Lo Meng, cool ninjas, cool weapons, a great plot, lots of action start to finish. There is only one problem. This movie is very hard to find. But if you do find it, get it you won't be sorry. It took me 13 years to find it and it was worth the search. Really well choreographed fight scenes. It's just awesome. The five element ninjas scenes alone are worth the price. Find it! Watch it!!!!!

Overrated,

People seem to enjoy it when there is a lot of silly gore, and I sometimes do too, but contrarily of what people say of this movie, the choreographies aren't good.

If you pay close attention to the fight sequences, it pretty much feels improvised.

1) Some extras are fighting each other

2) Some extras are "air-fighting"

I sincerely believe that stunt coordinating could have been done better.

Furthermore, I would have preferred to see real environments. Everything was filmed in indoor sets.

Probably the worst thing about this movie is the sound of the swords. While it is generally bearable in most Hong Kong movies. In this one, it is just too much, I had the impression to have water in my ears, truly atrocious.

I remember seeing this movie as a kid and thinking it was the best Kung-Fu movie I had ever seen. I recently saw it on sale and purchased it,not knowing if it was going to be as good as I remembered. It was better! The fight scenes are fantastic and the story keeps you interested. There are some scenes that made me laugh out loud, but that's to be expected from a low budget Chop-Sockey flick. The different weapons and fighting styles are what keeps the story going and the elements (gold, wood, fire, water, earth) are really a force to reckon with. This movie isn't to be taken seriously, have fun with it. If you do like this movie, check out "Five Deadly Venoms".

Before I even knew the name Shaw Bros. I was a fan. I saw this movie many years ago on a t.v. series Black Belt Theater.

The 5 elements are unique and add some of the fun to this movie.

If you are a fan of old Kung Fu movies, do yourself a favor and pick this up on DVD. The quality isn't great, but it does have a nice mini-filmography of the actors in the movie.

Super Ninjas along with The Kid with the Golden Arms, 5 Deadly Venoms, Mortal Combat and Unbeatable Dragon are in my estimation the best of Chang Cheh's movies. Super Ninjas is arguably the best.This movie is absolutely a must see if you like Kung Fu movies. This movie features breathtaking choreography from Chang Cheh and a good plot. After defeating the Japanese in a duel the Chinese accept a invitation to take on the "Five Element Ninjas" (Gold,Fire,Water,Wood,Land) and initially are no match due to the fact that all fighters are gruesomely killed. The Japanese then place a secret agent, a female named Sungi to infiltrate the Chinese headquarters; though suspected by one of the remaining Chinese fighters, she is successful in gaining a detailed mapping of Chinese headquarters. The Japanese then raid headquarters and are able to kill the head master along with Lo Mang (Toad). Lo Mang desperately fights to save himself and his master but comes up short due to a devious plot by the Japenese infiltrator Sungi. Another Chinese fighter is captured and tied by rope but manages to escape due to being taught some Ninja by a master long ago. He returns to this master and completes his schooling to master "the ways of the Ninja". Not to ever be forgotten is the Head Ninja, who has to be one of the best villains ever in a Shaw Brother film. Ninja tactics and techniques are displayed in fine detail here. Ninjas have steel claws in their feet, come out of the ground and fly through the air. All the elements that you look for in a superb Kung Fu movie is here, breathtaking stuntsmanship and gore galore. Without a doubt there are many scenes that you won't forget; examples, one fighter tripping over his own spilling guts, the head Ninja being dismembered at the ending fight, the rock exploding as the Chinese smash through to signal the defeat of the Ninja, the old Ninja master telling the student to "always keep this key, it just might come in handy" and indeed it did, the Samurai fighter saying "loss of a fight means loss of one's life to a Samurai", what about when the Ninja teacher tells his students that Ninjas have "many secret fatal skills". Unforgettable film. One of the best and most unforgettable endings I've ever seen. 9 and a half out of 10 on the scale.

When the leader of a clan of elite Chinese warriors receives an invitation to a battle at five locations from the five elements ninjas he suspects a trap. Rightly so - when he caught one of the ninja's rings thrown to him by a disembowelled samurai he was poisoned and he knows he is now unable to use his kung-fu for 'about three months'. So, he considers the offer carefully but eventually decides to follow the elaborate instructions on the invitation to the letter. 90% of his best warriors are predictably ambushed and wiped out, including one being slain by the perverted 'earth' ninjas. What will happen next? Who cares. It will be funny.