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'''''Surf Ninjas''''' is a 1993 American [[
''Surf Ninjas'' was filmed in Los Angeles, [[Hawaii]], and [[Thailand]]. A video game was also developed and released in conjunction with the film. ''Surf Ninjas'' was released in the United States on August 20, 1993. The film received mixed-to-negative reviews from critics and was a commercial and [[Box-office bomb|box-office failure]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Snider |first=Eric D. |date=November 5, 2009 |title=Eric's Bad Movies: 'Surf Ninjas' (1993) |url=https://www.ericdsnider.com/blog/erics-bad-movies-surf-ninjas-1993/ |access-date=June 7, 2024 |website=EricDSnider.com |archive-date=September 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240913173429/https://www.ericdsnider.com/blog/erics-bad-movies-surf-ninjas-1993/ |url-status=live }}</ref> grossing $4.9 million against $6.5 million budget.
==Plot==
Johnny and Adam are teenage surfers who live in Los Angeles with their father, Mac. Two weeks before Johnny's 16th birthday, ninjas attack the teenagers, but they are defeated by Zatch, a mysterious warrior with an eye patch. A follow-up attack results in Mac's kidnapping, though Zatch is able to protect the teenagers and their friend Iggy from the ninjas. Adam discovers that the video game on his [[Game Gear]] matches the events happening around him and finds he can control some events through his Sega. Zatch reveals to Johnny and Adam that they are actually the sons of the king of [[Patusan]], whose land and monarchy was overthrown by the evil Colonel Chi when the boys were young. It is their destiny to return to Patusan, overthrow Colonel Chi, and free the people. Zatch takes them to the Patusani district of "Little Patusan" in Los Angeles, where Johnny is introduced to a Patusani princess, Ro-May, who has been betrothed to Johnny since they were infants.
Ninjas again attack, but Johnny's abilities as a warrior prince emerge and he defeats several of his foes. Johnny, Adam, Iggy, Zatch, and Ro-May decide to return to Patusan. They are followed by a Los Angeles detective, Lieutenant Spence, who had been investigating the ninja attacks and teaming up with Zatch, Johnny, Adam and ziggurat help them out. They reach Patusan and discover what Colonel Chi's rule has wrought, including a burned village and a [[Chain gang|chain gang]] of political prisoners. The guards spot them and they are forced to fight. Johnny and Adam defeat them and free the villagers from their captivity.
Zatch leads the crew to a hidden cave in which the ancient weapons of the Patusani monarchy are preserved. Zatch arms Johnny and attacks him to prepare him for future challenges. Johnny is beaten repeatedly, but he is finally able to disarm Zatch. Rallying the villagers, they travel to the coast, opposite from an island that houses the royal city and Colonel Chi's dungeon. Unable to go by boat due to an impassable reef, Johnny and Adam tell the Patusanis to make surfboards. They then paddle to the unguarded side of the island.
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''Surf Ninjas'' was filmed during the summer of 1992.<ref name=surf>{{cite news|first=Ian |last=Spelling |title=Surf's Up for Schneider |work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] |date=September 3, 1993 }}</ref> Filming locations included [[Thailand]] and [[Hawaii]].<ref>{{cite news|first=Sherry |last=Crawford |title='Surf Ninjas' kicks up waves of martial arts fun for young set |work=[[Evansville Courier & Press]] |date=August 9, 1993 }}</ref> The second half of the film was shot first, and the crew moved to Los Angeles to film the first half.<ref name=surf/> [[New Line Cinema]] and [[Sega|Sega of America]] established a financial relationship in which a [[Game Gear]] video game (US and PAL versions) would be developed for the film. Game designers began developing the video game ''Surf Ninjas'' when the film was only in its scripting phase, receiving creative input from director [[Neal Israel]].<ref name=reality/> In conjunction with the Game Gear title, a [[Sega Genesis|Genesis]] game was also planned.<ref name="GamePro49">{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/stream/GamePro_Issue_049_August_1993#page/n161/mode/1up|title=ProNews: Street Fighter II, from Game Screen to Silver Screen|magazine=[[GamePro]]|issue=49|publisher=[[International Data Group|IDG]]|date=August 1993|page=144}}</ref> In turn, Sega partially financed the film. Screenwriter [[Dan Gordon (screenwriter)|Dan Gordon]] said that he wrote action sequences that would both suit the film and serve as a springboard for the video game.<ref>{{cite book|first=William |last=Paul |editor=Ina-Rae HaRk |title=Exhibition, the Film Reader |date=December 2001 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=0-415-23518-9 |chapter=The K-Mart Audience at the Mall Movies |page=83}}</ref> In the film, one of the lead characters is shown playing the ''Surf Ninjas'' video game on a Game Gear. The video game was released in August,<ref>{{cite magazine|title=The Making of Surf Ninjas |url=https://archive.org/details/Sega_Visions_Issue_14_August-September_1993/page/n61 |magazine=[[Sega Visions]] |issue=14 |date=May 1993 |page=60}}</ref> before the film's release, and it was considered the first movie-based video game to precede the film itself.<ref name=reality>{{cite news|title=Film studios face reality with game tie-ins |work=[[Orlando Sentinel]] |date=July 27, 1993}}</ref>
''Surf Ninjas'' video games were also released for the [[Amiga 1200]] computer<ref name='lemon_a1200'>{{cite web|url=http://www.lemonamiga.com/games/details.php?id=2837|title=Surf Ninjas ''(AGA)''|website=Lemon Amiga|access-date=2016-04-13}}</ref> and [[Amiga CD32|CD32]] console<ref name='lemon_cd32'>{{cite web|url=http://www.lemonamiga.com/games/details.php?id=1971|access-date=2016-04-13|title=Surf Ninjas ''(CD32)''|website=Lemon Amiga|archive-date=2024-09-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240913173538/https://www.lemonamiga.com/games/details.php?id=1971|url-status=live}}</ref> in 1994 by [[Flair Software|Flair Software/MicroValue]].
==Release==
The studio [[New Line Cinema]] released ''Surf Ninjas'' two weeks earlier than its commercial release date in [[Evansville, Indiana]] and [[Lubbock, Texas]] as part of a test of regional markets. The early release marked the first time that a major film was released in Evansville before its national opening without any local ties. The president of theatrical marketing at New Line, Chris Pula, selected Evansville for its family-oriented audiences. Pula explained: "Evansville is traditionally a strong family market. Also, we have a strong relationship with the exhibitors in that area". The president said that the studio was testing the film in a larger market than usual due to its uncertainty about the film's reception and that the studio would measure its marketing success with ticket receipts.<ref>{{cite news | first=Sherry | last=Crawford | title=Evansville to get early showing of 'major' film in marketing test | work=[[Evansville Courier & Press]] | date=July 31, 1993 }}</ref>
''Surf Ninjas'' was widely released in 1,321 theaters in the United States on August 20, 1993. Over its opening weekend, the film grossed {{nowrap|$2 million}},<ref name=bom/> placing 13th in box office rankings, ahead of ''[[Manhattan Murder Mystery]]''.<ref>{{cite news | title='Fugitive' Runs Away With the Summer Box Office | work=[[San Francisco Chronicle]] | date=August 24, 1993 }}</ref> ''Surf Ninjas'' ultimately grossed {{nowrap|$4.9 million}} in the United States.<ref name=bom>{{cite web | url=
==Reception==
''Surf Ninjas'' received mixed-to-negative reviews from critics and audiences. [[Rotten Tomatoes]] gives the film a rating of 23% from 22 reviews, with an average rating of 3.7/10.<ref name=RT>{{Cite web |title=Surf Ninjas |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/surf_ninjas |access-date=May 10, 2024 |website=Rotten Tomatoes |language=en |archive-date=September 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240913174159/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/surf_ninjas |url-status=live }}</ref>
Janet Maslin of ''[[The New York Times]]'' called most of ''Surf Ninjas'' "only mindlessly watchable" and called the film "another of Hollywood's efforts to prove that the American mall mentality is at home in any corner of the globe". Maslin also found the film to lack in actual surfing content.<ref>{{cite news | first=Janet | last=Maslin | url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9F0CE1DF1F3BF932A1575BC0A965958260 | title=Making Waves in Asia | work=[[The New York Times]] | date=August 21, 1993 | access-date=December 20, 2017 | archive-date=October 12, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171012151042/http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9F0CE1DF1F3BF932A1575BC0A965958260 | url-status=live }}</ref> Lynn Voedisch of the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' described ''Surf Ninjas'' as "a marriage of pop icons that simply was fated to be", citing children's love for ninjas, especially the [[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]], and for the [[surf culture]]. Voedisch considered [[Rob Schneider]]'s presence as comic relief unfunny, believing that [[Leslie Nielsen]] should have received more screen time as the dictator.<ref>{{cite news | first=Lynn | last=Voedisch | title=West Coast Surf Culture Gets A Taste of Far East | work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] | date=August 22, 1993 }}</ref> Calvin Wilson of ''[[The Kansas City Star]]'' called the film "a disgrace... even by Hollywood standards", seeing it as a mess of child lead roles, unfunny cameo roles by Schneider and Nielsen, martial arts action, and lame jokes. Wilson considered the story "stale and uninspired" that involved "people we don't care about doing things we can't believe".<ref>{{cite news | first=Calvin | last=Wilson | title=Bad script wipes out 'Surf Ninjas' | work=[[The Kansas City Star]] | date=August 20, 1993 }}</ref>
Stephen Hunter of ''[[The Baltimore Sun]]'' thought the film's lead, [[Ernie Reyes, Jr.]], was too old (20) and too muscular to be received believably as a 15-year-old. Hunter otherwise found the Reyeses impressive in terms of their fighting skills, though he found the film's martial arts sequences to be "bloodless and absurd". Hunter also criticized the director for depriving the film of personality, with its lack of danger, seriousness, or spontaneity.<ref>{{cite news | first=Stephen | last=Hunter | url=
Desmond Ryan of ''[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]'' thought that Leslie Nielsen was deceptively portrayed in a major role similar to that of [[Lieutenant Frank Drebin]] from [[The Naked Gun (film series)|''The Naked Gun'' films]], instead having merely "a running and unfunny gag about his malfunctioning answering machine and generally wasted otherwise". Ryan also found the film's dialogue to be "painful" and considered ''Surf Ninjas'' to be "beyond airheaded".<ref>{{cite news | first=Desmond | last=Ryan | title='Surf Ninjas' hits the beach with gags and a vengeance | work=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]] | date=August 23, 1993 }}</ref> Mick LaSalle of the ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'' considered the story of ''Surf Ninjas'' to be "harmless and painfully dull". LaSalle thought that the pacing of the film was too long with only "two smirks over the course of 90 minutes".<ref>{{cite news | first=Mick | last=LaSalle | title='Surf Ninjas' Wipes Out | work=[[San Francisco Chronicle]] | date=August 21, 1993 }}</ref> Sean Piccoli of ''[[The Washington Times]]'' thought that the film's "dull stretch" was buoyed by the presence of Rob Schneider. Piccoli compared the martial arts choreography in the film to the "cartoon fantasies that little boys re-enact on neighbors' lawns: the good guys, alone and outnumbered by the charging horde, air-punch their way to glory".<ref>{{cite news | first=Sean | last=Piccoli | title=These 'Surf Ninjas' run short of silliness | work=[[The Washington Times]] | date=August 20, 1993 }}</ref>
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