3 Ninjas Film Collection | Blu-ray (Via Vision)

3 Ninjas Film Collection | Blu-ray (Via Vision)

RELEASE DATE: January 2024

In January 2024, Australian label Via Vision Entertainment will be releasing a 2-Disc Blu-ray (Region B) set for the 3 Ninjas Film Collection, which will include 3 Ninjas (1992), 3 Ninjas Kick Back (1994), 3 Ninjas Knuckle Up (1995) and 3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain (1998).

Official details:

3 Ninjas (1992): After an organised crime ring proves to be too much for the FBI – it’s time for the 3 Ninjas! They’re three brothers trained in the ways of the ninja. And the fun kicks off when the action kicks in! Using their martial arts skills, they team up to battle the crime ring and outwit some very persistent kidnappers! Includes Theatrical Trailer.

3 Ninjas Kick Back (1994): Following their grandfather to Japan, the three pre-teen Ninjas find themselves in the middle of martial arts mayhem. Pursued by an bumbling trio of dim-witted thieves and an army of well-trained Ninjas, Rocky, Colt and Tum Tum are up to their ears in high-kicking action and rapid-fire comedy.

3 Ninjas Knuckle Up (1995): It’s a triple threat of fun, action and comedy when Rocky, Colt and Tum Tum’s friendship with a local Native American girl, Jo, pulls them into a modern day battle between the local Native Americans and a corrupt businessman. Armed with makeshift weapons and Native American lore, the three ninjas take their war party into the heart of enemy territory – the fortress-like Harding Waste Plants – for a show-stopping showdown of action and entertainment that everyone will enjoy.

3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain (1998): While at their favourite amusement park, Mega Mountain, the three Ninja brothers witness the kidnapping of TV action superstar Dave Dragon (Hulk Hogan) and meet up against evil Lothar Zogg (Jim Varney) and his kid-hating boss Medusa (Loni Anderson), who want to hold the park hostage. The Ninja Brothers must strike back with vengeance!

For Asian film fans, here’s an anecdote regarding the filmmaker behind 3 Ninjas Knuckle Up (1995):

There is perhaps no name more synonymous with Korean cinema than Shin Sang-ok, a director active in the industry since the early 1950’s, and responsible for such classics as A Flower in Hell and My Mother and Her Guest. Sang-ok was married to the most popular actress of the era, Choi Eun-hee, who in 1978 was kidnapped by North Korean agents in Hong Kong on the order of Kim Jong-il. Flying to Hong Kong himself to investigate only led to also being kidnapped, and after spending time in a re-education camp following two failed escape attempts, in 1983 he started directing movies in North Korea under the guidance of Kim Jung-il. The most famous of which became the North Korean kaiju flick, Pulgasari.

While promoting their movies in Vienna in 1986, both Sang-ok and Eun-hee made a dash for the U.S. Embassy and were granted asylum, eventually being settled in Virginia before relocating to L.A. in the 90’s.  Fearful to go back to South Korea in case the security police didn’t trust his kidnapping story, Sang-ok pulled a Park Woo-sang and changed his name to Simon Sheen, taking on a directing gig in 1995 to helm 3 Ninjas: Knuckle Up, the 2nd sequel to the 1992 kids flick 3 Ninjas.  Sang-ok actually got involved as one of the writers on the first sequel, 1994’s 3 Ninjas Kick Back, and would executively produce all 3 of the sequels (yes, there was a 3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain in 1998, after which he’d return to Korea).  As a useless piece of trivia, Park Woo-sang himself served as an associate producer on the 1992 original, giving all 4 entries a Korean connection!

If you enjoyed reading this piece about Shin Sang-ok, check out our full feature article: Hallyu in Hollywood: Koreans in America in the 1970’s – 1990’s.

We leave you with the Trailers for all four films below: