Ninja III: The Domination (1984) (Collector's Edition) - June 12, 2018

[SpaceMind]

Originally Posted by Majin Blu

Definitely getting this. I enjoyed the movie, but the Lucinda Dickey interview, alone, warrants my double dip.

That's why I'm getting it.

[tacanmj]

As a kid in the 80s I remember seeing his eye getting a star in it. I knew I didn’t imagine it. Sho Kosugi is a childhood idol.

[SpaceMind]

Originally Posted by tacanmj

As a kid in the 80s I remember seeing his eye getting a star in it. I knew I didn’t imagine it. Sho Kosugi is a childhood idol.

Same here. I didn't realize it was missing on the 2014 Blu-ray.

[MechaFresh82]

Originally Posted by SpaceMind

Same here. I didn't realize it was missing on the 2014 Blu-ray.

Where's the love for a Sho Kosgi intro or interview?

[ravenus]

Originally Posted by MechaFresh82

Where's the love for a Sho Kosgi intro or interview?

Despite his top billing he really has more of an extended cameo, coming in at more than halfway into the film. If you want Sho love then get Arrow's blu-rays of Rage of Honor and Pray for Death to get the whole 2-part interview they did with him.

[WaverBoy]

So no deleted scene? That kinda sucks, as that scene looks super cool, and should at least be included as an extra, if not restored to the film proper.

[chanbara]

Originally Posted by tacanmj

As a kid in the 80s I remember seeing his eye getting a star in it. I knew I didn’t imagine it. Sho Kosugi is a childhood idol.

The scene where Sho Kosugi's character loses his eye is not missing on the earlier 2014 Blu-ray release. What is missing is the full extended scene which showed everything that led up to it, and then how he escaped. This was a HUGE scene with lots of action and emotion as he kneels over his father's body when all is said and done, vows to avenge him, takes the tsuba (guard) off of his father's tanto (knife) which the Black Ninja had used to kill him. The same tsuba which he wears over his injured eye, and the same tanto that he uses to ultimately put an end to his enemy at the end of the film by plunging it down into the top of his head. This was the original opening of the film before the producers STUPIDLY decided to cut it from the final film. I was hoping Shout! Factory would finally right this terrible wrong, but they let us all down big time.

Originally Posted by ravenus

Despite his top billing he really has more of an extended cameo, coming in at more than halfway into the film.

See above. He was supposed to be in the HUGE opening sequence that was cut from the film and used as a short flashback instead. This was always supposed to be Sho Kosugi's film. And even though some of his scenes were ultimately cut, he is still the star of the film (and the best thing about it) as he is the hero who saves the day at the end of the film. Just wish we could finally see his full story, but it looks like that will never happen.

[ravenus]

Originally Posted by chanbara

The scene where Sho Kosugi's character loses his eye is not missing on the earlier 2014 Blu-ray release. What is missing is the full extended scene which showed everything that led up to it...This was the original opening of the film before the producers STUPIDLY decided to cut it from the final film. I was hoping Shout! Factory would finally right this terrible wrong, but they let us all down big time.

Have some sense of perspective, dude. It's very likely that such footage doesn't exist in usable form with the rights-holders. You also don't know if the original production shot the connecting material from how the evil guy goes from Killing Sho's master in Japan to wreaking mayhem on a golf course in America. Maybe they ran out of money and decided to just start with the US portions and briskly refer to the Sho material in a flashback. Please correct me if I'm wrong but it's not like you were in the editing suite and privy to all the discussions that led to the cutting short of that material. While it would have been nice to see the full material as a bonus scene, I'm fairly sure Cannon didn't spend huge amounts storing the unused material from their movies, if not outright dumping them after the final cut was released. The theatrical cut of the film was the version I always saw and I loved it, and I definitely do not subscribe to the "let us all down" notion. I'm thrilled to have the film as is, and I look forward to the interviews with Lucinda Dickey and Jordan Benett, the stars of the theatrically released film.

[chanbara]

Originally Posted by ravenus

Have some sense of perspective, dude. It's very likely that such footage doesn't exist in usable form with the rights-holders. You also don't know if the original production shot the connecting material from how the evil guy goes from Killing Sho's master in Japan to wreaking mayhem on a golf course in America. Maybe they ran out of money and decided to just start with the US portions and briskly refer to the Sho material in a flashback. Please correct me if I'm wrong but it's not like you were in the editing suite and privy to all the discussions that led to the cutting short of that material. While it would have been nice to see the full material as a bonus scene, I'm fairly sure Cannon didn't spend huge amounts storing the unused material from their movies, if not outright dumping them after the final cut was released. The theatrical cut of the film was the version I always saw and I loved it, and I definitely do not subscribe to the "let us all down" notion. I'm thrilled to have the film as is, and I look forward to the interviews with Lucinda Dickey and Jordan Benett, the stars of the theatrically released film.

Whether the footage is lost or not remains unclear. Shout! Factory has simply said that it won't be included, not why it isn't. Either way, it is a huge disappointment and letdown to those of us hoping to finally get to see these scenes and who campaigned/contacted Shout! Factory.

From what I was told by someone directly involved with the film and the additional research I've done, the original cut of the film included the scene as I described it. It then flash forwarded into the golf course scene much like the flow between the opening of Revenge of the Ninja did. The reason it was cut was apparently for time (to allow more viewings in the theatres) and to focus on Lucinda's character.

As much as I like NINJA III as it is, it would have been much better with this all-important scene included.

[Zillamon51]

That ^ sounds pretty cool, and would definitely warrant a double-dip, something this release needs.

[WesReviews]

Yeah, I would definitely double-dip on this if that footage were included.

Sticking with the previous release for now.

[Rui]

yep. if that scene was included (even as an extra with degraded quality) I'd also double dip. As it stands now i don't see enough value to buy it again.

of course for anyone who doesn't have the film this new edition would obviously be teh best option.

[FForFake]

This is a fun, strange movie, and I briefly considered double-dipping, but the fact of the matter is that it would probably be several years before I'd ever need to watch this flick again, if ever. There are too many movies I haven't seen yet to justify buying this one again.

[ROSS.T.G.]

Went ahead and pre-ordered.

[golobulus]

I caught this movie on cable (missed it in the 80s) and had to call my wife into the room to replay the scene with the can of V8. One of the most bizarre things I have seen. Pretty cool that he has an original arcade in his room.

[asmodeux21]

The colors on the new blu ray look nice, but I kind of like the older transfer more-

https://www.mondo-digital.com/domination.html

[WaverBoy]

Originally Posted by chanbara

The scene where Sho Kosugi's character loses his eye is not missing on the earlier 2014 Blu-ray release. What is missing is the full extended scene which showed everything that led up to it, and then how he escaped. This was a HUGE scene with lots of action and emotion as he kneels over his father's body when all is said and done, vows to avenge him, takes the tsuba (guard) off of his father's tanto (knife) which the Black Ninja had used to kill him. The same tsuba which he wears over his injured eye, and the same tanto that he uses to ultimately put an end to his enemy at the end of the film by plunging it down into the top of his head. This was the original opening of the film before the producers STUPIDLY decided to cut it from the final film. I was hoping Shout! Factory would finally right this terrible wrong, but they let us all down big time.



See above. He was supposed to be in the HUGE opening sequence that was cut from the film and used as a short flashback instead. This was always supposed to be Sho Kosugi's film. And even though some of his scenes were ultimately cut, he is still the star of the film (and the best thing about it) as he is the hero who saves the day at the end of the film. Just wish we could finally see his full story, but it looks like that will never happen.

Can this deleted scene be found online anywhere?

[chanbara]

Originally Posted by WaverBoy

Can this deleted scene be found online anywhere?

Here are a few seconds of it that were part of a trailer for the film found on some VHS releases:

Ninja III: The Domination cut scene - YouTube

See post #54 for still photos from the scene.

This one is more or less how the scene ended. Note the tsuba guard on the tanto knife, it's the one he wears as an eye-patch in the film:

[impetus]

Hey gang, I posted an extensive screen comparison of the old transfer vs the new. https://cinapse.co/ninja-iii-the-dom...s-9c67fdb7db54

Summary - much finer grain in the new version but I generally like the older disc's color better.

[ravenus]

^I'm liking the older transfer colors more, although the prospect of the new interviews still prompts me to double-dip. Are the police officer uniforms seeing a blue to teal transition in the new transfer?