(by Lauren Kern nytimes.com 11-17-06)
Named for ninjas equipped with superhuman capabilities, Ten Shimoyama’s “Shinobi” is equal parts tragic love story and fantastical martial arts showcase.
The year is 1614, and a ban on war between two Japanese clans — the Igas and the Kougas — that has been honored for nearly 400 years is lifted by the dubiously intentioned Shogun. He calls for five of the most gifted fighters from each side to battle one another, claiming that the last man (or woman) standing will become his successor.
Oboro and Gennosuke, promising young heirs who have been carrying on a secret, forbidden romance, are appointed leaders of opposing teams — a twist of fate that would have been significantly more dramatic had their previous interactions generated any electricity beyond their ethereally radiant good looks.
The film’s mountain and forest locations are also stunning, and the fight sequences rousing and expertly staged, if heavy on the computer-generated imagery.
During one of the more memorable showdowns, Oboro draws on her signature power — a potentially deadly stare referred to as “piercing eyes” — and we see the gaseous emission travel through her rival’s insides.
If only the film had offered even a fraction of that kind of beneath-the-exterior access to the characters’ bodies and souls. But despite a wealth of magical and visual splendor, the film’s obtrusive resemblance to a video game, in appearance and (lack of) emotion, cannot be easily glossed over.
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