Guilty Pleasures: Surf Ninjas

Surf Ninjas. I normally hate any movie that involves surfing. I've always viewed adding surfing or a 'surfer dude' character to any film or series an unusual pandering to a single coast. Unless it's Japan or Hawaii, considering they surrounded by ocean it makes more sense. I love ninjas as much as the next guy, but this was a time when you had to show more care as every other movie on the market featured the word ninja somewhere in the title (see: Mutants; teenage). I think the only other film that I ever really enjoyed that featured surfing was Troma Films Surf Nazis Must Die.

Surf Ninjas however is one of those films that, no matter how dated it becomes, will always have a place in my heart. A dirty little corner it is though. The movie features Tone Loc (of Funky Cold Medina fame), Rob Schneider with an inexplicable dye job, and Leslie Nielsen as a bumbling cop. I'm kidding, Nielsen actually plays the evil overlord, a bumbling evil overlord and is probably the best reason to see the movie (he was still funny). Otherwise it's pretty standard fare for a kids and martial arts film: Two surfer dudes turn out to be the heirs to the throne of a fictional island nation ruled with an (literal) iron fist by Colonel Chi (Nielsen). They are brought to the island by one of the last loyalists of the original royal family. One of my favorite running gags in the film is that their idiot sidekick Iggy (Schneider) thinks he's actually the heir to the throne and the kids are just a beard to protect him. There's a romantic subplot, martial arts action and mystical powers and plenty of physical humor. It's worth watching just to see Tone Loc surf.

Here's a trailer, there is a better trailer a "non-dude, serious trailer voice" trailer, but I can't seem to find that one anywhere.



Seriously, what is up with Schneider's hair? The trailer reminded me of the other running gag with Iggy: he can't and never has surfed. Ernie Reyes Jr., who plays the 'super strong' brother was also in TMNT II: The Secret of the Ooze as Keno. Can't say I remember him, but I preferred TMNT III. But that's a guilty pleasure for another day.