I have this on SD and it's a highly enjoyable tale of warring ninja clans w/plenty of CGI-laced action combined with sweeping vistas. A Japanese take on 'X-Men', if you will. Obviously, suspension of belief will add to your enjoyment of the fighting sequences. Shinobi is vastly superior to other recent entries of this genre such as 'Azumi'. The SD version is no slouch in the PQ & SQ dept. and I'm looking forward to a top tier transfer on BD. For those of you who have scope setups (Shinobi is presented in 2.35), you'll be happy to know that the subs are entirely contained in the image area, at least on the import version that I have, although the BD release will feature an english audio track option.

Azumi was great (I would love a BD version).
So was "Beat" Takeshi takes of Zaitoshi (again I would like a BD version).
Cashern on the other hand was pure ****. The only asian movie that i wasn't able to finish watching and I've seen plenty of bad one.

I wonder, does Shinobi follow the videogame story line or is it just inspire by the setting/character?

I wonder, does Shinobi follow the videogame story line or is it just inspire by the setting/character?It's got nothing in common with the video game series. It's kinda like Romeo & Juliet...with ninja clans.
If you like the film you should check out the Basilisk Anime
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilisk_(manga)

It's got nothing in common with the video game series. It's kinda like Romeo & Juliet...with ninja clans.
If you like the film you should check out the Basilisk Anime
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilisk_(manga)

I have the serie (Basilisk). Got it as FanSubbed. I got it at the same time than Claymore (another anime serie. Not ninja related). I prefered Claymore.

I'll try get my hand on Shinobi if I can find it cheap. I don't want to pay full import price.

I pre-ordered my copy at Amazon.

Any body got a look at this yet? It's $11 on amazon. I used it for free ship with Narnia.
The trailer for the movie makes it look like the film that "Forbidden Kingdom" should have been.

Are there any specs anywhere?

I haven't found any spec's yet. The Funimation website doesn't list any details either.

BTW, MovieTyme.com says it's region locked!
http://movietyme.blogspot.com/2008/05/blu-ray-test_195.html

Will blind buy this for $11 off amazon.

My local best buy had this on their self so i picked it up 2 days ago. This would be my first time rating pq and aq. The video is it self is very clear and crisp on a avc encode. Great detail and scenery like on planet earth. I would rate the overall video a 4. The audio i used was the japanese 6.1 true hd. The audio is solid and very agressive .The vocals are supberp, very natural and crisp. The used of the rear surrounds is abundent. I would rate the aq a 4. Overall i would recomend this movie.

Shinobi? I thought Japan had this ou tin Blu-ray already. I remember that I posted about this and said, "About time!" Now get Shawdowless Sword out and we are golden!

I would rate the overall video a 4. The audio i used was the japanese 6.1 true hd. The audio is solid and very agressive .The vocals are supberp, very natural and crisp. The used of the rear surrounds is abundent. I would rate the aq a 4. Overall i would recomend this movie.

WTF?!!!

Are you sure it's a 6.1 TrueHD track???:eek:
Can you post the full specs or a shot of the back cover.

$11 for a solid film on BD with lossless audio.:confused: Awesome, all other studio take notice.

I wasn't planning on getting this as I thought it was an average movie, but for $11 it's hard to pass up.

Here are the spec's according to dvdempire.

Features:
Shinobi Action - Sumpu Castle Fight
Director Storyboard Collection
Original TV Spots and Trailer
Shinobi Art - Majidani
VFW Behind the Scenes
Weapons Introduction
Storyboard Collection

Video:
Widescreen 1.85:1 Color
Screen Resolution:
1080p

Audio:
ENGLISH: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
JAPANESE: Dolby TrueHD 6.1
Subtitles:
English

This movie didn't perform well in Japan but at this price point it should be easy to grab one.

Shinobi? I thought Japan had this ou tin Blu-ray already. I remember that I posted about this and said, "About time!" Now get Shawdowless Sword out and we are golden!

They had it on HD DVD.

http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=HDB-1

Now get Shadowless Sword out and we are golden!

+1 !!! ....my favorite South Korean 'Wuxia' flick --- style (besides guys w/eye shadow!) & action in spades.

Shinobi? I thought Japan had this ou tin Blu-ray already. I remember that I posted about this and said, "About time!" Now get Shawdowless Sword out and we are golden!There's gonna be a German release on September 26, but only with German subs.
http://www.splendid-film.de/filminfo.php?id=24606

i'm just wondering but why is it debuting so cheap?

i'm just wondering but why is it debuting so cheap?

I'm not sure, but I'm sure as heck not complaining. :)

I owned the DVD, then HD DVD (imported from Japan) and I pre-ordered the blu-ray version. So I triple dipped on this title. IMHO, it is a good movie. Too bad the HD DVD version I got from Japan didn't have english subtitle, but the PQ was amazing, a tremendous upgrade from SD, the sound is just regular 640k DD+.

+1 !!! ....my favorite South Korean 'Wuxia' flick --- style (besides guys w/eye shadow!) & action in spades.

I love it

the eye shawdow thing is part of the art :)

Still does not detract from the kick ass sword play and how BA the dude is (not the prince but the guy trying to capture the prince). :)

I guess this title was released early. I picked it up at the BB here in Summerville, SC 2 days ago. I'll be watching it tonight.

I received my copy from Amazon today. :)

Mine took a little longer and arrived today, but I probably won't have time to watch it until the weekend, so the extra day doesn't really matter.

Where are the PQ and AQ opinions?

This looks like the most under priced release in the history of home video media. I'm still waiting for mine. So what is there to look forward to?

And how much better is it than Forbidden Kingdom?

so you are saying it's not that great? I received my copy yestaerday. Happy to see the Japanese audio is truHD 6.1 =)

lgans316: Forgotten Kingdom? ...Really? I mean... really?

Shinobi isn't an incredible movie, though I would say that it's better than that abomination titled "Forgotten Kingdom". I wanted my money back after that crap-fest. Anwyway, back to Shinobi. The story is based off of a novel titled "The Kouga Ninja Scrolls" that has had plenty of adaptations, including an anime named "Basilisk" (based off a manga of the same title). You can find the names of the two clans in some Japanese popular culture, usually when there is two of something similar that oppose each other.

It's a good tale, though I think the anime does a better job of displaying the incredible powers of the Kouga and Iga clan. I was impressed with the visuals of the movie back when I saw it on DVD, so a Blu-ray rental or purchase is going to be something I have to do.

The picture quality on the Blu-ray is very good and a solid Tier 1 title. This was a very good blind buy, even though I had already seen Basilisk and knew most of the plot details.

The visuals on this movie are stunning, and on the non-CGI segments you wonder how many time the director had to try to get the perfect shot.

On the visuals alone. One of the most beautifully done movies in recent memory. Only caveat is if you like only happy endings, this is not the movie for you.

Don't even compare this one with Forbidden Kingdom. Lower your expectations for Shinobi on the movie quality.

Oh please, Shinobi is ten times the movie than THAT absolute sh*t-fest of an excuse of a movie!! And who cares how well it did in Japan? Not me. :rolleyes:

Don't even compare this one with Forbidden Kingdom. Lower your expectations for Shinobi on the movie quality.

Little OT, but didn't Jet Li say that Fearless was going to be his last wuxia movie? That promise lasted all of what, one movie???

Only caveat is if you like only happy endings, this is not the movie for you.



Isn't it a remake of Romeo & Juliet?

I finished watching this earlier. Man it was boring. What the hell did those two earn 'Japan's equivalent-to-the-Oscar' for? - acting emo(I had to use that word). I didn't get the love story angle at all, they are together for one brief scene, then the clans fight. And what was with the R-rating? The New Narnia is more violent(less blood, more violent).
The action scenes are uninspired.

Some of the close ups look fantastic. But the whole movie is lit poorly. The average Apatow produced movie has better photography. The entire image felt flat. The black levels weren't great. I thought my display setting might have changed, but then I put in Narnia and no, the colors are perfect. I hated the camera movement. The cinematography as a whole was unimpressive(not as bad as Elizabeth: Golden Age or Inside Man). It looked like a 'my-first-camera' affair.

The sound wasn't bad. Every channel was used pretty much at all times. The sound effects were a little too over the top. The Katanas don't sound sharp(not like they could kill), the bass isn't the most clean I've heard. With a budget it probably would sound really impressive. Overall, pretty good.

Normally I would feel cheated. But it was only $11. I know Japan has better film makers than the guy that made this, if only their films had been released instead. In the end, I don't think I'll watch this again. This movie just made me long for Iron Monkey, KB and Hero on BD. You know what...Volcanoe High wasn't that bad. Forbidden Kingdom is a better film, hell without the white kid it's a classic.

Now to wait for the Wachowski's Ninja movie.
Whoa this was a Funimation release. What are they f#($ing around for? Full Metal Alchemist is perfect for HD.

I finished watching this earlier. Man it was boring. What the hell did those two earn 'Japans equivalent-to-the-Oscar' for? - acting emo(I had to use that word). And what was with the R-rating? The New Narnia is more violent(less blood, more violent).
The action scenes are uninspired.

Some of the close ups look fantastic. But the whole movie is lit poorly. The average Apatow produced movie has better photography. The entire image felt flat. The black levels weren't great. I thought my display setting might have changed, but then I put in Narnia, and no the colors are perfect. I hated the camera movement. The cinematography as a whole was unimpressive.

It's a pretty average movie in my opinion, as I stated the earlier. The only reason I would buy it is due to the price and to support the possibility of more Asian movies crossing the pond. Although if they only bring out recent big budget stuff then perhaps I'm not really helping anything.

Nothing really stands out, I agree that everything about this film is dull. This is coming from a guy that enjoys watching Japanese dramas with little to no plot.

Anyone feel the Japanese language Dolby TrueHD audio was recorded a little too low for Shinobi?

Anyone feel the Japanese language Dolby TrueHD audio was recorded a little too low for Shinobi?

Yeah. I had to boost it quite a bit. Maybe that's the dialnorm.

Shinobi was poorly done summary of the Basilisk anime (which was in turn based off some manga or lite novel). Embarrassing.

I just finished watching this movie (rented from Blockbuster Online), and I enjoyed it. The super powers were fun to watch and the cinematography and effects were better than I had expected.

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film2/DVDReviews37/shinobi_blu-ray.htm

The photography and production design is exceptional. Color and contrast: likewise, leaning in many scenes toward a vivid saturation in keeping with the magical aspect of things. The picture is a little soft, but filmlike. In comparison to Shochiku's Region 2 SD-DVD, it is much, much sharper. I was quite disappointed with the Japanese DVD when it came out a couple years ago and worried that the problem might lie with the original film elements. Rest assured – not so.

PQ: 8.5/10
SQ: 8/10

Maybe it's because I've seen Speed Racer(Greatest movie of 2008, if the Dark Knight gets bumped to 09). But Shinobi is anything buy vivid. I seriously checked my display afterwards because I thought the settings had been changed, Narnia was as colorful as any good BD. And the photography is amateurish. The image looked flat to me.

And what the hell is a 'Blu-ray DVD' it's a freaking BD in shorthand.

DVDTALK also has high praise for Shinobi, calling the BD release 'fantastic', with stunning cinematography, a strong script, acting and recommends the disc highly.

PQ: 4/5
SQ: 4.5/5

DVDTALK also has high praise for Shinobi, calling the BD release 'fantastic', with stunning cinematography, a strong script, acting and recommends the disc highly.

PQ: 4/5
SQ: 4.5/5

That was the first BD that guy has reviewed. Maybe one of the first he's seen. It doesn't live up to those scores at all.

I am not sure if I've seen this movie or not. Without spoiling the movie for others, is this the movie about two rival clans in which the fighters have super natural powers? for example beast like abilities, telepathic powers, morphing, etc.?

I am not sure if I've seen this movie or not. Without spoiling the movie for others, is this the movie about two rival clans in which the fighters have super natural powers? for example beast like abilities, telepathic powers, morphing, etc.?Yes
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=6493

Ok cool, then it is the movie I saw. The SD DVD copy I saw was no slouch in terms of picture quality. The only thing is the version I saw had no english sub-titles, not that it is totally necessary. Does anyone know if the BD version will have english sub-titles?

Ok cool, then it is the movie I saw. The SD DVD copy I saw was no slouch in terms of picture quality. The only thing is the version I saw had no english sub-titles, not that it is totally necessary. Does anyone know if the BD version will have english sub-titles?

yes it does have english subs.

http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/397/shinobi.html

Yet another glowing BD review of Shinobi on HighDefDigest...

I am actually a bit suprised by those reviews because I watched it last night and I have to agree with shadowrage's assessment.

I am actually a bit suprised by those reviews because I watched it last night and I have to agree with shadowrage's assessment.

Having personally compared it to the SD-DVD version it's a substantial upgraded.

I am actually a bit suprised by those reviews because I watched it last night and I have to agree with shadowrage's assessment.

I don't know, I think a majority of the discrepancies in the reviews for this movie deal with the style. some people like it some people don't. either way, its a pretty decent movie if people can look beyond whether or not its "reference material". Also like the highdefdigest reviewer suggested, if you've seen the anime series basilisk before watching this movie you'll definitely be a little underwhelmed. just my opinion though

and to the guy that said forbidden kingdom was way better than this, I highly disagree. the only part of the movie worth seeing is the fight scene between jet-li and jackie chan in the temple. other than that, it was a steaming pile

Shinobi - 1080i or 108p?

1080P/AVC MPEG 4 / 25GB single layer.

I dug it on BD. I was actually surprised at how good it looked compared to 99% of the Asian DVDs I own.

But I'm also an avid Asian cinema fan and know what to expect from the production value side of things, ie. don't expect reference material from most releases...

...thats what the Rock and Pearl Harbor are for....

We can debate the AQ and VQ...but, it doesn't really matter.
It doesn't change the fact this movie didn't live up to its hype.
Started strongly, with an interesting premise, and then just petered out---while characters spend a helluva lot of time staring (and not blinking) into the camera.
And yeah, I know that is a common practice in many Japanese films.

Nevertheless, it was a real thrilling experience sitting thru this film...:rolleyes:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13974945#post13974945

squid says this has a 7.1 track. I swear my PS3 read it as 6.1
Can anyone add any info?

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13974945#post13974945

squid says this has a 7.1 track. I swear my PS3 read it as 6.1
Can anyone add any info?
Looks like a screw up on my part. It does indeed appear to be a 6.1 track - sorry for any temporary confusion / excitement.

That was the first BD that guy has reviewed. Maybe one of the first he's seen. It doesn't live up to those scores at all.

Picture quality can vary quite a bit between displays. Many of the reviewers have high end plasmas, or front projection systems.

My 1080p PJ reveals details that aren't possible on my 61" HDTV.

I'm not trying to say you are wrong, just that it may look better on a different display.

Art

Excellent review of Shinobi posted here.

http://www.dvdfile.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6754&Itemid=3

I am quite happy with the PQ that was offered for the price of $10.95.

It will show in your display as 6.1 on your PS3, but it will show as 7.1 on your receiver because the PS3 does not support 6.1.

This proves again that everybody's taste in movies is very different. I find the movie itself to be excellent, while some parts of the CG look soft-filtered, there are enough natural scenery with incredible detail that shows up well to remind people this is not a DVD. The visuals alone have enough demo materials to make it worth keeping in the collection.

For me, other than minor quirks of why these superhumans who could level an entire town had to be subservient to mere mortals like the shogun [who are all so weak they could have killed by staring] (which can be explained by Japanese concepts of honor,duty), and especially why they willingly go along with their fate even though they know the true purpose of the competition, there's nothing I can find that is wrong with this movie.

If I had written the story, my ending would be : I would have the couple get together, say F*** them, kill off the shogun and his top lietenants, give the puny humans a lesson they'd remember in their history books, and go on an extended vacation with no end-date. But then, that would not be a japanese movie. And I'm not japanese. So there.

The cinematography was artistic to the point of watching poetry in motion. I'm still amazed at people's sense of aesthetics, you can go hiking all your life and never see scenery like this.