I watched this film a lot when I was a boy, so coming back to it I was wary that it wouldn't hold up. I knew even back then that it was a Police Academy rip off, and not as good as that film, but regardless I remember enjoying it.
I was pleasantly surprised at just how much I still enjoyed Ninja Academy. It's honestly no worse than any other silly 80s comedy, and it mixes in some cool ninja action to the laughs.
The film also has quite a surprising range of good characters. The mime in particular was very memorable, and the usual roster of pretty girls, tough guys, the accent prone geek, the handsome lead, and love interest are all present and correct, but do their job well.
The action scenes are all surprisingly well staged, and there's a good pace to the film which means it never gets boring.
I think if the film didn't have "Academy" in the title then it might have avoided some of the very unfair hate that it gets, becasue apart form that it's a different film to Police Academy.
If you like goofy cheeseball 80s comedy films then this is well worth a watch, and the added bonus of some cool ninja stuff just makes it more appealing.
