I have to tell ya, I really wanted to like this movie. Hot ninja chicks, revenge plot, spurts of blood, and Jubei Yagyu doing his thing. And yet, I was left wanting so much more.
A mission is set upon by an evil clan and the mistress is murdered. Several of the young girls (called the 'Hori women', try to say that and not laugh) decide to seek revenge and enlist the help of swordsman Jubei of the Yagyu clan for aid and guidance. They also discover that they have magic powers that can only be released under extreme duress. Then the plot is off and running.
Everything is in place for a great hack and slash fest. The heroins are, every one of them, cute as they come. The villains are wacky and eccentric. Plenty of blood, dismemberment and a considerable amount of bared female flesh. So why was I disappointed? For one the direction is not very good, even by the conventions of the genre. For another, the fight choreography is limp at it's best, and in a sword fighting movie that really hurts. And a movie that tries to use SFX should at least put a little money into how they look.
What else? Well, the girls' magic powers are just plain ridiculous (one shoots lighting out of her nipples and another sucks things into her...you get the picture) and both the writing and acting flat out suck. Also, these girls are supposed a bunch of tough as nails assassins, yet they start dying early and at regular intervals. Oh, and don't get me started on the dubbing, which is so bad it's damn near good.
So what's left? An OK genre piece that should hold over rabid fans (maybe), but won't win over any new ones.
5/10
