3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain
Kids' martial arts adventure has violence, terrorist threat.
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3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that 3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain is a silly kids' martial arts movie -- the fourth in the 3 Ninjas movie series -- with some threat and gun use. The three ninjas are brothers who fight crime, this time tackling terrorists who take over a theme park. They join forces with their new neighbour, Amanda (Chelsey Earlywine), a girl who is adept with technology and helps save the day. Amanda is key to the group's success but is ignored at the end. While Amanda uses computer hacking to succeed, the boys use fists and feet, fighting many adults, and always winning. The violence is low-impact and sometimes slapstick. Scenes of threat include terrorists tinkering with theme park rides to cause injury, a group held under armed guard, and a machine gun shoot-out with police. One ninja has a girlfriend who he kisses on the lips in one scene and the main villain is a woman -- Medusa (Loni Anderson) -- who wears a skimpy leather outfit and strikes provocative poses.
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What's the Story?
In 3 NINJAS: HIGH NOON AT MEGA MOUNTAIN, the young karate experts try to tackle a terrorist takeover of a theme park and along the way run into their TV hero, Dave Dragon (Hulk Hogan).
Is It Any Good?
With all-new actors in the title roles and the production design of a cheap toy commercial, this fourth movie instalment in the franchise bears little resemblance to the fun previous movies. Instead of inventive choreography and witty scripts, 3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain lumbers around a theme park while the boys track down the grotesque villain couple, Lothar (Jim Varney) and Medusa (Loni Anderson). Barely making good on its ninja namesake, the movie takes nearly 30 minutes to get to its first fight. Throughout, the editing meanders between sloppy and dull -- a montage that aims for wild enjoyment at a theme park lacks any sense of fun whatsoever.
Judging by the supporting cast of dozens of bored and unhappy child extras, the shoot was as enjoyable as the movie is to watch. Can Hulk Hogan save the day? He'd spent more than a decade as a kids' hero as a superstar wrestler. Outside the ring, it turns out acting isn't his strong point and his charisma is nowhere to be found. It's not that 3 Ninjas is a bad series -- in the right hands it found its perfect pitch of fun, funny, and thrilling action adventure for kids. 1995's 3 Ninjas: Knuckle Up is the series' peak. High Noon at Mega Mountain is the pits.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the violence in 3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain. Did it feel realistic? Was it entertaining? Does exposure to violent media desensitize kids to violence?
Amanda is ignored by the TV reporter when he praises the ninjas and nobody speaks up for her. How do you think this might have made her feel? What might have been a fairer way for them to act?
Have you ever been to a theme park? What do you think is the appeal of fast and scary rides?
Movie Details
- In theaters: April 10, 1998
- On DVD or streaming: February 10, 2001
- Cast: Hulk Hogan, Loni Anderson, Jim Varney
- Director: Sean McNamara
- Studio: TriStar Pictures
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- Topics: Sports and Martial Arts, Brothers and Sisters
- Run time: 93 minutes
- MPAA rating: PG
- MPAA explanation: nonstop martial arts action, some gunplay and mild language
- Last updated: January 2, 2023
Our Editors Recommend
-
3 Ninjas: Knuckle Up
Martial arts comedy has stylized violence, outdated terms.
-
Spy Kids
Just the right combination of fantasy and comedy.
-
Kung Fu Panda
Action-packed start of a franchise; scary scenes, fatphobia.
For kids who love martial arts
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