THE ANNIHILATION is the fourth instalment of the AMERICAN NINJA franchise and my first exposure to it too. It's notable for featuring in its cast both Michael Dudikoff, who starred in the first two films in the series, and David Bradley, who replaced him in the third. Bradley is kidnapped along with a bunch of commandos by a terrorist group led by a British warmonger. He also has an army of ninjas at his command. Dudikoff is called out of retirement to effect a rescue mission and does so with his usual deadly relish. This is a film which was shot in South Africa on a tight budget and it's ridiculously boring. The action scenes are non-exciting and the fight choreography is poor, a surprise as I enjoy a lot of 1990s-era action B-movies with their powerful kicks and punches. In the end I was merely waiting for the credits to roll. Even some of the Godfrey Ho ninja cheese-fests were more enjoyable than this. I'm going to pretend it doesn't exist.
