Directed by the Duffy Brothers, Battle Legends: The Legend of Battle Master is a comedic parody of a ninja movie.
Meet Jim Duffy. Jim is a martial arts master who is looking to find and train the next Battle Legend. When he finds this young protege (Slim Duffy), the first step is to defeat Banana Man for the title of Battle Minion. Over the film’s course, we see each of the different battles that Slim must win in order to graduate to the level of Battle Legend.
Each combat scene follows more or less the same comedic formula: tongue-in-cheek trash talk, wacky sound effects, hand-to-hand combat, all to the tune of ridiculously epic 80s virtuoso metal music. Obscenities are delivered with the epic grandiosity of a Dragon Ball Z cartoon. Hilariously satisfying sound effects accompany every punch and movement. The soundtrack is surprisingly catchy and energetic, which perfectly fits the intentionally over-the-top acting.
“When he finds this young protege, the first step is to defeat Banana Man for the title of Battle Minion.”
Aesthetically, Battle Legends feels like a YouTube comedy skit. Extremely low-budget, it looks like it was filmed outside somebody’s house. This creates a charming “indie” feel of an authentically fan-made film. The cheap-looking props make the jokes even funnier. With its gross-out humor and manic expressions, Battle Legends is reminiscent of Tom Green’s comedic style. Full of f-bombs, beer bottles, piss, and spit jokes, this movie is definitely a low-brow, low-budget production.
While the acting is fun-spirited and energetic, the writing isn’t nearly as creative. The jokes get repetitive. It’s the same comedic voices, the same comedic faces, stretched out over an hour and a half. The thin veneer of a storyline isn’t enough to keep up the entertainment or pace of the film. It lacks coherence, and this doesn’t add to the laughing factor. Everything happens ad hoc, without much in the way of pay-offs.
Slapstick to the core, Battle Legends unfortunately lacks the originality and creative writing to establish itself within the pantheon of great comedies. With a bit more refinement, this movie could have been a lot better. But as it stands, the storyline and characters are far too muddy to sustain any gut-busting laughs.
"…comedic parody of a ninja movie..."
