3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain
Encyclopedia
3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain is a 1998 American
martial arts film
, and the fourth and last installment in the 3 Ninjas
franchise.
High Noon at Mega Mountain starred only three of the original actors and was directed by Sean McNamara
. None of the child actors from the previous films returned for this installment. The film grossed US$
$375,805 domestically, making it the least profitable of the franchise by far. It was filmed in Denver, Colorado at Elitches Amusement Park.
) for the summer to perform their ninja training. After being put to an obstacle course
test and failing, he overhears the eldest Rocky and Colt talking about no longer returning since they are older and have more adult things to do, depressing Mori. After they return home from their vacation, they meet Amanda (Chelsey Earlywine) when their heads are almost buzzed off by her out-of-control radio-controlled helicopter
. After making amends, she is invited to Tum-Tum's birthday party the following day at Mega Mountain (a theme park much like the Six Flags
franchise) which she accepts. Tum-Tum is also very depressed when his favorite action hero
Dave Dragon (Hulk Hogan
) is set to retire and end his television series, and even concerns his mother when she offers him food, to which he replies that he is "not hungry".
The following day, the boys and Amanda are dropped off at Mega Mountain, and Rocky disappoints the group by opting to spend the day with his girlfriend Jennifer (Lindsay Felton
) than spend it with Tum-Tum and his wanting to see Dave Dragon who is performing live for his final performance. Colt and Tum-Tum both admit the admiration toward Dave Dragon and remember how cool he had been previously. During these goings on, a yet vicious woman named Mary Ann "Medusa" Rogers (Loni Anderson
), her right hand man Lothar Zogg (Jim Varney
), her Jamaican sidekick C.J. (Dwayne Carrington), her three idiot nephews Carl (Kirk Baily), Buelow (Travis McKenna), and Zed (Brendan O'Brien), and a small group of mercenaries, infiltrate the park, take over its operations, and attempt to take out Dragon after his performance (interrupted by Tum-Tum and Colt who seek him out for an autograph). Medusa threatens the Mega Mountain's Harry Jacobson (Pat Mahoney) to pay her enough money or she will cause accidents on the rides. This causes the police and the FBI led by the boys' father Sam (Alan McRae) to be called in.
After fending off the thugs and rejoining Rocky who had spotted them while away from his girlfriend, they wake up Dragon and become suspicious as a great deal of the park is closed off and several rides begin to go crazy. Amanda utilizes a handheld computer and is able to hack out some of the programs, however Medusa quickly has her access locked out, and suspends a roller coaster
full of people at the top of a loop, threatening to the owner of Mega Mountain with their deaths if he does not pay her a large sum of money. Dragon tries to infiltrate their operations, and is captured while Colt, Rocky, Tum-Tum and Amanda continue to evade Medusa's henchmen and her nephews. She manages to kidnap Jennifer and use her as bait to keep the kids from interfering by tying her to the roller coaster tracks and threatening to release the cars, causing the people to run over her. Rocky battles with Lothar when attempting to free her, and causes him to literally bounce out of the park and into the hands of the authorities. Medusa released the cars of a roller coaster to race pass by Rocky and Jennifer. Jennifer told Rocky that he saved her and kisses him. The owner of the park then begins to give Medusa the 10 million bucks bag by bag. But as the final bag drops Amanda uses her helicopter to cut it open. Medusa discovers this and grabs Amanda. Rocky meets up with his brothers and they run into Dragon. After they inform him about Amanda's capture they all unite to save her. Meanwhile Medusa tells Amanda about her plans for her. She plans to use her as a hostage to escape. Then Amanda will be her personal slave to work off the lost money. Medusa estimates that in 50 years they will be even. The boys are able to defeat many ninjas before they catch up to Medusa. She compliments their skills but then decides to even the odds by shooting the lights out. this gives her ninjas the upper hand because they have night vision goggles. While the boys are taken care of she gives Amanda a little "surprise." Instead of being Medusa's slave Amanda will be blown to bits by a bomb.
The trio manage to overcome their inability to see in the dark (the problem with their obstacle course at the beginning) and save Amanda, but her computer breaks down and she cannot disarm the bomb she was attached to. Thinking quickly, they attach the bomb to an oxygen tank
on rollers and attempt to break the tank's valve to send it away. With Dave's help they are able to break it, and send it like a torpedo
directly toward Medusa's escape route.
The explosion draws the authorities' attention, and they quickly capture Medusa still clutching to her bag of money, she pouts and seats herself with it, surrendering to the FBI. Once Medusa and her minions are in jail, the boys also give credit to Dave Dragon for helping to save Mega Mountain when interviewed by the media. Later, the boys assure Mori that they are not going to give up their summers with him for anything, enjoying learning to be ninjas, and even recruit Amanda to join them next time, an offer she accepts graciously.
at the time, wore a wig for the film which resulted in Hogan having a different hairstyle than his traditional bald look. As a result, he is seen in Halloween Havoc
1996 with a similar hairstyle as he had in the film. Elitch Gardens
, the park where filming was located, underwent a complete remodel, with all the signs for the park and for the rides being changed and renamed for the film. However, there are a few times when the real signs for the rides and park are seen in the background.
Cinema of the United States
The cinema of the United States, also known as Hollywood, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period...
martial arts film
Martial arts film
Martial arts film is a film genre. A sub-genre of the action film, martial arts films contain numerous fights between characters, usually as the films' primary appeal and entertainment value, and often as a method of storytelling and character expression and development. Martial arts are frequently...
, and the fourth and last installment in the 3 Ninjas
3 Ninjas
3 Ninjas is a 1992 American martial arts comedy film directed by Jon Turteltaub, starring Victor Wong, Michael Treanor, Max Elliott Slade, and Chad Power. It was the only 3 Ninjas film released by Touchstone Pictures, while the others were released by TriStar Pictures...
franchise.
High Noon at Mega Mountain starred only three of the original actors and was directed by Sean McNamara
Sean McNamara (director)
Sean Patrick Michael McNamara is an American film director, film producer, actor, and screenwriter.McNamara was born in Burbank, California. He is best known for his feature film Soul Surfer and in the preteen film market, having worked with Jessica Alba, Hilary Duff, Shia LaBeouf, Christy...
. None of the child actors from the previous films returned for this installment. The film grossed US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
$375,805 domestically, making it the least profitable of the franchise by far. It was filmed in Denver, Colorado at Elitches Amusement Park.
Plot
The film opens as normal while the boys Rocky (Mathew Botuchis), Colt (Michael O'Laskey), and Tum-Tum (James Paul Roeske) are at the home of their Grandfather Mori (Victor WongVictor Wong
Victor Wong was a Chinese American character actor who appeared in supporting roles throughout the 1980s and 1990s.-Education:...
) for the summer to perform their ninja training. After being put to an obstacle course
Obstacle course
An obstacle course is a series of challenging physical obstacles an individual or team must navigate usually while being timed. Obstacle courses can include running, climbing, jumping, crawling, swimming, and balancing elements with the aim of testing speed and endurance. Sometimes a course...
test and failing, he overhears the eldest Rocky and Colt talking about no longer returning since they are older and have more adult things to do, depressing Mori. After they return home from their vacation, they meet Amanda (Chelsey Earlywine) when their heads are almost buzzed off by her out-of-control radio-controlled helicopter
Radio-controlled helicopter
Radio-controlled helicopters are model aircraft which are distinct from RC airplanes because of the differences in construction, aerodynamics, and flight training...
. After making amends, she is invited to Tum-Tum's birthday party the following day at Mega Mountain (a theme park much like the Six Flags
Six Flags
Six Flags Entertainment Corp. is the world's largest amusement park corporation based on quantity of properties and the fifth most popular in terms of attendance. The company maintains 14 properties located throughout North America, including theme parks, thrill parks, water parks and family...
franchise) which she accepts. Tum-Tum is also very depressed when his favorite action hero
Action hero
An action hero is a character, usually a protagonist, in an action-adventure novel, film, television show, or game.-Further reading:*Osgerby, Bill, Anna Gough-Yates, and Marianne Wells. Action TV : Tough-Guys, Smooth Operators and Foxy Chicks. London: Routledge, 2001.*Tasker, Yvonne. Action and...
Dave Dragon (Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan
Terrance Gene "Terry" Bollea , better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American Semi-retired professional wrestler, actor, television personality, and musician currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
) is set to retire and end his television series, and even concerns his mother when she offers him food, to which he replies that he is "not hungry".
The following day, the boys and Amanda are dropped off at Mega Mountain, and Rocky disappoints the group by opting to spend the day with his girlfriend Jennifer (Lindsay Felton
Lindsay Felton
Lindsay Marie Felton , is an American actress.Felton was born in Seattle, Washington. She had a variety of roles since beginning acting in advertisements on local television at 3, and her first major network television appearance came in 1994 on the short-lived ABC sitcom Thunder Alley, as the...
) than spend it with Tum-Tum and his wanting to see Dave Dragon who is performing live for his final performance. Colt and Tum-Tum both admit the admiration toward Dave Dragon and remember how cool he had been previously. During these goings on, a yet vicious woman named Mary Ann "Medusa" Rogers (Loni Anderson
Loni Anderson
Loni Kaye Anderson is an American actress who played the role of Jennifer Marlowe on the television sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati.- Early life :...
), her right hand man Lothar Zogg (Jim Varney
Jim Varney
James Albert "Jim" Varney, Jr. was an American stand-up comedian, actor, musician, writer, voice artist, and comedian, best known for his role as Ernest P...
), her Jamaican sidekick C.J. (Dwayne Carrington), her three idiot nephews Carl (Kirk Baily), Buelow (Travis McKenna), and Zed (Brendan O'Brien), and a small group of mercenaries, infiltrate the park, take over its operations, and attempt to take out Dragon after his performance (interrupted by Tum-Tum and Colt who seek him out for an autograph). Medusa threatens the Mega Mountain's Harry Jacobson (Pat Mahoney) to pay her enough money or she will cause accidents on the rides. This causes the police and the FBI led by the boys' father Sam (Alan McRae) to be called in.
After fending off the thugs and rejoining Rocky who had spotted them while away from his girlfriend, they wake up Dragon and become suspicious as a great deal of the park is closed off and several rides begin to go crazy. Amanda utilizes a handheld computer and is able to hack out some of the programs, however Medusa quickly has her access locked out, and suspends a roller coaster
Roller coaster
The roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented the first coasters on January 20, 1885...
full of people at the top of a loop, threatening to the owner of Mega Mountain with their deaths if he does not pay her a large sum of money. Dragon tries to infiltrate their operations, and is captured while Colt, Rocky, Tum-Tum and Amanda continue to evade Medusa's henchmen and her nephews. She manages to kidnap Jennifer and use her as bait to keep the kids from interfering by tying her to the roller coaster tracks and threatening to release the cars, causing the people to run over her. Rocky battles with Lothar when attempting to free her, and causes him to literally bounce out of the park and into the hands of the authorities. Medusa released the cars of a roller coaster to race pass by Rocky and Jennifer. Jennifer told Rocky that he saved her and kisses him. The owner of the park then begins to give Medusa the 10 million bucks bag by bag. But as the final bag drops Amanda uses her helicopter to cut it open. Medusa discovers this and grabs Amanda. Rocky meets up with his brothers and they run into Dragon. After they inform him about Amanda's capture they all unite to save her. Meanwhile Medusa tells Amanda about her plans for her. She plans to use her as a hostage to escape. Then Amanda will be her personal slave to work off the lost money. Medusa estimates that in 50 years they will be even. The boys are able to defeat many ninjas before they catch up to Medusa. She compliments their skills but then decides to even the odds by shooting the lights out. this gives her ninjas the upper hand because they have night vision goggles. While the boys are taken care of she gives Amanda a little "surprise." Instead of being Medusa's slave Amanda will be blown to bits by a bomb.
The trio manage to overcome their inability to see in the dark (the problem with their obstacle course at the beginning) and save Amanda, but her computer breaks down and she cannot disarm the bomb she was attached to. Thinking quickly, they attach the bomb to an oxygen tank
Oxygen tank
An oxygen tank is a storage vessel for oxygen, which is either held under pressure in gas cylinders or as liquid oxygen in a cryogenic storage tank.Oxygen tanks are used to store gas for:* industrial processes including the manufacture of steel and monel...
on rollers and attempt to break the tank's valve to send it away. With Dave's help they are able to break it, and send it like a torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
directly toward Medusa's escape route.
The explosion draws the authorities' attention, and they quickly capture Medusa still clutching to her bag of money, she pouts and seats herself with it, surrendering to the FBI. Once Medusa and her minions are in jail, the boys also give credit to Dave Dragon for helping to save Mega Mountain when interviewed by the media. Later, the boys assure Mori that they are not going to give up their summers with him for anything, enjoying learning to be ninjas, and even recruit Amanda to join them next time, an offer she accepts graciously.
Cast
- Lindsey Felton as Jennifer
- Hulk HoganHulk HoganTerrance Gene "Terry" Bollea , better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American Semi-retired professional wrestler, actor, television personality, and musician currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
as Dave Dragon - James Paul Roeske as Tum -Tum
- Chelsey Earlywine as Amanda
- Alan McRae as Sam
- Jim VarneyJim VarneyJames Albert "Jim" Varney, Jr. was an American stand-up comedian, actor, musician, writer, voice artist, and comedian, best known for his role as Ernest P...
as Lothar Zogg - Victor WongVictor WongVictor Wong was a Chinese American character actor who appeared in supporting roles throughout the 1980s and 1990s.-Education:...
as Grandpa Mori - Loni AndersonLoni AndersonLoni Kaye Anderson is an American actress who played the role of Jennifer Marlowe on the television sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati.- Early life :...
as Mary Ann "Medusa" Rogers - Michael O'Laskey as Colt
- Kirk Baily as Carl
- Brendan O'Brien as Zed
- Travis McKenna as Buelow
- Dwayne Carrington as CJ
- Pat Mahoney as Harry Jacobson
Development
Filming began in 1996. Hulk Hogan, wrestling in World Championship WrestlingWorld Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
at the time, wore a wig for the film which resulted in Hogan having a different hairstyle than his traditional bald look. As a result, he is seen in Halloween Havoc
Halloween Havoc
Halloween Havoc was an annual professional wrestling pay-per-view produced by World Championship Wrestling from 1989 through 2000. The final five events were held in Las Vegas, Nevada at the MGM Grand Garden Arena...
1996 with a similar hairstyle as he had in the film. Elitch Gardens
Elitch Gardens
Elitch Gardens was a family-owned seasonal amusement park, theater, and botanic garden in the West Highland neighborhood of Denver, Colorado, United States at 38th and Tennyson streets. For more than a century Elitch's was one of the most popular entertainment destinations in Colorado...
, the park where filming was located, underwent a complete remodel, with all the signs for the park and for the rides being changed and renamed for the film. However, there are a few times when the real signs for the rides and park are seen in the background.