Where to watch Double Blast
1 Star
Two kids with martial arts training and their black belt father rescue a female professor from gangsters, because they want a stone tablet that she has discovered which may lead to untold …
The success of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the late 1980’s spurred a sub-genre of its own, the martial-arts kids movie, that was best embodied by the modest hit 3 Ninjas. These two films were responsible for dozens of copy-cat productions that appeared almost weekly and lined the shelves at local video stores. If the names Ted Jan Roberts or Ernie Reyes are familiar to you, then it’s likely you’ve seen one of these family-oriented fight flicks.
Double Blast features Joe Estevez, who is doing a great Martin Sheen impression, Linda Blair, who is working (unsuccessfully) on her comedic chops, and Robert Z’Dar in a rare role in which his actual speaking voice hasn’t been dubbed over. Dale Cook, who has never been given a proper starring vehicle, hovers around the film. His big kick-boxing match is intercut throughout the first act and is inserted only to keep the attention of those over 12.
Weak choreography and non-charismatic leads make this a difficult watch for disconcerting viewers, but I must admit it does serve as a nostalgia piece for a time when martial arts films dominated the action market for adults and kids.
Directed by: Tim Spring
Written by: Paul Joseph Gulino (screenplay), Paul Joseph Gulino (story), Tim Spring (story), Paul Wolansky (story)
Starring: Linda Blair, Dale Cook, Joe Estevez, Lorne Berfield