Comparison between the cut British VHS from Entertainment in Video and the uncut German Blu-ray from Shamrock Media.

- 7 cuts
- Difference: 286.2 sec (= 4:46 min) [in PAL].

A few additional master errors, each lasting less than 0.5 sec, were not listed in the report.

With Sidekicks, it was definitively established once again in 1992 that Chuck Norris is simply one step above other action stars. His brother Aaron Norris directed the family-friendly action comedy, in which a boy bullied at school always daydreams about adventures right along his hero from the video store. Trashy, entertaining mischief, of course, which at the time flunked critics across the board, but after 30 years has also gained some cult status.

Since 20th June 2022 the German Blu-ray premiere is available from Shamrock Media. The widescreen HD master is a bit of a revelation compared to the pale fullscreen editions that have been available on VHS and DVD around the world. In the UK, on the other hand, only a version censored by just under 5 minutes was released at the time. Any scenes with nunchucks and Shuriken were still a problem for the BBFC at the time. After all, the cuts are actually all not really noticeable if you don't know the uncut version. Still said VHS should be avoided obviously.


Runtimes are arranged according to
UK VHS in PAL / Blu-ray in 23.976fps

Additional logo at the beginning of the HD master. Not included in cut duration/quantity.

6 sec

By way of introduction, a small image comparison. The VHS is open matte and thus shows a bit more at the top/bottom, but something is missing at the sides. For the previous DVDs, a VHS was simply digitized. The widescreen image of the Blu-ray looks more correct all around and you can clearly see more in dark scenes.

UK VHS	German Blu-ray

02:38 / 02:51-03:01

The samurai gets closer to the teacher (Noreen). A white ninja (Chuck) joins in and Shuriken fly through the air. With these he hits the arm of the samurai.

9.5 sec

04:24 / 04:51-04:55

After Chuck has reached behind his back, he naturally pulls out Shuriken from there. With these he frees Noreen's bonds.

3.6 sec

Alternative
43:57-43:58 / 46:07-46:08

Strange: Only the HD master changes to Barry one more time before Mr. Lee nods and turns to the side.
On both the British and German VHS, the picture wobbles briefly at this point and there is a small picture glitch. Presumably, the HD master aimed to cover up such an error in the source material.

No time difference

UK VHS	German Blu-ray

49:53 / 52:17-52:26

Mr. Horn still asks for pushups. Barry goes to work. The long shot from above also starts a little earlier.

8.4 sec

50:00 / 52:34-53:57

Shortly after, a longer scene is completely missing: Mr. Lee gives Barry a pair of nunchucks and tells him to practice for an hour every day. This is followed by a typical montage with music, in which Barry has no control yet and thus keeps hitting himself.
The following scene of Noreen training begins a moment earlier, as the music is still fading out here.

80.4 sec (= 1:20 min)

65:10 / 69:45-70:10

After Barry hits the bricks, another scene is missing. Mr. Lee makes some bets and laughs about it with the women. In the background, Barry is training with the nunchucks. He has now mastered this discipline as well.

23.9 sec

75:04 / 80:29-83:16

The scoreboard indicates that "Weapons Form" is about to begin, and a weapons demonstration follows accordingly. First, students from the other dojos appear and demonstrate their skills with various weapons. Barry is a bit tense and is called up next. After a few movements with his nunchucks, he transforms into a white-clad ninja in his performance, which allows him to show his program completely unleashed. The audience cheers and he hugs his companions.

160.3 sec (= 2:40 min)