Please Note: The overall rating above represents the entire Blu-ray package including video quality and special features, not just the movie.
If we’re being completely honest here then I need to come clean about something. “Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li” is a movie I’ve been anticipating for a while now, and there is only one reason for this insanity and that’s Kristin Kreuk. Very much like farm boy Clark Kent, Kristin stole my heart back in 2001, the year “Smallville” premiered on national television. Sorry Chloe, you will always be a close second. Well, after Lois Lane and Mrs. Kent.
First things first, if you’re going into this movie thinking you’re going to get a high quality martial arts film then you need to check yourself because you’re completely retarded. “Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li” is pure junk food for the brain. The sooner you realize this, the closer you are to becoming a true Street Fighter. The pro to becoming a true Street Fighter is that you get to chuck fireballs at people. The downside is that you have to defend liking this film to most everyone you meet.
Where “Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li” shines is that it actually does feel like you’re watching a genuine Street Fighter movie. It’s funny, I don’t play these games much, but I’ve looked over enough shoulders of people who do (thanks Chucky Cheese) and these guys nailed it. At one point in the film Kristin is even dressed up in the exact same outfit Chung Li wears in the game. Well, it’s pretty close. Other characters featured in the movie include: Vega, Balrog, Gen and Bison. So seeing this game come to life like this was impressive.
The rest of the film is pretty much a crap shoot. For every time you say “Hey, that was really cool”, you say “Well that was fucking stupid”. My biggest complaint being the fighting sequences, which at times were just ridiculous. I much rather prefer the realism of Jason Statham or Jet Li as apposed to ‘The Matrix” meets Cirque Du Soleil. Where are the wire police when you need them?
I also felt the film took itself too seriously. The 2006 film “Dead or Alive” comes to mind here. Yes the film was terrible, but at least the filmmakers knew what they were going for and succeeded. I get the impression that the people behind “Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li” believed they were making a martial arts opera that would wind up in a time capsule to represent the greatest martial arts film of our time. Yes, I’m exaggerating, but you get the idea. I mean, how can you cast Kristin Kruek and not even show her stomach or asshole once? Oh sorry, I meant ass there.
I know I’m beating this film down like a redheaded step child, but there were moments I did enjoy, like seeing Chris Klein in a “Street Fighter” movie. At first it’s like seeing a bloody axe in a ball bin at Toys R’ Us, but you get used to it over time. Kristin Kreuk, Neal McDonough, Michael Clarke Duncan and Robin Shou were all very good in their roles. The writer delivered garbage on a platter, but at least the casting guy knew what he was doing.
Overall, “Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li” is a pretty bad movie, but it’s something I would watch again. Like I said, it has it’s moments that’s for sure. The movie looks exceptionally good on the Blu-ray format too and the disc is chalk full of special features, so if you’re at all interested check it out.
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