STREET FIGHTER
A film review by Andy Eddy
Copyright 1994 Andy Eddy
December 10, 1994, v1.0 by Andy Eddy (vidgames@netcom.com), Senior Editor, GamePro magazine
[According to its author, this file may go through revisions; the latest version will be kept on ftp.netcom.com, in pub/vi/vidgames/faqs as sfmovie.txt. -Moderator]
Intro
Whether you like fighting games or not--for that matter, whether you're an avid video-game player or not--it had to catch your attention when it was announced that Capcom (the company behind the Street Fighter series of video games) was financing the making of a movie revolving around the Street Fighter characters.
It became an even bigger story when it was announced that Steven deSouza would be writing and directing it. It would be his first motion picture directing credit, though he's well known for writing such action films as BEVERLY HILLS COP, COMMANDO, DIE HARD, 48 HOURS and THE FLINTSTONES (only kidding). He's also directed television projects, such as "Tales from the Crypt"; I'll tie that in later.
After deSouza's participation was decided on, the cast started coming together. The first big name was Jean-Claude Van Damme, who would play the part of Guile--for a reported $7 million. He was followed up by such names as Ming-Na Wen (THE JOY LUCK CLUB) as Chun-Li and Kylie Minogue (Australian star, best known in the U.S. for her remake of the song, "The Locomotion.") as Cammy. The villain M. Bison would be played by versatile actor Raul Julia (THE ADDAMS FAMILY and KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN) in what would be his final film, as he would die a short time before the movie's official release of December 23, 1994.
The ambitious filming schedule would give deSouza and crew about eight months to complete the film in time for the very firm pre-Christmas release. The majority of the filming started in June 1994 (I'll confirm the shooting schedule in a later revision), in Thailand, followed by a stint in Australia; Vancouver was listed in the credits also, so I'll find out where that fit in the shooting. The movie would offer a lot of action and fist-fighting, as the Van Damme connection made apparent, though it was stipulated by Capcom that STREET FIGHTER: THE MOVIE have a PG-13 rating, to make the film accessible to the teenage audience that made Capcom rich on the game market.
The Movie Review
First, a disclaimer: If there's one thing I hate in a movie review, it's when the reviewer talks as if everyone reading it saw the movie with him. I'm not going to talk much about the story and its outcome because there are some twists that deSouza's put in to keep the viewer off balance.
What I will say, in summary, is that Guile is a military leader with the "good guys" Allied army. He's trying to thwart a plan by Bison to use peace-loving hostages (lots of them sporting Red Cross symbols on their clothes) as pawns to get a $20 billion ransom. This cash will be used to build his growing empire. He's obviously quite mad, both in the state of his anger and his mental health, with references to himself as a god destined to take over the world.
To fill out the extensive cast of characters (I'll formally list the cast in a future release of the FAQ/review), Cammy is Guile's right-hand ... uh, person, as is T. Hawk; Zangief and Dee Jay fill a similar role for Bison; Dhalsim is a doctor held captive to accomplish Bison's dastardly deeds in the lab; Chun-Li is a TV journalist, who has Honda and Balrog as her crew; Sagat and Vega are local crime scum, doing dirty deeds (though not dirt cheap) with Bison; Ryu and Ken are hustlers who get caught up in the action. A new character (due to make an appearance in a future Street Fighter game) is Captain Sawada, who saw minor action in the film as one of Guile's troop leaders and is reasonably forgettable.
I saw the movie on December 10, 1994, in the first "public" showing of the movie with Capcom employees, press like myself and other invited guests. They called it the first premiere of the film. As best as I can tell, it was a finished print. I've been to working-print screenings before, and they usually lack credits, music, special effects and often are quite scratched. Two weeks before release, this looked to be the version that will hit theaters.
The cast was pretty well chosen, something that was in debate by many Street Fighter purists. There was the moment that after a fight, Van Damme/Guile's bicep came into the full view to show his American flag tattoo, an interesting twist given his very strong accent. Instances like this are few and far between. As with most action films, there is a strong suspension of belief, and STREET FIGHTER: THE MOVIE is no different. However, given the abilities of the game's characters (throwing fireballs, extended helicopter kicks and flaming attacks, let alone the Hulk-like appearance of Blanka), deSouza kept it pretty much within believability, using poetic license to enable certain characters to do the tricks from the game. Again, I'll leave surprises for you to discover when you see the film; you can thank me later.
The creepiest aspect is Raul Julia's portrayal as M. Bison. He comes across as a very evil and believable baddie, with all the flamboyance the character calls for. When I first saw stills of him, I was amazed at how much weight he had lost to achieve the gaunt facial features. Little did I know, it would appear that Julia was mortally ill with the cancer that would claim his life a few months later. There's a creepy moment in the film toward the end, but it doesn't last long (don't ask me to explain ... you'll know it when you see it). The fact that Julia died *after* the movie was finished means there are no awkward moments due to his death, like those faced by the producers of THE CROW (Brandon Lee died during filming, but rewriting and creative use of computer graphics helped them around it) or, even worse, BRAINSTORM (Natalie Wood died during filming, which made the final product quite jumpy). His character still graces the screen as a powerhouse in sheer strength and fighting skill, and Julia carries the film with his acting. The movie is dedicated to him with a "To Raul--Vaya Con Dios" at the start of the closing credits.
[Trivia: Edward Pressman, who was a producer for STREET FIGHTER: THE MOVIE, also produced THE CROW. I'm sure he doesn't want to be remembered for films that have actors die before the movie's release, but I'm afraid he's stuck with the stigma now.]
Contrary to that is the portrayal of Guile by Van Damme. Not to say that his acting is bad, but he really isn't required to do that much besides act like a tough, capable military man and do his trademark martial-arts combat. He does well at both--aside from the previously noted goofiness associated with his being an American--but the movie doesn't center around his character as it does Julia's Bison. Adding to that is the fact that there are a lot of Street Fighter characters that need attention in the movie, which spreads screen time pretty thin, Van Damme included.
The fighting in the movie, a staple of de Souza films, is energetic and very believable. No pro-wrestling theatrics here, but honest-to-goodness pounding back and forth, with some exceptions (for instance, Zangief and Honda crashing through the floor was a bit overdone). A familiar face to martial-arts fans as one of Bison's underlings (in a nonspeaking role) and in the credits as the fighting coach is Benny "The Jet" Urquidez. The former champion does his magic making average actors look like black belts.
deSouza is also known for the sense of humor he injects in his screenplays, and STREET FIGHTER: THE MOVIE is no different. Best of all, it's not grins that are targeted at Street Fighter fanatics. There were times when, because we were in a crowd of Capcom employees and their families, certain things in the movie were rewarded with cheers and giggles from the audience. Your reaction in those cases, depending on how much of a gamer you are, may not be the same. I will give away one for the sake of example: After Bison steps onto the platform that holds the control panel for his vast array of weaponry, the camera comes around for a close-up and we see it's the joystick-and-button cluster from the Super Street Fighter II arcade game. The majority of the time, the gags are accessible to all viewers, though potentially subtle (like the give-and-take between Balrog and Honda when they've been captured).
That's the stuff that makes the movie more than just a video-game movie. We've all seen how producers have tried to squeeze out video-game-related films like "The Wizard" (with Fred Savage), "Super Mario Bros." (with Dennis Hopper and Bob Hoskins) and the most recent "Double Dragon" (with Robert Patrick and Alyssa Milano). They usually end up as a competition of product placement and/or very forced. I didn't get that feeling with "Street Fighter: The Movie". While there are a few moments of sloppiness in the script, they aren't too bad. There's lots of action, a decent plot vehicle to bring the game's characters on-screen and (unlike some movies these days) not too much commercialism beyond the basic premise of a Street Fighter movie. (After a visit to the set, by the way, I have similar hopes about the Mortal Kombat movie that's slated for a spring 1995 release. I haven't seen the script however, which would be a telling factor.)
Now the negatives, and I'll just hit them as bullet points:
~ deSouza's background as a TV director hurts him here, in my opinion, because he shoots too many scenes, to use Wayne Campbell's phrase, in "extreme close-up." Fight scenes are more imposing from this perspective, but it's also harder to see what's going on. It could have been used to mask the fighting skills of such actors as Minogue, but I'd suspect that it's just deSouza's eye for the shot, because it happens in other non-action scenes too. I would guess that "Street Fighter: The Movie" will play well as a video as a result, but we'll have to wait.
~ Some scenes are also too dark and musty for easy viewing. While this can be attributed to the sinister lair of M. Bison, other times it appears to be just poor cinematography.
~ Similarly, there are times when the audio isn't sharp enough to get a character's line. This makes it hard for actors with an accent, like Van Damme and to a lesser extent Minogue, to always come through clearly.
~ Here's a rehash and further comment: While not miscast, Van Damme isn't the greatest choice for a character that's an American military hero with a U.S. flag tattoo. Jeff Speakman is a capable fighter, right? Hey, even Chuck Norris could have been made up with Guile's haircut. Well, maybe not. As I said, it didn't bother me as much, but I think a better selection could have been made. Some purists will no doubt think Van Damme laughable.
~Also, the casting of the role of Cammy could have been improved. Not to say that Kylie Minogue is bad, but when I co-interviewed deSouza before shooting began, he was saying how he wanted a lithe British actress with martial arts skills to play Cammy with integrity. Then Minogue was announced. I suspect her marquee value overseas was a strong reason for the choice, but they could have played much more on the part and the action if a more capable choice was made. Hey, how about Cynthia Rothrock? If Van Damme can play an American soldier, Rothrock--a veteran in the male-dominated genre of martial-arts films--could probably have played a British import. I guess that's why I wasn't chosen as casting director, eh?
Summary
I'll admit that I'm not a big fighting game fan, and as a result not a big Street Fighter fan. With that in mind, I'm probably not the best judge of the success this movie has as an extention of the game. Perhaps fanatics will be disappointed. In a nutshell, though, I wasn't disappointed in STREET FIGHTER: THE MOVIE as action-film entertainment. In fact, someone I know who's is really into fighting games also said he thought it was good, which I take as a qualification that de Souza did his job in bringing the game to the big screen. What's left to be seen is whether Capcom can pull in about $50 million in box-office receipts it needs to break even.
-- Andy Eddy, Senior Editor, GamePro Magazine The views expressed in this text aren't necessarily those of my employer
.
The review above was posted to the
rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup (de.rec.film.kritiken for German reviews).
The Internet Movie Database accepts no responsibility for the contents of the
review and has no editorial control. Unless stated otherwise, the copyright
belongs to the author.
Please direct comments/criticisms of the review to relevant newsgroups.
Broken URLs inthe reviews are the responsibility of the author.
The formatting of the review is likely to differ from the original due
to ASCII to HTML conversion.
Related links: index of all rec.arts.movies.reviews reviews