Related Sections: Games Movies Reviews
Review: Kristin Kreuk wanders far from Smallville to conquer Bangkok in Street Fighter
Movies based on video games have become so reliably bad that it's more of a surprise when one is good.
Well ... none of them are good, but when one of them is only mediocre.
Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li is no such pleasant surprise.
It's not that there were so many unanswered questions about Chun-Li in the Street Fighter video games, but that she is as good a character as any on which to base a movie. The 1994 Street Fighter film chose Guile as its lead, since he was the character whom their star, Jean-Claude Van Damme, could most convincingly resemble (though he couldn't get the voice of an American soldier). Kristin Kreuk less resembles the game's Asian stereotype, but she seems a perfectly reasonable action heroine on whom to launch a franchise.
The film has a totally banal story, which would be fine because all it really needs to do is set up the fights. However, taking the action clichés so seriously seems condescending toward the audience, who know it's all been done before. Plus, it's inept at getting even the broad strokes right. It's not even bad in a fun way, like the Van Damme one was.
Chun-Li (Kreuk) takes to the streets of Bangkok to avenge her mother's death and rescue her kidnapped father from Bison (Neal McDonough). Bison is using his Shadaloo corporation for an evil plan, and he's kidnapped Chun-Li's dad. Meanwhile, cops Nash (Chris Klein) and Maya (Moon Bloodgood) team up to capture Bison while Chun-Li trains with Gen (Robin Shou) to learn how to make light balls and catch swords.
Every scene in which the film tries to explain more and more plot feels like even the actors don't know what they're talking about. Kreuk has just the right amount of gravitas to lend credibility to her role, but Klein can't deliver any of his macho tough-guy banter without sounding like a little boy playing pretend. There's not even a point where it feels like he's trying to spoof the genre. He really thinks an over-the-top grizzled voice is legitimate acting. Bison might be believable if he just admitted to being totally evil and stopped trying to explain his actions. There's just no fun to be had in any of this nonsense.
The fighting is completely second-rate, straight-to-video action choreography. Kreuk looks great doing the moves, but it's all the standards we see in every movie post-Matrix: triple kick, flip off the wall, etc. Even Chun-Li's signature moves don't hold a candle to Alias or Kill Bill.
Or maybe it's fantastic choreography. It would be impossible to tell through all the choppy cuts. Plus, it's all set to techno music, so the throbbing distracts your brain from the persistence of vision required to maintain the very illusion of film.
They give shout-outs to other memorable video-game characters. Michael Clarke Duncan is the beefiest actor they could have gotten to play Balrog, and Taboo handles Vega's mask and claw fine in his brief screen time. However, when they hint at a sequel to star Ryu, let's hope audiences reject that idea before Hollywood plunks any more quarters into this franchise.
By jtalker1965 at 7:07 AM ON 02/27/09
I hope they are not banking on her to bring in the crowd. My wife will not watch Smallville with her in it. She really brought down the show last season. I myself under stand the story and was gald to see the way she walked away from the season. Good luck on the movie.
By Rafe at 7:26 AM ON 02/27/09
I love Kristin Kreuk. She's always been one of the best things about "Smallville"!
By Facepalm at 9:39 AM ON 02/27/09
Hollywood sure is persistent when it comes to angering the fans by "improving" the plot of a game, or a book.
Thanks for not even trying to be nice, I wished all reviews about movies were that honest.
By Meezer at 10:19 AM ON 02/27/09
Can she wander a little farther from Smallville? That would be nice as I'm tired of listening to her whisper through her dialogue. Agreed, thanks for the honest review.
By Taiso at 11:48 AM ON 02/27/09
I am a long time Street Fighter fan.
I am also someone that understands that the basic plot of the game and the storylines for its characters are not the nadir of action genre storytelling by any stretch of the imagination. It's all 'way of the warrior' and 'I want revenge' kind of stuff, real martial arts plotting 101 material. Any hopes or expectations I have for a Street Fighter movie are not elevated by any stretch of the imagination.
That said, one look at this cast is all I needed to know it was going to be bad. Not specifically because the cast is bad (athough some of them are), but because it is an instant barometer of exactly how far Capcom and the film studio had their heads up their ***** when production began.
Kristen Kreuk as Chun Li? I don't have a problem with Kristen Kreuk but this is not a good casting choice. It is not good for her and it is not appropriate for the kind of character Chun Li is. There were better choices to capture the essence of the role, and if Hollywood was worried about 'marquee value casting', they still could have chosen better than Kreuk for this.
Neal Mcdonough as Bison? Of the three principle characters adapted for the screen in this movie, he's the most suited to his role but that doesn't mean he's actually a good choice. At least if they'd chosen to make him the psycho power driven evil dictator guy he is in the video games, Mcdonough could have played it over the top and had some fun with it. But this just sounds like they've tried to make Bison 'realistic.' Ugh.
Chris Klein as Charlie/Nash? Are you flipping kidding me? Chris Klein? Look, I know that this is a video game adaptation and I am not looking for thespians to play these roles (look what happened with Hoskins, Leguizamo and Hopper in Super Mario Brothers), but did anybody involved with the creation of this movie even take a second to research the Charlie/Nash character? Clearly, they didn't. If they had, they would have known that thematically, emotionally and in terms of sheer presence, Chris Klein is NOT and could NEVER reprise Charlie/Nash. I'd rather they went with someone with half of his 'talent' but twice his charisma and presence. Hell, I'd have preferred Van Damme as Charlie over Klein, and he's already been in a crappy Street Fighter movie.
Everyone needs to learn from the lessons that Resident Evil: Degeneration and Final Fantasy: Advent Children taught us: movies based on video games are better made in CGI, a more natural visual based on the source material anyway, and for direct to video release.
In the end, the studios know they aren't going to sell this stuff to anyone other than the devoted faithful when it's all said and done. If you're going to count on the majority of your profits coming from the guaranteed bucks anyway, why not at least reward those same fans with a product they will think more highly of?
By Eric at 12:24 PM ON 02/27/09
Kristin Kreuk is a way better actress than that fat faced, siliconed boob job Durance that the Lois people pimp at every turn. Kristin helped make Smallville and those people who are her fans will go see her.
By Fanboy79 at 7:05 PM ON 02/27/09
I'll wait to see this on video. I'm getting tired of Kristen, eight seasons of the Clark/Lana relationship on Smallville have burned me out. I was loving season eight with tension between Lois and Clark that had finally started making the show good again and they had to bring Kristen back for four episodes which set them back several steps. At least the put the final nail in the Clark/Lana realtionship coffin, but it would have been better done in two or at most three episodes. Now that I've got that off my chest I want to like Kristen again like I did for so many years and hope that if I don't love this movie I at least don't hate it.
By bridger at 6:53 PM ON 02/28/09
sorry but as i like smallville despite how far off the dc universe it is, i to iam sick and tired of her as lana lang. the first few season was one thing but tiem to move on. all i can think is someone moron at capcom seen her during the season she was in china and thought hey lets cast her as chun li . when there much better asain actors who would fit the bill.
By jolinar at 1:32 AM ON 03/02/09
Taiso, the is only one video game to movie adaptation that is the best (with the exception of the sequel). It is Mortal Kombat. Never forget that, I like Street Fighter I played the video games & kicked ass royally, & I also watched the origial movie & loved it.
By Lila at 1:18 PM ON 03/02/09
Pretty girl !
Nice carrier !
By fun from Poland at 4:32 PM ON 03/09/09
Kristin cool
By Keith at 5:50 AM ON 03/18/09
KK made SV!erica SUX!
By Wazupdown at 9:54 PM ON 03/19/09
I love kristen when she was at smallville high. She is so hot.
Visit mobile.syfy.com/wire on your mobile device.
Wazupdown:
I love kristen when she was at smallville high. She is so hot....More »