Acensbart
Excellent but underrated film
Hattie
I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.
Bob
This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.
Shawn Watson
Since the Super Mario Bros. movie in 1993 video games have been met with fiercely negative reviews from critics who savage almost every single one of them based purely on their origins. I understand now that we live in an age where video games are movies in their own right, if not even more poetic and innovative than most movies themselves, but in 1994 they were not considered to have any literary or theatrical merit, and even to this day (with a second attempt at a Hit-man movie only just being released as I type this review) they still cannot seem crack the code on how to make a coherent and worthy adaptation.Double Dragon is not the exception, it's the rule. The classic arcade game featured two dudes, Billy and Jimmy Lee, who walk to the right in an apocalyptic cityscape and beat-up thugs who have kidnapped their (apparently shared) girlfriend Marian. She obviously enjoys double (CENSORED). This could not and was not going to make a good movie.With a writing team consisting of Paul Dini and Peter Gould any additions or expansions on this thin premise was welcome and the resulting movie is a live-action cartoon with way too many ideas for its budget or its director's abilities.Double Dragon is an ex-treme-ly 90s flick. Martial arts movies for the kids became a big thing (or at least attempted to) in the early 90s after the success of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Drivel like Surf Ninjas and 3 Ninjas never managed to capture the edge that made the 1990 TMNT so good. Double Dragon almost gets there, but chooses goofy humor instead of darkness and pathos.The year is 2007. Instead of suffering a dismal summer of an awful Die Hard sequel and a Simpsons movie with no laughs in it the people of New Angeles long for clean air and safety in the streets. The old city has been destroyed by an earthquake (another popular 90s trope) and gang roam at night while smog smothers during the day.Scott Wolf and Mark Dacascos play "twin" brothers Jimmy and Billy. They look nothing like each other. Tom Cruise could play Scott Wolf's twin easily, but the budget couldn't stretch to Cruise. They are also supposed to be 17-years-old despite being 25 and 29 at the time of filming. They are orphans looked after by Satori (Julia Nickson) who holds one half of a sacred amulet (yes, it's one of THOSE kind of plots) which can grant super powers to anyone with both halves.A clean air industrialist (Robert Patrick) wants the amulet so he can take control of New Angeles, despite running a pretty tight monopoly already. And so the streets are raging as a final fight with a vendetta is unleashed upon the thugs of New Angeles. An overweight and blond Alyssa Milano plays a more dynamic version of Marian, wearing short shorts that barely cover her vagina. Robert Patrick manages to avoid embarrassment by being surprisingly game about the whole thing too.By all rights the movie is terrible, but there's an infectious vibe to the eccentric production design and cinematography, and some of the matte paintings and establishing shots are quite impressive. James Yukich (his name creates an appropriate onomatopoeia) has no real vision of his own and lets the chaos take whatever shape it naturally wants to be. You either go along with the low-brow cheese that it is or you'll hate it. Personally I was never once bored by it nor did I really dislike it. The crudity of its assembly (half of the dialogue is ADR) and the tacky synth score helped turn it into a surreal, almost auteur experience. But why on Earth Yukich figured that "Altogether Now" by Scouse band The Farm made for a fitting end credits song is beyond me. It doesn't match the film at all!Since the day of its release and the resulting internet notoriety over the years I have always been curious about the big screen bomb of Double Dragon, but honestly it's not that bad.
FlashCallahan
In the years following the great Los Angeles earthquake, two orphans are raised and trained in martial arts by Satori, who also happens to be the caretaker of one half of a magic amulet.When the evil Koga Shuko finds the other half, he immediately goes on the attack to take Satori's piece and claim the power contained within the amulet.Only Satori's two boys, Billy and Jimmy, can stop Koga from reaching his goal.....The video game was simple, walk from left to right and beat up anything in sight. It was fun and provided many hours of entertainment on my holidays.22 years later, and i finally get to see the movie. i'm a fan of dodgy movies, especially video game movies, because they provide entertainment, even though they are poor.But hands down, this is the worst video game adaptation I have ever seen. The saving grace here is Patrick, at least he puts in something of a performance when he isn't turning into a piece of folding paper.The two leads are awful, plain bad. If you thought Ryu and Ken were bad in streetfighter, they are like Pacino and De Niro in Heat compared to these two.There's not enough action in this, no references to the game, and all the humour is laid on too thick to be funny.If you like bad movies that are really bad, then give this one a whirl. It's no surprise that this has never been on TV in the UK.
tydus_good_90
As my title says i totally disagree.Have you noticed that the Double Dragon Animated Series is nothing like the arcade games?I guess with the movie they were trying a different concept.So what if its not like the arcade games it's still a good movie.Just because its not like the arcade games means it sucks.Many people will enjoy this movie as i have.I don,t understand why people hate this movie because it's nothing like the arcade games.Be more exposed for god's sake learn to go with the flow.Whats wrong with the medallions,i think its cool joining them together to transform.It might be a little dorky but what the heck the animated series uses magical swords...which can talk...but at least in the movie they added some realism like no talking magical swords...so for those who thinks this movie stinks i give you a thumbs down on you.For those who haven't watched this movie go on ahead download it buy it or whatever just sit back relax and enjoy it.
bujinbudoka
Here's the thing, I'm an avid video gamer, and I'd be hard-pressed to find a Double Dragon game I didn't play. As a fan of the games I was very much looking forward to the movie.Sadly I was very disappointed from scene one. It had nothing to do with the games, and even the horrible animated series was better than this crap.Sure, they have the main characters from the game, Jimmy and Billy Lee, but they only had one character played by a real martial artist played poorly by Mark Dascascos of the ill-fated Crow TV series.Basically the movie takes place in an apocalyptic wasteland which was Los Angeles and does pretty much everything it can to bring down any kind of honor the game itself maintained.I vote it as possibly THE WORST VIDEO GAME MOVIE EVER....aside from Mortal Kombat: Annhilation. If you see this movie, run.1 out of 10.
