Street Fighter: The Legend of ChunLi

If you think my heading is cheesy and stupid you're absolutely right and I heartily agree...unfortunately that vary statement is the crux of the latest Street Fighter attempt's plot.

Ignoring the 1994 Van Damme version of the franchise this film starts anew, focusing on the character of Chun Li, a young Asian woman highly skilled in both piano and martial arts. Her dad gets taken away from her at a young age by M. Bison who uses him in his criminal plot to overthrow Bangkok. Unfortunately for Bison Chun Li grows up, meets a mystic who teaches her some freaky stuff and sets out to kick his ass. While the Van Damme version was far from spectacular it had a sense of humor about itself and wasn't afraid to have fun with the material, which was at the very least entertaining for a lazy hour and a half. The Legend of Chun Li tries to be a dark brooding action thriller with something like Batman Begins as its model...but the material just doesn't support it. The plot goes back and forth between clichés and just plan dumb hokey sci-fi stuff. Yes, being "rid of your goodness" is actually a plot point.

The script is loaded with cheesy dialog and flat characters which doesn't make the actors' jobs any easier and they really don't live up to the challenge. Chris Klein is particularly bad in his attempt to be the bad ass.

You would think the action would at least make it worth the time but even that is nothing to brag about. The fights are far too staged and obviously fake. They throw in some signature moves from the video games that are beyond reality. If they'd been shot differently they would've been cool, but here they just look ridiculous. These are things that would fit at home in a more cartoony film like its predecessor...but sorry, no go.

This movie was terrible to put it simply. I wasn't expecting it to be great, but I wasn't expecting it to be as bad as it was. It seemed that they took a really bad, wannabe Kung-Fu movie added some Street Fighter names and thought that would good enough to pass it off as a Street Fighter movie. Horrible, almost nonexistent plot, bad acting, and terrible fight scenes make this movie not worth the time it takes to watch it. At times it was funny though, but not intentionally. When certain characters try to be serious or they throw out some line they think would be good catch phrase you can't help but laugh at how poor the acting was.

This movie wasn't THAT bad. Everyone acts as if they would rather spend 90 minutes strapped to a bed of nails whilst being whipped by a hairy woman in leather named Butch than they would spend the same time watching it. I assure you that is not the case.

If you're expecting a repeat of the vandamme flick, then you will be disappointed as that is not what you will get. This is not a turn by turn fight movie; it is an adventure movie. Chun Li goes to Hong Kong to rescue her father and ends up fighting a bunch of people along the way. Many of the fights involve gun ambushes and typical fight scenes for cheesy action films with people who don't do martial arts in real life. There is no tournament, just her journey. The fighting is marginal, the acting is marginal, the action is marginal.

Kristen Kreuk (Chun Li) is the same character as any other part she plays (notably Lana in Smallville) - she talks the same and pretty much acts the same, but with more violence (not that much more). She is not a great actress, but she's not a terrible one either, considering she has played the same role her entire life.

Chris Klein, however, should die. He is almost entirely useless and tries to be a bad ass/smart ass/"I say clever things and look really cool while saying them, then make a cool face after I finish the sentence" character, but he fails. It was painful to watch him because he's just so terrible in the movie. Imagine his character in American Pie or the one is Just Friends as a "bad ass" cop who wants to be cool and impress people, but can't, yet still thinks he does. It just hurts to watch. He is the reason I give it a 6/10. If he wasn't in it, it could be a 7. Or an 8...or a 9, maybe even a 10 I don't know I couldn't watch without wanting to rip my eyes out during his scenes.

The other people, though, are just plain average. They recite their lines and move properly. Overall a C for them.

For the movie as a whole, though: I went in expecting complete crap and came out feeling like it was a decent cheesy action flick. I would not pay good money to see this, but it wasn't necessarily a waste of time. If you're bored and see it in the video store for a dollar, why not rent it? If it's on TV or if you see it online and you have free time, go ahead and watch.

So this movie has been on my radar for quite a while. I was smooth talked by Justin Mark's assurance that his treatment of the movie was respectful and to be prepared for a new era of gaming films. I was pumped and on board, and then... I saw the film. THE GOD-AWFUL The script from this movie was a joke. When Bison utters something about milk and expiry dates, I laughed. It was a nervous laugh, but it was laughter. This movie makes no sense to me at all. The pitch was it was a Chun Li story about looking beyond revenge. In the end, she gets her revenge and the moral is? Revenge is the answer. THE BAD The costumes in this movie can also suck it. I felt terrible for Kristin in the night club scene, wearing a ridiculous dress and using her feminine wiles ( primo top dollar dancing to the unaware) to lure Cantana, a lesbian associate of Bison, into a bathroom. The pacing of this movie was dreadful, and we are hand-held for every scene, if Chun Li is walking on the screen she will undoubtedly inform us "I was walking.." ... REALLY? Really. THE UGLY The truth is this movie insults movie goers, gamers, and people, in general. Am I supposed to feel for Chun Li, even though she had a privileged life, and a loving mother? How is she a victim of circumstance? Am I supposed to feel Vega's threatening persona through five minutes of him getting the crap kicked out of him? Am I supposed to believe Bison is all evil when he continues to nurture his daughter? I think this movie was seriously edited so terribly, whatever good there was to salvage was lost on the cutting room floor. Whoever edited this needs to be bird kicked in the throat. It just makes no sense to me how the editor could do his job, watch the movie and allow this to enter the theaters. The best parts of the movie involved subtitles, and a sunset. That is it. So there you go, street fighter 2? Most assuredly, not.

This movie was bellow par. Horrible graphics and bad dialog. I would rather have payed to watch the original movie with Jean Claude. If they make another one they really need to step it up and use the original back ground stories on characters. Chun-Li's dad was a lead detective in China not a business man! Hopefully Capcom will actually screen the next movie and not let it suck so bad. All in all just a bad bad movie that didn't stick with the video game/ cartoon background info on these characters. But play Street Fighter 4 the game is awesome. All the great old characters and handful of good new ones. Make the next on better please!!!!