Unlockable Gems - Street Fighter: The Movie

Copyright by Universal Pictures and of course... Capcom

Street Fighter

Starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, Raul Julia, Ming-na Wen, Wes Studi

Directed by Steven E. de Souza

Concept: Live action film based on the 2D side view one on one fighting franchise that made Capcom ALOT of money.

Era: After the "success" of the Super Mario Bros movie, the rest of the decade was littered with B and C level video game movies. Street Fighter II was a runaway success in the arcades and eventually at home... it also inspired other arcade fighting franchises like: Mortal Kombat, Killer Instinct, Primal Rage, and other Capcom arcade fighters(i.e. X-Men COTA). But did the movie do the same?

Execution

Here we go...

Cast: So, if you read my Unlockable Gems post for Bloodsport, you would see that I made a bold correlation that Bloodsport inspired Capcom to change things up with representation starting in SF2, meaning that Colonel Guile would be inspired by Van Damme's character in that movie. So... for DECADES I laughed at the idea of a Belgian playing VERY American character Guile... but if I'm right... then the casting is based on it's own idea. Making JCVD the perfect Guile. Frustrating... but I have come to terms with that. Now, to what I already knew... Raul Julia. Yes, cast a veritable Latin Legend as the villainous M. Bison... and you know what, it was perfect. And he genuinely looked like he had a lot of fun doing it(reminded me of his work as Gomez Adams). And I enjoyed the casting of Ming-na Wen as Chun-Li. That was a pretty decent casting. Kylie Minogue as Cammy was... okay at best. Some of the other casting, those were decent at best(getting Wes Studi to play a Thai kickboxer was really weird... but... Miguel Nunez? Come on)... but overall, you could see that they tried. Score: 15/20

Presentation: There is nothing memorable about the soundtrack. Nothing memorable about the set pieces. There were no real special effects to speak. Which there should've been. At least something. In a game with fireballs and flaming punches... we got... what? It was subpar. Score: 6/20

Chronicle: This is a double edged blade. The main story of M. Bison's world domination vs Guile recruiting to take him down. That was pretty decent. The side story of Chun-Li infiltrating Shadowloo to kill Bison for killing her father. That was pretty good too. And both of those pretty true to the games...... but... what the hell happened to Ken and Ryu? Why are they grifters? In the games, Ken is a very rich heir... and Ryu is a "live off the land style hermit". Also, the original game, Fighting Street all the way until Street Fighting 5, Ryu(and in effect Ken) are the MAIN characters from the games...... so, yeah... it is a bit personal... but the side story of Ken and Ryu vs Sagat and Vega just felt... out of place(Though Vega kinna worked for me). In a bloated overall Chronicle... it felt very out of place. Same with Carlos Blanka being turned into a monster. It was very... Frankensteinesque. Overall, it was okay. But it could've been much better. Score: 12/20

Legacy: Super Mario Bros came out in 1993. Was the first of the video game movies. This came out in 1994. And was deemed terrible...... but it also inspired two other franchises to try it out. Mortal Kombat and Tekken. Mortal Kombat has spawned 3 movies... two PG-13 & one R. And 1995 Mortal Kombat learned from the mistakes of Street Fighter. MK was more polished story wise, casting was more accurate, and a decent special effects budget. The sequel, however took the Street Fighter movie flaws and triple down on them. Not sure how you want to look at that inspiration... but yeah. That happened. Tekken, which came out much later, did what MK and SF couldn't do: convert the tournament feel completely. Score: 17/20

Nostalgia: This is a movie that I wasn't the biggest fan of. I liked for some parts... I hated it for other. But there are a few things that stuck with me. Raul Julia having fun as M. Bison is epic. The Bison Bucks concept is still funny to me. Guile's rambling speech to get the troops behind him, inspiring. The fight between Zangief and E. Honda through the Shadowloo City mock model with Godzilla vs King Kong sounds is still one of my scenes. But... the ONE thing that has endured for me is Zangief's thumb. It overly dumb Russian stereotype and giving a thumbs up... sideways... and the moment Guile grabs his hand to turn it up, the look on Zangief's face is gold. It really is. It still isn't that... I, to this day, still like to give my thumbs up sideways as for a gag. The ultimate nerd dad joke. That is where the nostalgia ends. Because of anime. There is an animated Street Fighter 2 movie that is 4-5 stars, easily... overall, and for one of the most memorable scenes: Vega breaks into Chun-Li's apartment while she is in the shower(anime boobs in the unrated version), but you see as she is putting her hair up in the iconic buns... and then gets attack. She kickes Vega's ass and kicks him THROUGH the outer wall. Now, I know the MPAA ratings are different, but that movie was more memorable. Score: 13/20

Final Score: 63/100

Final Grade: D-

Conclusion: This was not a good movie, but it had some really good corny moments. Even if you wouldn't like the movie overall, just consider it yet another JCVD flick with gratuitous kicking highlights.

It's all a matter of opinion: I cannot stress enough that THIS is MY opinion, you can either agree with me or not. I don't have to justify my opinion, because *clears throat" that's what this blog is about. Whether I like it or not doesn't mean you have to or not...... I'ts just my justification behind MY recommendation... Which leads me to my FINAL JUDGMENT...

FINAL JUDGMENT: Seriously... I would still recommend watching this horrible horrible movie. Why? Raul Julia. Next to last performance. And not only was Raul Julia a legendary actor, THIS was a legendary performance. It really, truly was. So just like my comment from the list, this performance is enough for me to recommend seeing this trainwreck of a movie.

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So Street Fighter the Movie gets a score of 63!

Fitting that Street Fighter gets 1 point less that Super Mario Bros.

There it is... Street Fighter. Was it an Unlockable Gem? Yes. Funny thing is, I don't consider Mortal Kombat(1995) one. Because it ISN'T underrated. Those that have fond memories of it, love it. Those that don't, hate it. What do you think? Should Mortal Kombat be an Unlockable Gem? Lemme me know down below.

What do you think about Street Fighter the Movie? Did any of you play the tie-in video game?

Please leave a comment... share the post... and don't forget...

Unlockable Gems - Super Mario Bros

Copyright Buena Vista and... Nintendo, of course

Super Mario Bros

Starring Bob Hoskins, Dennis Hopper, John Leguizamo, Samantha Mathis

Directed by Rocky Morton & Annabel Jankel

Concept: Someone decided to turn Nintendo's flashship brothers from another plumber into a dark live action movie

Era: This movie isn't part of an Era, it is the START of an Era. Super Mario Bros was the first video game live action adaptation... started a trend all of it's own.

Execution

Here we go...(now do it again in Mario's voice)

Cast: So here is where we know the casting director tried: the legendary Dennis Hopper, the lovable Bob Hoskins, up and coming comedian John Leguizamo, everyone's 90s girlfriend Samantha Mathis. And... some how, Hopper and Hoskins knew this was a shit show. Stories of Bob Hoskins drunk on set... Dennis Hopper looks like he tried, but still found a way to phone it in. And as great as John and Samantha were, they had almost no chemistry... and no chances to build any. The marquee is stacked... but they really didn't know what to do that. Score: 12/20

Presentation: Whoever designed these sets REALLY like Total Recall and the Judge Dredd comics. And for some reason, they had to have that kind of aesthetic. How does that work with Mario? Someone tell me how... Soundtrack was definitely kiddie with some tongue in cheek references("Walk the Dinosaur"). Also, for a parallel dimension with evolution from dinosaurs...... had plenty of people who didn't look the part. This is legitimately Total Recall for Kids. And... it kinna works. Score: 14/20

Chronicle: Story... hahahahaha! What story!?! It has holes... but the holes have holes. And yes, I know this was supposedly targeted to the younger gamers back in the early 90s and I'm an adult looking at it. But... even back then, I knew it wasn't good. Let's start with the meteorite. How... did only that small piece break off? How did Iggy and Spike screw up that many times? Koopa uses the machine to make them "smarter" and it failed. How did Mario and Luigi get arrested so easily and not have any other plumbers in the prison? Does the Mushroom Kingdom not have plumbers? And Lena... what? The side story between Mario and the bouncer and the most awkward sexual harassment dance scene in a video game movie ever!!! What really is this movie? Score: 2/20

Legacy: As mentioned before, it is the first live action video game movie. So of course, other companies were like "we can do it too", even though SMB DIDN'T make their budget back in theaters. And it set a bad precedent. There aren't very many good video game movies(see the lists). And it's because it has some of the same formulas that are just broken. Hell... the NEXT video game movie after this was... Double Dragon. Legendary Robert Patrick having fun and phoning it in at the same time, 80s/90s girlfriend Alyssa Milano, and no one had any real chemistry. It did worse in theaters. So, while it is AWESOME that SMB was the start of a sub-industry...... that sub-industry took 30 years to finally get things right. ------ there is more. So there are some really good corny jokes... some of them so terrible, but worthy of a cringe-laugh...... including when the worlds merge, the World Trade Center look like they had been destroyed...... yeah. NOWadays, I look at it and laugh my ass off. I like dark humor. I LOVE unintentional dark humor. Score: 18/20

Nostalgia: I'm an old school gamer. I'm a part of the target demographic when this movie came out... and it led to wanting to watch all the video game movies coming out. I was also that demographic that loved most of the TMNT adapted movies... and I was all in on that Power Rangers movie. That was me. And even now, I love this movie. I hate the movie. It isn't a great movie. It is so bad, that it is still good? No... but they knew who they were targeting. I can't say that with most of the bad list, but I can ALWAYS say that about Super Mario Bros. Weird... fond memories of watching the movie, but not of the movie itself. That is how it is. Score: 18/20

Final Score: 64/100

Final Grade: D

Conclusion: This is not a good movie. But for most, it could be a solid "so bad that it's good movie". That isn't a positive... but it isn't a negative. And seriously, there are WAY WORSE video game movies that have been made since.

It's all a matter of opinion: I cannot stress enough that THIS is MY opinion, you can either agree with me or not. I don't have to justify my opinion, because *clears throat" that's what this blog is about. Whether I like it or not doesn't mean you have to or not...... I'ts just my justification behind MY recommendation... Which leads me to my FINAL JUDGMENT...

FINAL JUDGMENT: If you haven't seen it, I recommend it. Yes... I said it wasn't good. But it is also good enough to still watch. See those tropes being born. And see WHY video game movies usually don't work. Games... the player has an active role in what is going on. Movies... the viewer does not. Not all types of games would work as a movie concept. And I think Hollywood is finally figuring that out. Regardless... yes, see it. But you have been warned of the flaws.

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So Super Mario Bros gets a 64.

Honestly... it's better than I thought it would get. And it deserved some love for being on both the best and worst lists.

There is another that got that honor, and so check out the other Unlockable Gems from today for that one.

What do you think? Too nice? Too harsh? Any video game movies fill you with nostalgia? Share it in the comments... and share the posts too.

And please don't forget...

Unlockable Gems - Bloodsport

Copyright by Warner Bros and The Cannon Group, Inc

Unlockable Gems is a new segment that will be highlighting and retro-reviewing movies that I believe ARE or could be awesome due to personal reasons. You would normally call these underrated gems, but... I changed things up a bit.

These could be movies a bunch of people have seen. These could be movies no one has seen. But they are ones that I've seen and I think they are ones that deserve a bit more attention.

There will be some alterations to the typical scoring system and the weighting for each category. I will explain those slightly as we go along. Also keep this in mind, the final score does include more personal feelings than normal... and the scores are NOT compared to modern movies. If anything, you might compare the score in the ERA of movies.

And I thought I would start with one of my favorite movies growing up...

Bloodsport

Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme(JCVD) and Donald Gibb

Directed By: Newt Arnold

Year of release: 1988

Concept: "Based on the real story" of Frank Dux. American soldier that learned a ninjitsu style when he was young... goes AWOL to participate in an underground fighting tournament on behalf of his teacher... a tournament that doesn't encourage, but could lead to death regardless.

Era: There is this era of martial arts movies in the 70s and 80s that REALLY showcased American insecurity. And what I mean by that... in China, there was this rise of a certain actor named Jackie Chan. He was making these really cool, funny martial arts movies, awesome stunts, and the goofy sidekicks. And that of course led to more serious films with lesser known actors in them. So... in that era, there was this counter-rise of cheesy martial arts films from the US, where the protagonist is insane American or patriotic, but could still kick ass like those Asian people in those other movies. Films like: American Ninja, Big Trouble In Little China(may see that later), various Steven Seagal films, and OTHER JCVD movies... and even Eric Roberts did one in 1989. It was a fad. A cheesy fad. But a fad

Execution

Cast: Jean-Claude Van Damme... JCVD. You know who he is. Belgian fighter trying to be American, but clearly isn't. But that wasn't the point. Looking back now, I don't know what they were thinking. But back then, he was a badass that fought for the US of A. And his goofy sidekick? Donald Gibb. Don't know that name? Ogre from the Revenge of the Nerds franchise. NOW you know who it is. With a smattering of unknown peoples serving as the world fighters... oh... and plus a suprise Forest Whitaker(well, not a surprise anymore). And... that is about it for notable names. But it isn't about them anyway. Be warned that there are some stereotypes, but it is also notable that they do represent their respective fighting styles in the world. Score: 16/20

Presentation: A very 80s movie. With the 80s vibe, in a very 80s Hong Kong, with a very 80s soundtrack/theme song. A martial arts film rocking out to the theme of "Fight to Survive" by Stan Bush & Paul Hertzog. High energy, also very 80s. Even now, it feels even MORE cheesy. But that was the point. That was the era. But that song makes it stand out. Score: 18/20

Chronicle: So I highlighted the story earlier. American soldier goes AWOL to represent the family of the man who trained him to be a martial artist in an underground fighting tournament because the son of his master was killed. Plenty of fighting. Plenty of jokes(from Ogre). Flashbacks galore for exposition. But there is a really weird scene... more cheesy and more 80s... and it just didn't feel like it fit the same way the rest of it would... the M.P. Agents tasked with taking Dux back to the state(for going AWOL... one of them being Whitaker)... they chase him around Hong Kong. But it is a very goofy, silly, Scooby-Doo style chase... competely with taunting from JCVD... and a silly-esque song to go with it. A pretty good martial arts film... and that part was out of place. But thankfully you have the "best buddy getting his ass beat by the villain to motivate the hero into winning"(ooooooooooh... you see it?). The chase scene knocks it down some. Score: 14/20

Legacy(Impact/Influence on the industry and other industries): So this is going to be speculation here. But as a movie, it doesn't affect much. It's an 80s martial arts movie starring JCVD. There are plenty. But more so, I think this movie inspired some video game ideas. The two that come up are: Mortal Kombat(good call, Bob) and the Street Fighter franchise. Now, like I said... speculation. I could see Ed Boon and John Tobias being inspired by this movie. But I'm gonna focus more on Street Fighter. So... the original game, called Fighting Street, was released in 1987. You play as Ryu, fighting enemies from various places. But as I mentioned, this movie had some fighting and culture representation around the world(even stereotypical). And Street Fighter II... it was all different. Different fighters from around the world... Turbo and more... Super added more. But we had a whole cast of characters. And some of those tropes are present in Bloodsport. (Including a Muay Thai kickboxer that reminds me of Adon, an African fighting that if he was Green he would be Blanka, there is a Sagat, there is an E. Honda type character, etc etc etc). Capcom will never admit it. But I see the influence. The ONLY issue I have with this...... dammit... if SF2 was inspired by Bloodsport, that makes JCVD the inspiration for Guile...... and his casting AS Guile in the live action movie was a fit. And I never wanted to come to that conclusion. Because this is all speculation, I gotta be a bit tougher with the score. Score: 15/20

Nostalgia(Why it is important to me): Does anyone remember the local TV stations? For example, the channel numbers changed, but locally, CBS was 8, ABC was 6, NBC was 13, FOX was 59, but we also had WTTV-4(can you tell what state I'm in?). It is now the CBS affiliate... it was the CW affiliate... and of course the UPN before that. But before it became an affiliate, it was just... WTTV-4. Channel 4. One of the only stations around here you could be guaranteed to pick up eith your analog TV even without an outside antenna or the rabbit ears. And what was Channel 4? For the most part, it was a catch all. Syndicated shows, re-runs, cartoons. And on the weekends, we had movies(edited for content and run time). Some classics. And one of those movies was Bloodsport. Once a year, around the same weekend each year. And it was a tradition in my house. Dad and I would know when it was coming, WTTV-4 would advertise the movies for the weekend... and it didn't matter what else was on, it was Bloodsport day. Every year. And I cherished the movie day. Even though I knew the movie from beginning to end, it was still an important day. "We are going to watch Van Damme kick some ass in this goofy action flick." Bloodsport Day lol and I don't remember any other movie on Channel 4 weekends that was so important. And now I have it digitally... so it can be up there again. Score: 20/20

FINAL SCORE: 83/100

FINAL GRADE: B-

Conclusion: The movie wouldn't win any awards in filmmaking. But it is a classic American martial arts film set in Hong Kong starring a Belgian badass. I love this movie. And will watch it every year... rekindle the passion... honor the tradition... fight to survive...

It's all a matter of opinion: I cannot stress enough that THIS is MY opinion, you can either agree with me or not. I don't have to justify my opinion, because *clears throat" that's what this blog is about. Whether I like it or not doesn't mean you have to or not...... I'ts just my justification behind MY recommendation... Which leads me to my FINAL JUDGMENT...

FINAL JUDGMENT: I recommend it to anyone. Not only is it a great JCVD movie, it very well may be his best one. In his prime. Kicking ass. Some others may come close, but this is THE Van Damme classic. If you are fan of JCVD and you HAVEN'T watched it... you aren't a JCVD fan. Sorry... you aren't. Watch it!!!!!

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Bloodsport gets an 83.

I would love a remake. But it won't compare to the memories of this one for me.

What do you think of this new segement? I have many more coming, and if you have any you would think is underrated, leave it in the comments. I can see if it qualifies, and if it isn't on my list already, you'll get credited for it.

Thank you for reading.

And don't forget...