Double Dragon (1994)

Double Dragon was one of the most popular arcade sensations of its day, and this success would eventually lead to a movie adaption...Which is considered one of the worst ever made! This reputation made me avoid it, but I have often been curious, even if only to see firsthand just how bad it is. So how does Double Dragon fare, almost 30 years later?...

It's the future of 2007, and Los Angeles is a half-sunken dystopia after a great earthquake. Now gangs rove the streets, in a truce with the police. They are quiet during the day, but once night falls they have license to wreak havoc. Billy and Jimmy are brothers who get by competing in the odd fighting tournament, and avoiding gang trouble. This relative peace shattered by ruthless businessman Koga Shuko, who's looking for the Double Dragon. A mystical object so powerful, it could control the world...

Double Dragon is everything you'd expect from the 90s. It's cheesy, colourful, and the humour verges on the childish. But, surprisingly, I had a pretty good time with it! It tells a pretty stock-standard story, which is hardly surprising considering what it's based on, and it gets the job done. And as [goofy as it looks, and it does go a bit far, at least this is a film that isn't afraid of looking goofy or colourful!

For all the talk this movie gets of being a horrible adaption, it's honestly not that bad. I mean, what was the plot of the Double Dragon game? Two brothers beat the shit out of gangsters. Really nothing complex. All this can be accused of is adding a bunch of stuff that wasn't in the games, but they mostly work. The dystopian setting gives greater context for why crazy gangs are roaming so much. And the supernatural medallion stuff works decently, and probably isn't too out of keeping with the later games.

Somewhere I feel the movie really succeeds is its depiction of a dystopian near future. What's so good about it? It feels real! Usually dystopian films are more distanced from our reality. A reflection of it, but to use an example, they might use fictional products or celebrities, etc. But this film is only set in 2007, and despite being in a disaster-struck America, the familiar celebs and talking heads are still present, and doing their thing. It also shows how the world doesn't stop and start at LA's convenience.

The action here is pretty good. There's disappointingly little fighting in the first half, but juuust enough to stop me from getting pissed off. What helps is the variety in other action, like scuffles, escapes, chases, etc. Things even out slightly as we go on, but there's still not as much as an adaption of a fighting game could use. Something the film does nail is a real sense of being stuck on the streets, with no home or vehicle, and an approaching deadline to curfew, knowing the gangs will be out any minute.

While there are some good moments, the climax is disappointing in some ways. All the combined power of the Double Dragon does it turn Shuko into random twin demons, and after a couple of well-placed kicks (and a well-aimed light), he's done for! Despite all the build-up, Abobo doesn't do anything besides a suggestion. I did like how Shuko's possession gave a good reason for the brothers to fight, without either coming off as assholes.

The film wraps up ok. I didn't understand the ending, but we get a funny henchman joke.

The film has a few odd moments, like a spooky morgue full of 'zombies'. It's funny how the characters try and stress that they're only in suspended animation (as if admitting they were dead would bump the rating up too high), then proceed to absolutely crush these host bodies!

Then there's when Billy and Jimmy force the villain to give all his money to the police! As if giving them more funding is a good idea! But then again this is an alternate world where they are underfunded, so it does make sense, even if it's amusing from our point-of-view.

Bim...Billy and Jimmy are a likeable enough pair of leads. Typically headstrong, a bit inexperienced, but tough enough to overcome anything thrown at 'em. There are times when characters just know things, and these two are idiots at times, but they figure things out quickly. They also have a great cinema home!

The guys have a unique mentor in Satori, not only in that she's younger, but a woman! She goes the way of all mentors, and her relationship with the leads plus her age makes it more surprising. Marian is a fun gal, tough but sweet, and always on hand to aid the heroes. Unlike the games, where she's just the damsel in distress, here the movie overcompensates a little by making her not only a capable fighter, but also the leader of a vigilante group! But this works fine, since it is adapting a pretty nothing character. Although we really really could've done without the bizarre spinach torture! Talk about cringey humour!

Koga Shuko is a fun villain. You'd think a villainous CEO might be boring, but he experiments with his whole attire. Not only a trenchoat and sunnies, but he has a platinum blonde dye job! It's hard to take seriously, but that is probably the point in a way, and goodness knows real billionaires aren't any more stylish. Before you wonder why a bone white Yank is playing Koga Shuko, it's actually an assumed name. He was originally Walter Geissman, before deciding a Japanese name would be cooler. Between this and his hair, he really does come across as a wannabe hipster you'd see today!

The supporting cast are ok, from the minor villains (namely whip-wielding vixen Linda Lash), to the conflicted but noble police chief, also Marian's father. And then there's dumb gangster Bo Abobo, who starts out as a regular brute, before being mutated by Shuko. His design as a mutant is weird, and threatens to make the movie too silly, but I eventually got slightly used to it. And it does kinda fit with the games, in how some enemies would have two forms.

The cast in Double Dragon do mostly well, barring exceptions. Mark Dacascos and Scott Wolf are good leads, looking the part, and pulling off the action well. Julia Nickson is nice as the mentor, while Alyssa Milano is pretty gorgeous, and spunky. Robert Patrick gives a really fun performance. I like the mock disinterest he shows, and the way his eyebrows raise. This is a very difference villainous performance from the T-1000, even if the special effects sometimes resemble his famous turn. Everyone else does fine(ish), and there's the perfect casting choice of Michael Berryman! But then he's killed after only one scene! And lastly, perennial henchmen Al Leong and Jeff Imada are a fun presence.

The location work here is really good. The film does a great job visualising a sunken city, and it takes advantage of the setting too, showing it off in natural ways, not just telling us the city's condition but never showing it.

The effects here are mixed. There's an abundance of kooky and slightly futuristic props and outfits, and one can plainly see the money onscreen...but at times it feels like they spent a lot to look cheap. There are many good to great effects too, and some CGI that's not entirely awful, as well as good prosthetics/costumes. The film pays homage to its gaming roots with a few VR moments, and we even get a bunch of arcade machines in the HQ, including Double Dragon itself! How??

The film has a satisfyingly bright palette, though I do think it gets a little carried away with the colour sometimes, like the Nickelodeon slime pools in the Powercorps HQ. It makes the film look a bit too fake and kiddy sometimes. But overall it's nice seeing an adaption embrace colour rather than reject it in favour of 'gritty realism' (i.e. muted black and grey).

The soundtrack here is pretty good. I really like music in the office building, and the police march scene. And there are a few mid-90s licensed tunes, which are ok I suppose, though not really my thing. The song that plays over the end credits is groovy though!

Maybe I'm crazy, but I think Double Dragon is a good movie! It's a bit too goofy for its own good sometimes, but it's fun, feels like a video game, and I feel has far more character and charm to it than most modern flicks! It's a great watch for a rainy afternoon, with some pizza, soda, and popcorn!...