30 years ago, this movie gave video game adaptations a bad name

Long earlier head Uwe Boll stunk up nan video crippled movie genre pinch House of nan Dead, BloodRayne, Postal, Far Cry, and more, Hollywood’s earliest attempts to bring gaming franchises to nan large surface were dismal failures. For nan worst offender, movie historians mightiness constituent to 1993’s Super Mario Bros., nan live-action cinematic bomb that drove Nintendo retired of Hollywood for 3 decades until The Super Mario Bros. Movie brought nan institution backmost successful 2023. That was decidedly a unspeakable film, but it wasn’t until 1994’s Double Dragon movie that video crippled adaptations recovered a caller low.

1994 was besides nan twelvemonth that nan Street Fighter movie deed theaters pinch a bravura capacity by nan precocious Raul Julia arsenic good arsenic a hilariously atrocious move by Jean-Claude Van Damme. That movie is astatine slightest nosy to watch, which is much than we tin opportunity for Double Dragon. The root worldly for Double Dragon was a 1987 arcade crippled — and its sequels — that allowed up to 2 players to return power of Billy and Jimmy Lee arsenic they went up against a pack called nan Black Warriors to rescue Billy’s kidnapped girlfriend, Marian. It wasn’t precisely On nan Waterfront, but astir of nan games from that era weren’t large connected story.

Yet somehow, nan Double Dragon movie managed to bungle that elemental setup. And we’re going to show you how.

All of nan main characters are miscast

Gramercy Pictures

In nan games, Billy and Jimmy are hardened warriors who are intelligibly grown big men. So of people head James Yukich depicted them arsenic teenagers. Although somewhat ironically, Mark Dacascos was 30 erstwhile he played Jimmy Lee, while Scott Wolf was 26 erstwhile he portrayed Jimmy’s younger brother, Billy. Wolf’s breakout domiciled arsenic Bailey Salinger connected Fox’s Party of Five debuted a fewer months earlier Double Dragon, which astir apt saved him from going to movie jailhouse complete this turkey.

Wolf and Dacascos mostly play nan brothers for illustration goofballs, and there’s ne'er really immoderate believable jeopardy for either of them. It’s for illustration personification dropped Bill and Ted into a bad martial arts movie. The movie besides attempts to beef up nan domiciled of nan game’s only “good” female character, Marian (Alyssa Milano), by re-envisioning her arsenic heroine who leads a group called nan Power Corps. Milano has had immoderate nosy turns, including her agelong tally connected Charmed, but Marian was not her finest hour.

As ridiculous arsenic Milano looks pinch that short bleached hair, astatine slightest she came disconnected amended than Terminator 2‘s Robert Patrick, who was stuck pinch a look that was thing but intimidating. Patrick plays nan film’s villain, Koga Shuko, and it’s conscionable intolerable to return him seriously. The sheer menace that Patrick brought to nan T-1000 is wholly missing, and his capacity comes disconnected arsenic unintentionally comedic.

The script’s effort to soma retired nan world doesn’t work

Gramercy Pictures

Batman: The Animated Series co-creator Paul Dini was credited connected this movie for nan communicative he co-wrote pinch Neal Shusterman, which was written for nan surface by Michael Davis and Peter Gould, who went connected to constitute and nutrient Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. So location was immoderate existent talent down Double Dragon‘s book — it’s conscionable not reflected connected nan screen.

Double Dragon fell into nan aforesaid trap that nan live-action Super Mario Bros. movie did by trying excessively difficult to explicate nan conflict of nan crippled and soma retired nan world. Instead of a elemental setup that pits nan Lee brothers against nan gangs nether Koga Shuko’s control, there’s an elaborate backstory that includes an earthquake and a semi-postapocalyptic Los Angeles that is overrun by nan underworld. Somehow, location are still martial arts tournaments successful this brave caller world. But arsenic conceived, nan backdrop of nan movie’s communicative fell flat.

The typical effects are thing but special

Double Dragon was reportedly made for only $7.8 million, which was a low-budget movie moreover by 1994 standards. But that doesn’t excuse nan movie for typical effects that are perfectly embarrassing. Watch nan trailer above, and you’ll spot Koga Shuko’s protector warrior effects that make him look for illustration a quality toon from Who Framed Roger Rabbit. I’ve seen Mighty Morphin Power Rangers episodes pinch much convincing typical effects than these.

Movie-making is ne'er easy, and Yukich astir apt sewage arsenic overmuch retired of nan fund arsenic he could. Unfortunately, nan results speak for themselves.

The action is subpar moreover for nan ’90s

Gramercy Pictures

Dacascos is simply a existent martial artist, and he’s 1 of nan fewer actors successful nan movie who tin conflict pinch immoderate authenticity. The remainder of nan main formed conscionable benignant of does what they can. If location was 1 point that Double Dragon had to get right, it was nan action. And it conscionable didn’t work. The conflict chorography was bad, nan performers were unconvincing, and there’s ne'er immoderate existent excitement aliases visceral consciousness of violence.

Yes, this is mostly a kids movie alternatively than a consecutive martial arts flick, but nan effort to h2o down nan conception for a younger assemblage spectacularly backfired. Compare this movie to nan Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie from 1990, and you’ll spot that nan second was capable to service action fans and youngsters. Double Dragon simply couldn’t propulsion disconnected nan 1 facet of nan arcade games that drew group to them successful nan first place. More than thing else, that’s what doomed this flick to mediocrity.

You tin watch Double Dragon connected Prime Video, but if you want a type that you’ll really enjoy, rent aliases bargain nan RiffTrax: Double Dragon edition, which is besides connected Prime Video. The second is from nan erstwhile formed members of Mystery Science Theater 3000, and they propulsion disconnected nan unthinkable feat of making Double Dragon watchable.