Double Dragon (1994)

User Rating:

3.2/10   

Director:

James Yukich

Writers (WGA):

Paul Dini (story) and
Neal Shusterman (story) ...

Release Date:

4 November 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Evil has just met its match.

Plot:

Two brothers have half of a powerful ancient Chinese talisman. An evil gang leader has the other half, and determines to get the brothers' half and have a complete medallion so he can gain absolute power.

Plot Keywords:

Brother | Gang | Martial Arts | Double Dragon | Morgue

Cast

Robert Patrick	...	Kogo Shuko / Guisman
Mark Dacascos	...	Jimmy Lee
Scott Wolf	...	Billy Lee
Kristina Wagner	...	Linda Lash, Shuko Henchwoman
Julia Nickson-Soul	...	Satori Imada / Lotus Flower
Alyssa Milano	...	Marian Delario, Power Corps Chief
Nils Allen Stewart	...	Bo Abobo #1, Mohawk Leader
Henry Kingi	...	Bo Abobo #2, Improved Model
John Mallory Asher	...	Smartass Mohawk
Leon Russom	...	Police Chief Delario, Marian's Father
Jeff Imada	...	Huey, Shulo Henchman
Al Leong	...	Lewis, Shulo Henchman
Cory Milano	...	Marc Delario
Michael Berryman	...	Maniac Leader
Vanna White	...	Channel 102 News Anchor

Also Known As:

Double Dragon: The Movie

Runtime:

96 min | Germany:81 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:16 | South Korea:12 | Australia:PG | France:U | Germany:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:13 | UK:PG | USA:PG-13 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Company:

Greenleaf Productions

Trivia:

Based on the 1988 video game of the same name.

Quotes:

Bo Abobo #2, Improved Model: Ug Lee, Hom Lee, STAN LEE!

Movie Connections:

References Ghost Busters (1984)

Soundtrack:

Say You're Gonna Stay

I like it...sue me

First off lets talk about what the Double Dragon movie is not. It is NOT a serious movie. It is NOT supposed to be some big deep, thought provoking movie. It is NOT at all a bad movie.

Now this movie was obviously made to get fans of the game in the theater regardless of whether or not it was good. However I think people dismissed it after the first few scenes which I feel is unjust. The movie itself does not really follow the story of the game....which is good because the plot of the game was pretty thin (not that this one is complex or anything....but it works). The movie is however what it should be....a buddy action/COMEDY. Thats right people you read that right I said comedy. And no this isn't one of those so-bad-it's-funny movies....the movie actually attempts to be funny and in my opinion....succeeds. Now some of the action is just awesome.....yet other scenes remind you that the studio just wanted a movie as quick as possible. Some scenes get a bit to....how do I say this....Home Alone....or 3 ninjas-type. In other words, when there could easily be a martial arts battle (and given the fact that this is double dragon people expect it) sometimes they just do things like knock over a barrel of balls for the bad guys to trip on three stooges style. Sometimes it can be somewhat funny but for the most part it isn't really needed. The acting for the most part isn't bad....I mean you got Mark "needs to be more appreciated" Dacoscos, Scott "I was on some dumb show but now I can kick a bit of ass" Wolf and Robert "I was the T-1000 bitch" Patrick. All 3 leads know how to act and do a good job with what they are given. Now lets talk about the script/story. It is corny, Cheezy, and at times dumb....but it really works for the movie. It really feels like a comic book on screen or even...(gasp) a video game! Overall, double Dragon suffers the same fate the super Mario Bros movie did....in making it a comedy and a bit different from the game people responded with hate....unjust hate....let me put it to you this way...If you changed the names of the characters so that they are not directly from Double Dragon....and people saw it without thinking about the game...it would be much better received. The IMDb score would be at LEAST a 5.4, and that is something I am sure of.

Scoring: Acting:7.8 Action:8 Story:8 Script:7 Overall:7.5

Summary: Double Dragon joins many video game movies that are universally hated for not being a direct carbon copy of the game. However it is a fun, enjoyable adventure/comedy that will most likely entertain kids and adults who want to have a fun 90 minutes. I recommend it as long as you are not a jackass.