Wise man says, "if you lower your expectations low enough, you can enjoy any piece of crap". And so it is with Streetfighter: The Legend of Chun-Li. On the downside it's produced by Twentieth Century Fox, a company thats proven it has no respect for it's properties (take this year with Dragonball Evolution or Wolverine). Then it's directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak, the hack behind Doom, Cradle 2 The Grave and Exit Wounds. Bring on the boredom.
BUT...it's not that bad. Predictable. Check (the usual revenge story, mixed with the evil property developer evicts humble poor people - plot). Unexciting. Check (wasn't wire-work deemed outdated half-a-decade ago?). Humour. Nope. Can't have too much fun can we.
But on a basic action thriller level it's potters along just fine, not badly directed or acted, just never pushing the boundries of what a martial arts thriller can be in 2009. Push does the same kind of thing with the same kind of tone but tries a lot harder. Kristen Kreuk is lovely...mixing a vulnerable acting style with the bod of a babe who can kick arse. The supporting cast tick the right boxes from Moon Bloodgood, Michael Clarke-Duncan to Neal McDonough.
Special mention to Chris Klein who delivers a facinating performance that is just all kinds of awful. You may remember Klein as the talentless plank who scuppered Mctiernan's Rollerball remake. Here he manages to be both an over-actor...and a emtionless plank at the same time. The body is channeling Nicholas Cage (if Mr Cage were zombified , fuelled by fairy liquid and taught acting by Willian Shatner's wig). The voice is channeling, as usual, Keanu Reeves circa 1988. The eyes. Well, the eyes are channelling nothing. Nada. Zip. Nowt. Not an ounce of emotion behind those souless pieces of coal.
And thats quite a combination.
So the 2009 incarnation od Streetfighter won't kill ya. But Klein's performance just might.
1 comment:
Just watched this.
I'd term it as barely watchable garbage.
On the plus side it looked nice, was quite short and the predictible and hackneyed plot kept moving along fairly well. And I do like Neil McDonough as an actor. He does good villainy.
As for the other actors, Kristen Kreuk is cute and tiny in the lead but one note. She peforms in this exactly as she does in Smallville - with that sweet, innocent, slightly wounded look about her. She can't really pull off badass. Poor Michael Clarke Duncan gets saddled with a shite role as number one goon. And as for Chris Klein? Er...um...WHAT THE FUCK???
WHY DO PEOPLE EMPLOY THIS TALENTLESS COCK?? This is one of THE worst mainstream acting performances I've seen in a very long time. At least poor old Keanu's atrocious past acting has been funny ala Bram Stoker's Dracula, but here Klein was just nails scraping on blackboard bad. Jeez!
On the minus (apart from Klein...a BIG minus) the action is bland, dull and full of cheesy wire-fu with no single setpiece ever being remotely exciting or at all memorable. Also, the plot is almost non-existent with stuff happening that is never really explained. I mean what ARE those balls of light they can magically conjour? Nobody ever says.
Nope, this is just another example of FOX making quick, lazy, broad strokes and bland films with not an ounce of originality or genuine creativity. As a studio they actually seem to have a borderline contempt for their audience.
FOX...YOU SUCK BALLS!
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