Description:
Despite remaining the subject of intense debate by fans of the Capcom video game on which it’s based, the Jean-Claude Van Damme punch-em-up Street Fighter returns to DVD with an array of supplemental features, many of which may seem very familiar to anyone who’s owned previous DVD releases of this title. The film itself, directed by screenwriter Steven (Die Hard) de Souza, remains an amusing camp exercise, buoyed largely by the presence of Raul Julia in his final film role as mad dictator General Bison, who holds a trio of soldiers for ransom. Coming to the rescue is a bleached-blond Van Damme and a team of fighters, includi
Despite remaining the subject of intense debate by fans of the Capcom video game on which it’s based, the Jean-Claude Van Damme punch-em-up Street Fighter returns to DVD with an array of supplemental features, many of which may seem very familiar to anyone who’s owned previous DVD releases of this title. The film itself, directed by screenwriter Steven (Die Hard) de Souza, remains an amusing camp exercise, buoyed largely by the presence of Raul Julia in his final film role as mad dictator General Bison, who holds a trio of soldiers for ransom. Coming to the rescue is a bleached-blond Van Damme and a team of fighters, including Chun-Li (Ming-Na), Sagat (Wes Studi), Cammy (Kylie Minogue) and other characters from the Street Fighter rogues’ gallery. De Souza’s decision to weave humor into the storyline hobbles the impact of the fight scenes, which are largely relegated to the final third of the film, and budgetary restraints render some characters--most notably Robert Mammone’s Blanka--as laughable caricatures. The result is probably appalling for Street Fighter die-hards, though most audiences seem to regard it as a camp hoot. That status may account for this Extreme Edition, although the tie-in factor with the 2009 theatrical release Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li should be taken into consideration as well. Those who own the 1999 Collector’s Edition DVD of this title will already have most of the extras featured here, including commentary by de Souza, a making-of featurette, outtakes, deleted scenes, storyboard and video game sequences (the latter featuring likenesses of Van Damme and Julia) and a barrage of promotional images. The only features that are new to the Extreme Edition are the sharp anamorphic transfer, which is a vast improvement over the previous release, and a trio of trailers for the Street Fighter IV game and Street Fighter IV feature-length anime. --Paul Gaita
... (more)
(less)
Manufacturer: Uca Catalogue
Release date: 14 June 2004
Number of discs: 1
EAN: 5035822265134
My tags:
Add tags
Login
