As one who grew up reading Marvel comics; watching marvel's characters animated series and dragon ball; playing street fighter 2 turbo in the SNES 'til the hand fingers started to fall apart, i must say that when some of these icons become Hollywood movies, i feel like my childhood is being destroyed. My hopes for the new Wolverine movie only remain here 'cause after "Iron Man" version on the big screen, it seems like they learned how to make movies based on games/comics characters (they're not that loyal to the original, but they're better than the Spider-man and X-men trilogy). But when i saw Dragon Ball "Evolution"'s trailer, i felt that "they're destroying my childhood" feeling again. But what i was really planning to say here was about the "they're destroying my childhood"-feeling maker movie "Street Fighter - The (deception)Legend of Chun-Li" i just saw minutes ago.
I'm sorry if there's someone who were capable of liking the movie, but its almost disgusting. I dunno who on Capcom had the guts to let the company name be put on the movie. It's a nice try and effort, but it was really frustrating. We, fans of street fighter wanna SEE our characters on the actors and actress on the screen, but the only ones that ALMOST got there (in my opinion) were Balrog and Gen. Balrog is the classic big'n black dude that's 100% brute force (although he didnt convinced me as a boxer) and Gen is a chinese martial artist, although he doesn't have white hair and beard (he doesnt even have a beard on the movie) and on the movie he actually have powers(?) like fireballs and healing Chun-Li's wounds (i don't remember Gen having powers like that....). But you can see a Gen in that actor. Barely, but you can see it. In the other hand, when i saw Vega i thought "WHAT THE HELL". Vega's a dude wearing a mask that remember me of Jason X and the Predator and the classic "wolverined" claw, but he wears some black shirts and black pants that covers his entire body and makes him look like a burglar.And, SURPRISE, Vega's played by....guess who? That guy from Black Eyed Peas!!! No, not Will I Am...the white dude. Yeah, you read it right. Its not some blond, skinny and handsome dude.
Bison's is the most unrecognizable character in the movie. It's a beardy (yeah, Bison have a beard now!?) and well-dressed white dude that's also on that series "Desperate Housewives" new season. And he doesnt say neither do a Psycho Crusher on the movie. Oh, and he doesnt wear a cape, neither a cap, neither nazi pants. Yeah, frustrating. The only "Bison" thing that person in the movie has is the name. I don't belive i'm gonna say this, but Raul Julia's Bison on that "not-so-good street fighter-van damme" looks much more like the Bison we're used to know. Not to mention the "Charlie Nash" on the movie. In the beggining, i was hoping he was just some Interpol's dude who ended having the same name of that character that gives his life to kill Bison and is friend of Guile in the game series, but in the end, he actually says "Charlie Nash". Ouch. Disgusting. "Charlie" its the name that Capcom USA gave him, and "Nash" is his name on Japan. "Charlie Nash" IS NOT his full name. Oh, and he isn't blond, dont wear glasses and dont have that..."different" haircut. Oh and Rose appears on the movie too, but on the movie she's Bison's daughter, which he used to get rid of his good side. In the original game storyline, Rose's really the "exorcised" good side of Bison's, but i don't think she's his daughter. Well, i'm not an expert, but i don't remember anyone saying she was Bison's daughter. But i think it actually worked.
But, of course, the major surprise is Chun-Li. Maybe i'm not open-minded enough to accept these changes that my childhood icons suffers on the movies, but, c'mon, we're street fighter fans...if its meant to be a Chun-Li, at least make her wear some white boots, or those spiked wristband, or make her use the same haircut! The haircut matter is actually respected in one scene on the movie, but the other scenes Lana's always with her long hair spreading the screen. C'mon, we cant help if you just throw us some asian-looking and chinese-speaking girl and hope we see a Chun-Li on her. (She could at least have BIG legs like the Chun-Li on game
. But even that she doesnt have). At least they made her do one move she has on the game. But the scene she uses Spinning Bird is gross!! And she even uses a hadouken on the movie. What, Chun-Li giving Hadoukens away? Yeah, they hope we get along with that. The Hadouken's special effects isnt that bad, at least.
Spoiler:
And in the end, Chun-Li actually kills Bison. Thats right, open up your eyes and your mouth and say, loud and clear:WHAT THE HELL!? Chun-Li gets her ass kicked by Bison the first time they fight. Bison only dies when Charlie, Guile and Chun-Li team up and BOOM he away, and when Akuma/Gouki comes and SHUN GOKU SATSU him. But on the movie, Chun-Li actually kicks Bison ass for good.
Other frustrating thing is that Gen ALMOST gets his ass kicked by, guess who? Balrog. That's right, Gen, the badass martial artist that WANT to fight with AKUMA, almost get his ASS KICKED by BALROG. Nothing against Balrog, but....if you played Street Fighter a lot you will understand why i'm frustrated.
And one strange thing on the movie is that it's called Street FIGHTER, but until the very end of the movie, you almost only see gun shooting. Even Balrog shoots a missile against Gen's place(!).
On the ending of the movie, there's a scene where Gen comes to Chun-Li's house and show her the announce on the newspaper that shows "Street Fighter Tournament" and tell her about some "skilled japanese fighter called....Ryu, i think?". Yeah, the suffering's probably not going to end. They really want to exterminate my childhood....
SUPER STREET FIGHTER IV!!!!
Big Grin
Uneasy
Frustrated
Excited
