Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (2009)

Movies adapted from video games aren’t often known for their quality. Some might blame a large portion of this on Uwe Boll’s obsession with the genre, but there are plenty of these films which have no connection at all with the pugilistic German director. Take Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li, for example. Sure, the cast is appealing enough, with the lovely Kristin Kreuk (from TV’s Smallville) stepping into the muscular thighs of Chun-Li, but both the script and the fight scenes leave a lot to be desired. While it’s certainly more enjoyable than the Mario Brothers movie, that’s not exactly a ringing endorsement.

This entry in the Street Fighter franchise begins with a very young Chun-Li practicing piano at her family’s home in San Francisco. Her father wants her to be a concert pianist when she grows up, but she mentions that everything changed once they moved to Hong Kong. That’s the cue to suddenly transport us to the aforementioned Asian territory, which immediately left me wondering why we didn’t just start the story in Hong Kong to begin with?

One night, the sinister M. Bison (Neal McDonough) and his henchman, Balrog (Michael Clarke Duncan), pay the family a visit. Chun-Li’s father is taken away in the night, and the girl grows up believing him to be dead. Of course, anyone who’s seen more than a handful of movies will immediately know that this isn’t the case.

Years later, Chun-Li has grown to become a talented pianist and an all-around goody-goody. When she receives a mysterious scroll written in ancient Chinese, and her mother loses her battle with cancer, it’s time for our heroine to hit the road in search of herself. Meanwhile, M. Bison is consolidating his control of Hong Kong’s criminal empire, and we learn that Chun-Li’s father (gasp!) is still alive and working for Bison in order to keep his daughter safe. We also meet Bangkok homicide detective Maya Sunee (Moon Bloodgood) and Interpol agent Charlie Nash (Chris Klein), both of whom are hot on the trail of Bison and his Shadoloo crime organization.

From there, it’s only a matter of time before all the players come together. But before that can happen, Chun-Li must become one with the people and streets of Bangkok in order to find the mysterious Gen (Robin Shou). Apparently, becoming one with the people and streets consists of walking around a lot and looking beautiful. In voice-overs, Chun-Li speaks of experiencing hunger and crime during her quest, yet it would appear that her search laughably only lasts for a couple of days. Strangely, nobody ever tries to murder or rape her while she’s carrying out this glamorous vision quest. I guess the scum in Thailand are more respectful than in other countries.

At one point in the film, Chun-Li visits a gravesite and leaves behind a necklace. This got me to thinking: whatever happens to all the stuff that movie characters leave behind at cemeteries? I suppose it magically stays there forever. In real life, it probably wouldn’t last more than a day (or until the guy with the weed wacker came by). I know that’s a bit beside the point, but I had to get it off my chest. Moving on.

Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li teaches viewers some very important lessons. For example, if you practice wushu (Chinese martial arts) with your father in the backyard and then follow that up with a week or two under the tutelage of a master, you’ll be able to do the following: catch swords with your bare hands, dodge bullets, summon glowing balls of energy, escape bindings, and beat up hardened assassins. And this is all accomplished by a young woman who looks to weigh about 110 pounds, although the wires and slo-mo may have had something to do with it, also.

Oddly enough, the young Chun-Li looks very Asian, but this seems to diminish as she gets older. Sure, she’s got an American mother in the film, but I wasn’t aware that some people look less ethnic over time. Maybe that’s another benefit of practicing wushu.

None of the performances really stand out, although Chris Klein occasionally borders on ridiculous with his ultra-serious delivery, wide eyes, and flared nostrils. It also doesn’t help that his dialogue is littered with tough guy/action movie clichés. Speaking of clichés, the character of Gen might as well have been reading his wisdom straight off a fortune cookie. Michael Clarke Duncan adds star power but not much else.

Neil McDonough is the best of the bunch, giving the character of Bison a reassuring calmness which makes him seem all the more evil. I’ve got no idea why the filmmakers decided to dub in the sound of a tiger growling whenever Bison makes any sudden movement. I guess it was supposed to represent the fury and power lurking beneath his calm exterior, but it just seemed silly more than anything. Too bad each cast member didn’t get their own animal sound.

As for Kristin Kreuk, she’s a beautiful young woman horribly miscast in the role of an action hero. While Jennifer Garner almost managed to pull it off in Electra, Garner is also a healthy 5’8”. Kreuk is only 5’4”. In addition to her lack of size, the film puts her character in several odd situations without any kind of follow-up. When someone close to her is murdered in front of her eyes, Chun-Li literally seems to be over it in less than a minute. In one combat scene, she suddenly kills a man (apparently her first), but it’s never dealt with after that. These dangling plot points don’t do anything to help the film’s overall quality, and even the DVD’s deleted scenes fail to fill in the blanks.

And don’t even get me started on the movie’s insistence at using voice-overs whenever possible. I would much rather Chun-Li’s thoughts and feelings be expressed through actual acting instead of just telling the audience about it. Then again, it’s a movie based on a video game, so I guess I shouldn’t expect Glengarry Glen Ross.

While hardly the worst video game adaptation, Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li is a hollow film devoid of any real passion or adventure. The dialogue is weak, the fight scenes are pedestrian, and there’s nothing present to make you want to see more from the Street Fighter universe. Moviegoers agreed, as the film only grossed around $12 million (out of a $50 million budget). Looks like Chun-Li’s going to have plenty of time to practice her wushu.