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

User Rating:

3.9/10   

Director:

Andrzej Bartkowiak

Writer:

Justin Marks (adaptation)

Release Date:

27 February 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Some fight for power. Some fight for us.

Plot:

Based on the popular video game franchise, female fighter Chun Li embarks on a quest for justice. |

Plot Keywords:

Chun Li | Helicopter | Banana | Based On Video Game | Baseball Bat

Cast

Kristin Kreuk	...	Chun-Li
Chris Klein	...	Charlie Nash
Neal McDonough	...	Bison / Vega (Japan)
Robin Shou	...	Gen
Moon Bloodgood	...	Det. Maya Sunee
Josie Ho	...	Cantana
Taboo	...	Vega / Balrog (Japan)
Michael Clarke Duncan	...	Balrog / Bison (Japan)
Pei-pei Cheng	...	Zhilan
Edmund Chen	...	Xiang
Inez Yan	...	Chun-Li (5 yrs)
Elizaveta Kiryukhina	...	Rose
Emilze Junqueira	...	Jeanne Xiang
Katherine Pemberton	...	Chun-Li (10 yrs)
Siri Sirijane	...	Liu

Also Known As:

Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (Japan: English title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and martial arts action, and some sensuality.

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

Canada | India | USA | Japan

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #44978) | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Singapore:PG | Portugal:M/12 | Netherlands:12 | Mexico:B15 | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Bangkok, Thailand

Company:

Hyde Park Entertainment

Trivia:

Rick Yune was originally cast as Gen, but he was replaced by Robin Shou, who played Liu Kang in Mortal Kombat (1995) and Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997).

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When the crowd is evicted from their slums a guard shoots in the air. Although a gunshot is heard, there is no flash from the gun to be seen.

Quotes:

Vega: [Chun-Li has cut Vega's face and has her foot pressed against his head] You think this is over?
Chun-Li: No. I'm just getting started.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Rotten Tomatoes Show: Miss March/Race to Witch Mountain/Sunshine Cleaning (#1.3)" (2009)

Not as bad is people make it sound

This movie wasn't THAT bad. Everyone acts as if they would rather spend 90 minutes strapped to a bed of nails whilst being whipped by a hairy woman in leather named Butch than they would spend the same time watching it. I assure you that is not the case.

If you're expecting a repeat of the vandamme flick, then you will be disappointed as that is not what you will get. This is not a turn by turn fight movie; it is an adventure movie. Chun Li goes to Hong Kong to rescue her father and ends up fighting a bunch of people along the way. Many of the fights involve gun ambushes and typical fight scenes for cheesy action films with people who don't do martial arts in real life. There is no tournament, just her journey. The fighting is marginal, the acting is marginal, the action is marginal.

Kristen Kreuk (Chun Li) is the same character as any other part she plays (notably Lana in Smallville) - she talks the same and pretty much acts the same, but with more violence (not that much more). She is not a great actress, but she's not a terrible one either, considering she has played the same role her entire life.

Chris Klein, however, should die. He is almost entirely useless and tries to be a bad ass/smart ass/"I say clever things and look really cool while saying them, then make a cool face after I finish the sentence" character, but he fails. It was painful to watch him because he's just so terrible in the movie. Imagine his character in American Pie or the one is Just Friends as a "bad ass" cop who wants to be cool and impress people, but can't, yet still thinks he does. It just hurts to watch. He is the reason I give it a 6/10. If he wasn't in it, it could be a 7. Or an 8...or a 9, maybe even a 10 I don't know I couldn't watch without wanting to rip my eyes out during his scenes.

The other people, though, are just plain average. They recite their lines and move properly. Overall a C for them.

For the movie as a whole, though: I went in expecting complete crap and came out feeling like it was a decent cheesy action flick. I would not pay good money to see this, but it wasn't necessarily a waste of time. If you're bored and see it in the video store for a dollar, why not rent it? If it's on TV or if you see it online and you have free time, go ahead and watch.