{jatabs type="content" position="top" height="auto" skipAnim="true" mouseType="click" animType="animFade"}

[tab title="Movie Review"]

Double Dragon - Blu-ray

Double Dragon has its fans.  It helps if you were a child when it was originally released, though.  That being said, there can be no denying that this is ONE of the worst video game adaptations ever made into a 90-minute movie.  That statement; however, is not stopping this critically trashed flick from its climb back up to the tippy-top of the B-grade mountain of trash cinema. It is a treacherous climb up, mind you, but there it is.  That’s what 1990’s nostalgia has brought us to and I for one, while totally appreciating what the MVD Rewind Collection has done here (now on their 14th release), am not ready to crown this pile of mutated garbage as King. 

The movie, full of gregarious goons fighting against two clueless brothers and one great performance from Robert Patrick, who as the criminal overlord Koga Shuko, knows exactly what type of really bad movie he is in, has new life thanks to this Special Collector’s Edition.  Hounds of howlingly bad boneyard cult films; however, should be warned.  The retro-packaging does nothing to make the movie any better.

"Highly quotable and absolutely inane, this dumpster fire of a movie is back on shelves, once again fighting for space next to Street Fighter."


Highly quotable and absolutely inane, this dumpster fire of a movie is back on shelves, once again fighting for space next to Street Fighter.  Based on a story idea by Tiny Toon Adventure’s Paul Dini and ditching the actual storyline of the video game (bad idea), the movie transports us to a future in which Los Angeles has been ravished by an earthquake and the television news channels are hosted by George Hamilton, Vanna White, and Andy Dick.  Seriously. 

Mind you, had the producers stuck to the original storyline of the video game (one of straight-up revenge), there would be absolutely no reason for this movie to suck as bad as it does and yet it does exactly that thanks to a story that seems to be discovering itself. {googleads}

This film, like the souped-up car that brothers Billy Lee (Scott Wolf) and Jimmy (Mark Decascos) drive in the film, rockets its way to the top of the “so bad, it’s good” list thanks to some criminally bad acting and really shoddy pacing issues.  Sure, it's all goofy fun but, man, it's like no one on the set had ANY idea what they were doing. 

Maybe it’s because the director, Jim Yuvich, a newbie behind the camera, decided to cheese-up the tone of the flick.  Maybe it is because Dacascos is so poorly used by the film and so too is Julia Nickson, who plays the martial arts master, Satori, who has trained the brothers for their moment of glory . . . once they realize what they have to do with the medallions that are at the heart of this post-apocasomething weird adventure.Double Dragon - Blu-ray

Whatever the reason, Double Dragon bombed as if dropped from the Enola Gay itself and, thanks to a wee bit of too much ‘90s nostalgia, is being heralded as a minor cult (gulp) “classic” these days.  While better than Super Mario Brothers, this visit through the filth and the fury of “New Angeles” is just not a cool place to hang out – even if Alyssa Milano – does, in fact, let it all hang out . . . of her short shorts. 

That being said, Double Dragon is Scott Wolf’s best movie to date and, with enough beer, makes for an  enjoyable really BAD movie experience.  Full of steroid-using mutants, really weak fight sequences (ironic, considering that this is a movie built around a street fighting video game), and a blonde Alyssa Milano leading a group of mercenaries in the fight against crime in a post-apocalyptic Los Angeles, Double Dragon, a movie that 1994 would probably like to forget, has finally made its debut on blu-ray thanks to the ongoing MVD Collection

Hey, Broom Heads!  It’s time to sweep the floor with Double Dragon, now on a Special Collector’s Edition blu-ray thanks to the MVD Rewind Collection.

3 beers

[/tab]

[tab title="Details"]

Double Dragon - Blu-ray

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for martial arts violence.
Runtime:
96 mins
Director
: James Yukich
Writer:
Michael Davis; Peter Gould
Cast:
Robert Patrick, Mark Dacascos, Scott Wolf
Genre
: Action | Comedy
Tagline:
Evil has just met its match.
Memorable Movie Quote: "Get it straight. YOU'RE "Ug" Lee. I'm "Home" Lee."
Theatrical Distributor:
Gramercy Pictures
Official Site:
Release Date:
November 4, 1994
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
January 22, 2019
Synopsis: It’s the year 2007, and what remains of L.A. is now ”New Angeles”, a city ravaged by earthquakes, tidal waves and vicious gangs. The evil tycoon Koga Shuko (Robert Patrick, Terminator 2: Judgment Day) is obsessed with finding the two halves of a talisman known as the ”Double Dragon”, which will give him awesome mystical powers. Two teenaged brothers, Jimmy (Mark Dacascos, John Wick 3) and Billy Lee (Scott Wolf, ”Party of Five”) find themselves in possession of the amulet’s missing half, thrusting them into the adventure of their lives. With the help of Maria (Alyssa Milano, ”Charmed”) and her vigilante group ”The Power Corps”, Jimmy and Billy must summon all of their courage, resourcefulness and martial-arts skills to stop the villain’s malevolent plan.

{googleads}

[/tab]

[tab title="Blu-ray Review"]

Double Dragon - Blu-ray

Blu-ray

Blu-ray Details:

Home Video Distributor: MVD Rerwind
Available on Blu-ray
- January 22, 2019
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles
: English SDH, French, Spanish
Audio:
English: 2.0 Stereo Audio (Uncompressed PCM on the Blu-ray) and Dolby Digital 5.1 audio tracks
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; Two-disc set; DVD Copy
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A

Double Dragon is presented on 1080p thanks to the MVD Rewind Collection.  The film and its CGI looks pretty good considering it was made in the 1990s.  For whatever reason, a lot of this era of filmmaking look a little weak on HD.  The newly transferred High Definition Blu-ray (and Standard Definition DVD) presentation looks cool. While it takes place mainly in the burned-out parts of a future Los Angeles, this 1080p transfer captures crisp details in clothing and in locations that are textured and fine. Loaded with juicy details, this is an atmospheric release that doesn’t shy away from the sunlight either. It has dark layers, yes, and those shadows are well-defined and crisp but the new transfer does not disappoint. The brand new 1.78:1 HD master is detailed and looks better than ever. Some shots, due to the era of the day, are fuzzier than others but the image is reasonably well defined with crisp contrasts and solid textures. Colors are solid, with reds being a standout. Blacks are, too. Surprisingly, there's enough fine detail on display to make this seem revelatory. The era-ready color palette looks terrific, too. The disc comes with the original 2.0 Stereo Audio (Uncompressed PCM on the Blu-ray) and Dolby Digital 5.1 audio tracks.

Supplements:

Commentary:

  • None

Special Features:

And, with this Special Collector’s Edition, we FINALLY have the release of a really awful movie the way it should be.  The NEW supplemental items are BETTER than the movie.  We get an hour-long NEW making of the movie that features interviews with stars Scott Wolf and Marc Dacascos, writers Peter Gould & Michael Davis and producer Don Murphy and that’s just for beginners.  Up next is a NEW look at Don Murphy, the film’s producer, and then the archival stuff kicks in.  But, with a reversable cover and a mini-poster included, this release totally sells itself.

  • The Making of Double Dragon
  • Don Murphy: Portrait of a Producer
  • Archival ”Making of” featurette
  • Behind the Scenes featurette
  • 1993 Double Dragon Animated Series Pilot Episode #101: “The Shadow Falls”
  • Storyboard Gallery
  • Press Photos, Marketing and Behind The Scenes Photo Galleries
  • TV Spots
  • VHS Home Video Trailer
  • Original Theatrical Trailer
  • Collectible Mini-Poster
  • Reversible Sleeve Featuring Alternate Artwork

{googleads}

[/tab]

[tab title="Trailer"]

[/tab]

[tab title="Art"]

Double Dragon - Blu-ray

[/tab]

{/jatabs}