Based on the popular, long-running video game, this movie has the element of surprise on its side in that it’s not nearly as terrible as you’d expect. Chun-Li (Kristin Kreuk) sets out to rescue her father and take down bad guy M. Bison (Neal McDonough). But before Chun-Li gets to the big boss, she’ll have to make it past a series of henchpersons, including the bad-ass boxer Balrog (Michael Clarke Duncan). The film mostly eschews CGI and overly complicated stunts in favor of old-school martial arts ass-kicking and wire work, which is kind of refreshing. Kreuk makes an appealing lead, McDonough is a thoroughly despicable villain and, with the exception of Chris Klein as police officer Charlie Nash, the entire cast is surprisingly good. It’s nothing amazing or original. It’s just a low-budget action film directed with competence and starring a cast of agreeable B-listers, but it’s not without entertainment value. HH 1/2
This article appears in Feb 25 – Mar 3, 2009.