Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie |
 | Summary:Testosterone-filled, martial arts adventure follows a powerful warrior and an opposition against a monumental crime syndicate. This 'low-on-plot', 'high-on-action' adrenaline rush should occupy mainstream action fans with it's hard-hitting soundtrack; plentiful two-fisted combat. |
| Title Aka: | N/A |
| Company/Distributors: | Capcom;Sony Music Entertainment;Manga Entertainment |
| Year: | 1994 |
| Length: | 95 Minutes |
| Rating: |  |
| Genres: | Action, Martial Arts |
| Format: | Feature Film |
| Content Level: | N/A |
| Comments: | N/A |
"Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie" (1994):
The world's horde of 'old-school' gaming seems to have a world all it's own indeed. Of course there's the internet & it's inspiration today (The Microsoft "X-Box" should be proof alone of that course--HINT, Hint; "DOA 3"). But in turn, the medium of animé definitely owes a little something to gaming; which may not reek of Italian plummers or even green-suited heros who share their names with internet lingo these days. If there's a genre alone which owes a lot to anime, or it the other way around, it's the ever present array of fighting simulators & action games. The most renowned & famous of these being that of "Street Fighter"; more precisely the most popular installment to the bunch: "Street Fighter II". Now there's a dirty little secret about game-based animes (more precisely; fighting games in general), and it's one that's badgered the verbal mettles of animé-fandom for years on end. It's also one that the fans are not the least bit afraid to spew: the plots are "sh_t"..@%^&!! On a single end, it's a huge fear amongst aficionados that many film or series adaptations won't follow through, and time has decided that specific ideology of anime in general. On another end, history has also displayed (through much painstaking effort) that game-based animes can also be intellectually challenging & fun, though they may not be renowned for doing so. We are often reminded of such feats as "Record Of Lodoss War", more than often however are we painfully given such faulty trash as "Battle Arena Toshinden" & "Sin"; which would make even hard-core fans of the game loathsome. Despite all these facts, all game-based animes more or less share the similar trait of being flawed in some way. The problem with such notions is that, game-based animes are not so much adaptions as we'd often like them to be; rather they are film or series exploitations. A shoe-string plot is somehow devised out of conjured thoughts which don't leave the arcade, console or computer monitors; often erupting into an ambient mess of bad elements. What fans end up often getting is not a film or series featuring their favorite characters in their own worlds, rather we get a world which perhaps enjoys the company of it's characters far too much. Once again, it is film exploitation, not exploration which proves far less enlightening; even for matters as trivial as fighting games. Which carry an important enough audience as any. Of course, Japan is not the only place for this; a relatively short history has also shown an array of bad endeavors such as: "Mortal Kombat", "Super Mario Bros.", the over-flashy "Tomb Raider" and the atrocious Van-Damme incarnation of colonol Guile in 1994's "Street Fighter"; released the same year as the Japanese animated release. At the intended peek of the game's stardom and popularity. Not to mention accessibility. Most of this is all the more reason to believe that "Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie" is the greatest game-exploitation animé film; & it's seems to me that two things here are definitely true. 1): I agree with this argument. And 2): Fighting game-based anime sometimes have to be exploitation films in order to work. I mean let's face it, when's the last time you wanted to hear a character like "Terry Bogard" spout endless platitudes of melodrama & over-played emotion; the answer is never. Though unfortunately, those who HAVE seen the "Fatal Fury" OAVs & film know what I'm talking about. There's an almost clever scene in one of the very first moments of the film. Interpol agent "Chun-Li" has just been given the assignment to bring the "Shadow Law" terrorist & madman general "M. Bison" down; while she'd like to anyway because Bison murdered her father & is a ruthless, power-hungry psychotic (No-pun intended; Oops!). Chun-li has also gathered much info on the guy & his followers, & in this scene, particularly with a little character named "Cammy", whom: "claims to have no memory of the past few years" (If memory serves). Another character says: "Which means?"--Chun Li replies: "Which means sir, she's being controlled somehow!" Soooo,; fighting-game animes aren't known for their plots, I mean take a clean look at 1997's "Tekken", Yick! But I kid you not, this one's a good one indeed. Just take a look at the first three or so minutes of Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie (Which just so happens to be one of the best plot-exploitation fight scenes ever; despite it's length, which on the other hand would be ineffective had it been any longer. This is the similar kind of silent charm which carries throughout the film. Which delivers the goods on the foundation of cleverly executed & adrenaline-pounding action sequences; which are some of the best ever animated. If that wasn't enough already, the film both looks and sounds great. The evil & demented Bison has planned to gather street fighters from around the globe, particularly the both infamous & famous "Ryu"; said to be the greatest fighter on the face of the planet, after having rocked the Earth with his victory over the hulking & ruthless "Sagat". For what it is, the plot thickens. Chun-Li has matched a joined investigation with American military forces, in this scenario head by the popular character Guile (It appears that it doesn't matter who heads organizations these days in anime). There are several key fight scenes in the film, & all of them are well-animated, fast & detailed. Characters are as well, wonderfully muscular & over-exaggerated. While they mainly serve as exploitation & structure points, the heart of the film (If it had one) lies in the close relationship between Ryu & "Ken"; the kind-hearted, egocentric & often debased in tone best friend of "Ryu". There is a heavy amount of the movie's dialogue centered around the two, but it (naturally) wastes itself on common platitudes and a horde of clichés too numerous to comprehend within an hour and a half. Which all of which somehow manage to surface quite nicely through the passable plotline. If there's one thing good about the American release of the film, it's the testosterone-fueled soundtrack which rumbles across the moments with the action; there is perfect accompaniment, & it's smooth in the way it transcends even the most painful moments of dialogue between main characters. All or most of which, fans have seen before from one time or another in the form of redemption & revenge undertakings, further exploitation monologues & of course you're dreaded assemblement of character-driven tongue n' cheek commentary. Which varies anywhere from the inane 'aphorisms', to the atrociously obvious & blatant final moves. Yet all of this seems forgivable when you've got that roaring sound & animation sequences to boot. The look of the film is relatively clean, though it could've been more refined; however this is not at all to say that the animation itself is not; it is, but perhaps it could have been more. Both the exposition elements, dialogue scenes & interrogations in the movie are incredibly laughable; & the environments which accompany them pop right out of a 1950s television movie set. Which more so, do little or nothing to encompass the world of Street Fighter, which is a little more slight above the notch of plausible (And Hey; do they really need to exploit some of the relationships randomly like they do?). But fans aren't watching "Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie" to watch characters conjure about their existence, recite monologues of ancient philosophy or embrace one another in sheer dramatic admission; they're watching it to see "Ryu", "Ken", "Guile", "Chun-Li", "Vega", "Balrog", "Zangief", "Cammy", "Bison" & the rest of them kick serious ass; at everyone or one another, regardless of what side they're on. And even though it sometimes helps to lay those cards out on the table, whether it be in an elegant or forthcoming manor; one thing is for certain. When it comes to "Street Fighter", the fans are all the cards we need & that's neither a profound or engaging thing at times; but it's sure as heck a really fun thing. And it seems to me in the end amidst all the hub bub of such notions: that when you come right down to taking things like that away from animes like Street Fighter, what you're left with is "Fatal Fury". Click Here To See Overview! |
