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A lot of people talk trash about the first video game movie, 1993’s Super Mario Bros., but not enough people talk smack about the second video game movie, 1994’s Double Dragon.
But, while some people have reevaluated the first Super Mario Bros. film and are now on its defense force (such as myself), I don’t think I’ve ever seen anybody saying that they would die on the hill defending Double Dragon, and I think I know why.
It’s because it sucks. And, I don’t mean in a so-bad-it’s-kinda-good sort of way like Mortal Kombat Annihilation. I mean, bad to the point of being forgettable. And, as a game/movie historian, I don’t want people to forget about it. So, that’s why I want to talk about Double Dragon today…even though it’s awful.
First, The Post-Apocalyptic Setting In Double Dragon Is Nowhere Near As Interesting As The Setting Found In Super Mario. Bros.
A distinct art style is important. Even the first Street Fighter movie, which also came out in ‘94 (has its fans, for sure), had a distinct style. Art direction matters, and it can even elevate the worst movies to being somewhat interesting.
So, do you want to know what the first Mario Bros. movie did? It ripped off Blade Runner. As a kid, I hated this, but as an adult, it’s one of the things that stands out the most for me. Dinohattan had a weird, cyberpunk aesthetic, and I applaud them for going that route, even though it looks NOTHING like the games.
Well, Double Dragon takes place in the far-off year of…2007, and earthquakes have ravaged Los Angeles. This has turned the city into New Angeles, and it’s post-apocalyptic. However, it’s not so in an interesting way, like the Mad Max movies. Instead, station wagons have computer monitors and rocket boosters, the gangs rule the streets, and people have mohawks.
Honestly, it looks more punk rock than anything else. The Mario Bros. movie did a far better job of showing a messed-up world. So, yeah, Dinohattan, memorable. New Angeles, not so much.
Abobo Is Nightmare Fuel
Now, Double Dragon isn’t Street Fighter. In fact, they’re not even in the same genre. Street Fighter’s a fighting game, and Double Dragon is what’s considered a beat ‘em up. And, in beat ‘em ups, the characters walk around and just beat people up until they reach the end boss…and then beat them up, too.
In this way, beat ‘em ups typically have less memorable characters than fighting games. Well, if there’s any character besides Billy and Jimmy Lee in the Double Dragon series that people likely know about, it’s Abobo, who’s one of the bosses in the Double Dragon games.
So, of course, they included him in the movie, but oh, my God. Look how they massacred my boy. He’s hideous! Now, yes, this is to make you sympathize with the character, as the main villain, Koga Shuko (Played by Robert Patrick, who I loved in The Marine, but hate in this), turned him into this monstrosity. But still! He looks terrible!
I mean, does he look as bad as the goombas in the Super Mario Bros. movie? It’s definitely debatable. But, whereas I find the goombas kind of cute with their silly grins, I just can’t get over how bad Abobo looks, especially when compared to how cool he looks in the games. Yuck.
The Two Lead Actors Are No Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo, That’s For Sure
Look, I’m well aware that a lot of people (besides the actor himself) didn’t think John Leguizamo played a great Luigi, but since I like Leguizamo in everything, I was happy that he played the role. The same goes for Bob Hoskins as Mario. I was a huge Who Framed Roger Rabbit fan at the time of SMB’s release, so I had no problem with him playing Mario.
And Dennis Hopper? Absolutely! Sure, he’s a weird King Koopa, but everything about the movie is weird, so that wasn’t really a huge deal for me. In every way, I think those actors actually elevate the movie rather than bring it down. Double Dragon doesn’t have that luxury, though. Party of Five’s Scott Wolf plays the hero, Billy Lee, and Brotherhood of the Wolf’s Mark Dacascos plays his brother, Jimmy.
No offense to either actor, but they ain’t Bob Hoskins or John Leguizamo, that’s for sure. And even though I love Robert Patrick, he’s no Dennis Hopper. The only star this movie got who I would say is superior to anybody in the Super Mario Bros. film is Alyssa Milano, who (and I just learned this today) actually plays the woman who’s kidnapped at the beginning of the first game.
She plays a resistance leader in the movie, which is way different from the game (and better), but there are a LOT of differences between the game and the movie, which I’ll get into next.
Plus, The Movie Effectively Expanded The Lore Of The Video Games…But Not In A Good Way
Beat ‘em ups aren’t typically known for their riveting stories. Sure, fighting games aren’t, either, but they typically have more of a narrative. Whether it’s Zangief dancing with Gorbachev, or Kazuya smiling after dropping his dad off a ledge, fighting games like Street Fighter and Tekken already have lore built into them, so movies typically have plenty of source material to work with.
However, beat ‘em ups like Double Dragon are a lot more simplistic, and that’s fine. You’re not there for the story. You’re there to hit the punch button hundreds of times. For example, in the first DD game, your girlfriend is punched in the stomach, and then kidnapped. That’s it. Obviously, the movie couldn’t just go with that, but they went WAY overboard with the lore, expanding it way too far.
The movie is about two half-medallions that, when combined, give the wearers special powers, which, um, okay. However, following the movie, the franchise got really weird. We got an animated series that featured the brothers fighting a Shadow Master. We got a weird fighting game, and we even got a Neo Geo title based on the movie.
But all of these new narratives made a once-simplistic story into something with too much lore. And, I blame the movie for this. I mean, at least the Mario Bros. movie is as far away from the games as possible. The Double Dragon movie seemed to have spilled into the games with its expansion of the lore, which also sucks, because the lore is not good!
Lastly, It’s Mostly Forgettable, Which Is The Worst Thing About It
I once ranked the best video game movies, and while Mortal Kombat made the cut (And the original Mario Bros. movie made the cut PRIOR to the 2023 animated film, which knocked the ‘93 movie off my list), Double Dragon did not. Here’s the thing: it wasn’t even close to making it.
Yeah, whereas I debated if I wanted to put Street Fighter or one of the Resident Evil movies on the list, I didn’t even consider Double Dragon. And, do you know why? It’s because I often forget that it even exists.
Because Double Dragon’s biggest sin is that it’s not memorable. In fact, I always forget about it until I tick off every video game movie in my head that I’ve seen, and then I remember, “Oh, yeah. There’s a Double Dragon movie!” Which is why I wrote this article. Because I forgot about it, and I don’t want you to forget about it, too.
Have you even seen it? If you have, I’d love to hear your thoughts!