15. Street Fighter Steelbook
M. Bison (Raul Julia) has taken hostages and threatens the world! Colonel Guile (Jean-Claude Van Damme) and his fellow soldiers (fighters) join the fight and take it to Bison on his island hideout!
This movie is not good. The dialogue, subpar directing and weird choices, (seriously what’s up with Blanka’s design?). Making Van Damme from Louisiana as a way to explain his accent. It does make for a fun watch though, with classic lines as;
“Now, who wants to stay at home…and who wants to go with ME!”
“I know you like to look at yourself on television, you sick son of a bitch! So look at this! (Guile flips Bison off!)
“No you’ve lost your balls!”
“No thanks! I already found something worthwhile.” “I don’t understand” “I know you don’t”
Raul Julia is pretty great in the film. He chews the scenery with great command. Julia knows exactly what kind of movie he is in and he embraces it. And his performance is that much better after watching the bonus features and learning how sick he was and he still rallied and gave a memorable performance.
Grade: D+
Street Fighter Video Quality
Street Fighter isn’t quite a champion in the video department. I wasn’t expecting a great transfer, because honestly the film doesn’t deserve it. The film is pleasing to look at and the colors do look better than I remember, but I hadn’t seen the film in 20 years so who knows if I am seeing the best version of the film. Some scenes look great, others especially if they are dark are not as polished, Good not great.
Grade: B
Street Fighter Audio Quality
Kicks and punches hit the mark with a solid DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. It is really loud and doesn’t have many quiet moments. But that’s ok, I want to hear the cringe worthy dialogue and it delivers crystal clear.
Grade: B+
Street Fighter Bonus Features
Street Fighter as a movie is lame and not very good. Sometimes however these make for the best bonus features as long as everyone involved is honest and this disc is worth owning for the great special features.
Operation Shadaloo: Making of Street Fighter: Writer/Director Steven E de Souza delivers an informative and fun interview. The troubled production, Raul Julia’s courageous fight, and Jean-Claude Van Damme’s casting.
I Will Crush You: Ken vs Chapa: Another fun interview with the actor who played Ken.
Game Over: Scoring Street Fighter: An interview with Composer Graeme Revell
It Was Tuesday: Producing Street Fighter: A short but good interview with Edward Pressman
The Strongest Woman in the World: Ming-Na vs Chun-Li: The great Ming-Na Wen talks about playing Chun-Li, another really great interview.
Ultimate Badass: JCVD at Universal: If only this was an interview with the action star, but it is a great one with author David J. Moore.
Attack Me if You Dare: Game vs Film: Possibly my favorite interview, this one is with Street Fighter Historian (I want that job) Oliver Harper.
Also ported over are some legacy features, which include;
The Making of Street Fighter
Outtakes
Deleted Scenes
Crisis in Shaladoo
Archives
Commentary
Trailers
Bonus! A replica of M. Bison money is included in the steelbook! Dope!
Grade: A+
Street Fighter is not a good movie. The acting, the writing, the direction, the production design and some of the casting leave a lot to be desired. It is fun though and Mill Creek did a great job bringing this to blu-ray. A cool looking steelbook and some truly awesome bonus features make this a fun purchase.
Overall: A