What happens when the newsreader from the V TV series teams up with The Crow (Stairway to Heaven-era) to do battle against T-1000 from Terminator 2 and his evil army? Let’s find out!
Based on the videogame of the same name, Double Dragon is a fairly standard tale concerning a baddie known as Koga Shuko (Robert Patrick/T-1000) who wants to harness the powers of the mystical Double Dragon medallion and take over the futuristic city of New Angeles – a rebuilt post-earthquake version of Los Angeles. He’s already found one half of the medallion and absorbed its power, but where could the other half be? Serious/goofy pair of berk brothers Jimmy and Billy Lee have got it, having inherited it from a long line of Kung Fu warriors. Shuko sends his best henchmen to retrieve the medallion, while Jimmy and Billy team up with the good guy faction known as the Power Corp to fight back and bring the bad guys down.
It plays out kind of like a kids’ version of Mad Max meets The Warriors, with Michelangelo and Donatello from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the starring roles. The fight choreography is fine, the explosions are great, the special effects are more than acceptable, the chases are pretty thrilling and, for the most part, the acting isn’t that bad. On the downside, almost every scene is littered with some of the cheesiest one-liners and misplaced comedy spots you’ve ever heard, and barely any of them hit the mark. Maybe it was funny back in 1994 when this was originally released, but a lot of the dialogue doesn’t hold up too well today.
The whole thing is as ridiculous as it sounds, which is either a good thing or a bad thing depending on your point of view. If you’re looking for something serious and gritty to sink a couple of hours into, you’re definitely not going to find that here. On the other hand, it’s certainly got its flaws but it’s still pretty good if you’re in the mood for something loud and daft to occupy yourself with.
The Blu-ray here seems to be a direct re-release of 2015’s disc, although this edition marks the film’s HD debut in America, so that’s something. We also get a whole bunch of extra features this time around (the previous release had nothing at all), so it might be worth fans double-dipping for this one. There’s a fantastic brand new near-70 minute “making of” documentary featuring interviews with all the major players (someone please give writers Michael Davis and Peter Gould their own TV show ASAP!), as well as an extended 25 minute interview with producer Don Murphy. We also get the pilot episode of the animated Double Dragon series (which we’d happily watch much more of), a large selection of stills galleries, and a couple of archival featurettes presumably taken from previous DVD releases (most of which are now out of print, so these are a decent inclusion here). A slipcase, reversible cover, and a mini poster complete what really is quite a wonderful set. Overall, a real treat for fans of 90s silliness!
Special features:
High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations of the main feature, Audio: English 5.1 Stereo, English 2.0 Stereo, German 2.0 Stereo, English, French and Spanish Subtitles, “The Making of Double Dragon” (full length documentary featuring interviews with stars Scott Wolf and Marc Dacascos, writers Peter Gould & Michael Davis and producer Don Murphy), “Don Murphy: Portrait of a Producer” featurette, 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
DOUBLE DRAGON / CERT: UNRATED / DIRECTOR: JAMES YUKICH / SCREENPLAY: MICHAEL DAVIS, PETER GOULD / STARRING: ROBERT PATRICK, MARK DACASCOS, SCOTT WOLF, ALYSSA MILANO, JULIA NICKSON, KRISTINA WAGNER / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW (USA)
