Corey Yeun's mindless video game movie is just what the doctor ordered for those days when you've lost your brain and can't find it. This is high class trash cinema that should be high on your popcorn list.
The plot of the movie has a group of the world's best fighters all being chosen to go to an island for the DOA contest where they will compete for a 10 million dollar prize. The main characters are women so we get to see lots of beautiful woman fighting and frolicking on a tropical island. The contest is a cover for Eric Roberts to use his computers to take all of their fighting information so he can be the worlds best fighter thanks to a program which he intends to sell to the highest bidder(or something similar).
So un-serious from the get go its a wonder that people dislike the film for being silly. The trailer and most of the promotional material let you know going in this is a silly western martial arts movie with its tongue through its cheek and lots of unreal wire work. The action riffs on every martial arts film you've seen and does so in such an inoffensive way that you just go along with it. This is form and substance over meaning and its all a great deal of fun. Its silly in the right sort of smile producing way. If you go in expecting mindless (really mindless-but intentionally so) entertainment you'll enjoy yourself a great deal.
I really liked the film. If I have any misgivings its that the film loses focus in the final half hour as plot lines are dropped or hurried through. At some point the film gives up real plot for action leaving only a sketch of where its going. Thats fine since by then the film is just nonstop action of the highest (well not highest, most entertaining) order. this is one of those films destined to become a guilty pleasure once it hits cable, you know the ones where you stop every time its on and watch it to the end.
You will want to rent this at some point since its a blast.
(The Chinese DVD I saw had about 9 minutes of deleted scenes. You'll want to see them. Some were rightly removed but a few others really should have stayed in.)
The plot of the movie has a group of the world's best fighters all being chosen to go to an island for the DOA contest where they will compete for a 10 million dollar prize. The main characters are women so we get to see lots of beautiful woman fighting and frolicking on a tropical island. The contest is a cover for Eric Roberts to use his computers to take all of their fighting information so he can be the worlds best fighter thanks to a program which he intends to sell to the highest bidder(or something similar).
So un-serious from the get go its a wonder that people dislike the film for being silly. The trailer and most of the promotional material let you know going in this is a silly western martial arts movie with its tongue through its cheek and lots of unreal wire work. The action riffs on every martial arts film you've seen and does so in such an inoffensive way that you just go along with it. This is form and substance over meaning and its all a great deal of fun. Its silly in the right sort of smile producing way. If you go in expecting mindless (really mindless-but intentionally so) entertainment you'll enjoy yourself a great deal.
I really liked the film. If I have any misgivings its that the film loses focus in the final half hour as plot lines are dropped or hurried through. At some point the film gives up real plot for action leaving only a sketch of where its going. Thats fine since by then the film is just nonstop action of the highest (well not highest, most entertaining) order. this is one of those films destined to become a guilty pleasure once it hits cable, you know the ones where you stop every time its on and watch it to the end.
You will want to rent this at some point since its a blast.
(The Chinese DVD I saw had about 9 minutes of deleted scenes. You'll want to see them. Some were rightly removed but a few others really should have stayed in.)