DOA: Dead or Alive Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

DOA: Dead or Alive Blu-ray Movie Review

Yet another sign of the impending apocalypse: I loved this movie.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman September 4, 2010

A certain self-described 14 year old videogame “expert” has weighed in with the invaluable opinion that the DOA franchise is “sucky.” Such eloquence and discernment in one so young is phenomenal, there’s no debating it. Though it may be simply further proof that my little gray cells have turned to mush, the film “adaptation” of the video game turns out to be a rather enjoyable, if suitably brainless, romp, against all odds and frankly against my jaded preconceptions. This is certainly not Art by any stretch of the imagination, but once in a while, we all need to let go and let scantily clad women beat each other to smithereens, wouldn’t you agree? DOA: Dead or Alive takes the videogame franchise’s main characters, plops them down in a suitably silly plot, complete with none other than Eric Roberts as the villain, and then simply segues from fight match to fight match as the rather minimal “plot” plays out in the background. And you know what? Under noted martial arts director Corey Yuen’s hyperkinetic guidance, it’s actually a lot of fun.

Princess Kasumi, about to leave her compound.

Yuen has amassed a notable oeuvre in the martial arts genre, including a film which recently came to Blu-ray via the Dragon Dynasty imprint and which I reviewed here for Blu-ray.com, The Legend. One might be tempted to think DOA is yet another martial arts epic set in a feudal Asian past, as the opening segment gives us traditionally clad Princess Kasumi (Devon Aoki), who seems caught up in the sort of nascent revolution that afflicts so many feudal Asian princesses in martial arts movies. Kasumi is determined to find her long missing brother, Hayate (Collin Chou). Kasumi’s protector, and one of Hayate’s best friends, Hayabusa (Kane Kosugi), pleads with the Princess not to leave the Imperial grounds and her clan, lest she become shinobi, an outcast, therefore marked for assassination by the purple-haired ninja Ayane (Natassia Malthe). Of course nothing can stop Kasumi, who leaps over the heads of warriors and literally flies beyond her fortress kingdom’s walls, at which point we suddenly realize we’re in a contemporary setting. It’s a nice little set up that appropriately winks at the genre while staying true to the design elements of the original game franchise.

We’re then introduced to the other main characters. Next up is professional wrestler Tina Armstrong (Jaime Pressly), a butt-kicking good ol’ girl who quickly dispatches some modern day pirates who have the misfortune to attack her yacht in the South China Sea. The third main female fighter is Christie Allen (Holly Valance), an international thief and killer who in her introductory segment handily escapes the long arm of the law after having been framed for a crime by her erstwhile boyfriend, Max (Matthew Marsden). Each of these women’s segments concludes with a flying disc shuriken informing them they’ve been invited to something called “DOA.”

DOA, it turns out through the magic of quick cutting and scene where all the major characters are aboard a private jet, is a mixed martial arts fighting tournament put together to determine who is the best overall battler in the world. Each of these people has been chosen as the best their individual technique has to offer. A spunky hostess (Sarah Carter) informs them via closed circuit television of the contest and then lets them know the only way onto the island where it’s being held is to don a parachute and jump. (It later turns out the hostess is Helena Douglas, daughter of the tournament’s founder, Fame Douglas).

Our three intrepid women characters manage to land outside of the island fortress’ perimeter and that sets up the first real set piece, where they must ascend the interior of a gigantic Buddha head in order to make the grounds by sunset, one of the qualifying rules. They quickly realize that, though they are competitor and not especially prone to like each other, they must work together to climb and gain entrance. Once they’re inside, they’re more or less welcomed by the rest of the crew and receive an introductory speech by the slimy Dr. Victor Donovan (Eric Roberts), the new head of DOATEC (Dead or Alive Tournament Executive Committee).

The rest of the film then whiplashes from fight event to fight event, as a couple of relatively minimal subplots play out in the background. Christie and Max learn there’s 100 million hidden in the tournament’s vaults and plan a daring heist. Tina has to contend both with her boorish wrestler father, Bass Armstrong (Kevin Nash), as well as Zack (Brian J. White), another fighter who keeps figuratively hitting on Tina until she literally hits on him. Kasumi is told by Donovan that her brother had been killed in the tournament the previous year, but she is suspicious and sets out to find him, even as Ayane keeps showing up at the most inopportune moments to try to kill her. Meanwhile Donovan’s tech nerd Weatherby (Steve Howey) has developed a crush on Helena and is trying to figure out how to get in the young girl’s good graces.

Suffice it to say Donovan’s motives are not exactly pure, and the three subplots converge in a silly yet effective denouement. In fact almost all of DOA: Dead or Alive is silly, and yet I simply couldn’t keep from liking the movie almost all of the time. It’s brisk, well filmed, has clearly defined characters (often cartoonish, yes, but clearly defined nonetheless), and, best of all, it simply doesn’t take itself seriously. This is typical escapist summer popcorn flick fare, and nothing more. Personally I’d rather take 100 of these unpretentious movies than one of the many supposedly “high minded” Art House films that ooze down the screen from any number of independent filmmakers these days. Every film doesn’t have to be Citizen Kane, and Lord knows, DOA: Dead or Alive isn’t. It’s an effective, funny and goofy romp with a lot of beautiful women, nice sets and appealingly fast paced fight sequences. What more could you really ask for as the summer movie viewing season comes to a close?

DOA: Dead or Alive Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

DOA: Dead or Alive looks quite good with its AVC encoded 1080p image (in 2.35:1). Color is bright and brilliantly saturated throughout the film, especially in the luscious island scenes. Two set pieces really stand out, a fight in the rain, where each individual droplet is discernable, and a really nice battle between Kasumi and Ayane in a bamboo forest, obviously a cliché of this genre, but one which here looks spectacular. Depth of field is also excellent, and close-ups reveal a wealth of detail in the faces of these lovely women. Black levels and contrast are also excellent, to the point where Christie's dark bikini briefs can be clearly seen beneath a billowing dark trenchcoat, despite the scene being shot at night. Ayane's purple hair and black and purple costume also bristle nicely with detail.

DOA: Dead or Alive Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Surprisingly there's no lossless audio included on this Blu-ray. Instead a perfectly serviceable, if less than spectacuarly robust, Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is offered (in English and French). As is to be expected, surround channels are utilized quite well in all of the battle sequences, with foley effects of body slams and breaking items in the environment zing around the head of the listener. There are some great panning effects as action moves laterally or, in a couple of cases, "over the head" of the viewer from upstage to downstage. Dialogue is crisp and clear, and the film's many source music cues are also very well mixed into the overall soundfield. Where this track is lacking some "oomph" is in the low end, something a lossless option would have provided in abundance. Especially in some of the smackdown segments, there's just a little bit of shallowness on the low end that keeps it from being a typically overwhelming sonic experience.

DOA: Dead or Alive Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Three okay supplements are offered here, including a featurette entitled East Meets West (SD;11:02), which is actually pretty interesting for this EPK sort of thing. Also on tap are Deleted Scenes (SD; 6:25), fairly forgettable unless you really want to see a scene with Jaime Pressly belching, and the Theatrical Trailer.

DOA: Dead or Alive Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Maybe I simply review too many highbrow releases like opera and ballet, and the chance to wallow in something this completely mindless came at the right time. But there really is a lot to enjoy here, and not just because of the prurient interest quotient. DOA riffs on the martial arts genre in generally effective ways, delivering some very well orchestrated fight scenes, and managing to make a fairly cogent film out of a videogame franchise. It's mindless, yes. But it's also engagingly fun, and so comes recommended.