5.2 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.2 |
Evil meets its match in this daring martial arts adventure about two teen brothers out to stop an obsessed tycoon from finding both halves of a mystical talisman.
Starring: Robert Patrick, Mark Dacascos, Scott Wolf, Kristina Wagner, Julia NicksonComedy | 100% |
Sci-Fi | Insignificant |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: Dolby Digital 5.1
English: LPCM 2.0
German: Dolby Digital 2.0
English SDH, French, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
In a way it’s kind of refreshing to hear producer Don Murphy and writers Michael Davis and Peter Gould unabashedly admit in some interviews included on this new Blu-ray release as supplements that Double Dragon just doesn’t work, even though all three of them insist there’s “fun” to be had for viewers tolerant enough to look for some. Double Dragon was just one of a slew of 1990s properties that were based on videogames, a “new” genre at the time that included films like Super Mario Bros. that preceded Double Dragon, and a bunch of others like Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat that either came out at around the same time as Double Dragon, or followed in its somewhat questionable wake. None of the 1990s era “based on a videgame” films is probably ever going to make it to anyone’s “all time classic” list, but as Murphy, Davis and Gould almost lovingly recount, there’s a certain nostalgia factor for those of a certain age who may have grown up on early cable broadcasts of Double Dragon or who may have even owned or rented early home media versions (going back to the VHS era).
Double Dragon is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of MVD Visual's MVD Rewind imprint with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. Those who grew up with this film in previous home media incarnations will probably be generally thrilled with this release, while others new to the film may be considerably less enthralled. This looks it was sourced from an older element that has recurrent if fairly minor damage in the form of nicks, scratches and dirt. The palette also appears somewhat faded, with flesh tones skewing toward brown, though that said, the film's often lunatic production design, which features a lot of bright and bold primary colors, can pop quite well. There's fairly wide variability in the grain field, which may bother some viewers, though some of this is due to understandable issues like a surplus of old school compositing and other special effects work. While there aren't any major compression issues, grain is thick enough at times that it can look positively chunky, with a yellowish undertone.
Fans of Double Dragon may be disappointed that the surround track on the Blu-ray disc is a lossy Dolby Digital version, but even the LPCM 2.0 track didn't sound overly energetic to me, with somewhat anemic overall amplitude and without a ton of wide stereo imaging. That said, with expectations properly tempered, the surround track included here does open up the soundstage pretty significantly, especially in some of the fight sequences, though the low end doesn't have a ton of "oomph". The stereo track probably has overall balance between high and low frequencies, delivering dialogue and effects without any major issues.
Kind of hilariously, some of the people associated with Double Dragon went on to rather spectacularly successful Hollywood careers, including co-writer Peter Gould, who was a guiding force behind Breaking Bad (hence my obviously joking subtitle underneath the review title, above). That said, this is one of those cult films whose appeal may be linked pretty dramatically to those with an emotional attachment to having seen it when they were kids. As several people integrally involved in the making of Double Dragon almost giddily admit in some of the supplements included on this Blu-ray disc, the film just does not work as a whole, even if there are sporadic fun elements to be found in it. Those aforementioned supplements may in fact be one of the major selling points of this release to those without an emotional attachment to the film. Video and audio both have intermittent hurdles to overcome, but my hunch is fans of Double Dragon will be generally well pleased with this release.
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