Double Dragon: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		2.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		2.5

Double Dragon: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman June 16, 2022

Usually, when I am about to start a review, I insert the disc into the player and hang out in the menu screen for a bit while I get some ancillary helps and a notes template set up, add in the necessary disc specs, and so on and so forth. With Double Dragon: The Complete Series, those main menu screen moments proved most valuable, allowing me to get a gist for the entire series in a just a few short, repeating theme song verses: "to be a Dragon you gotta be strong...you gotta not brag...you gotta fight wrong with right with the power and the mark of the Dragon"...and so on and so forth. It's very 90s for sure in its core coolness and moral simplicity. Then, there is the wise, mystic voiceover that really defines the "code of the dragon:" "never intentionally harm another. Do not battle if you can avoid it." Of course, there will be battles. After all, the show is based on the Double Dragon video game franchise which is one of the classic beat-'em-up games (similar to games like Streets of Rage and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) from the 80s arcade and NES eras and which has lived on for decades in various forms and fashions. Of course, this show is far more narrative based than the games, which generally require the players to simply plow through various enemies in front of varied backdrops.

Official synopsis: To be a dragon you gotta be strong, humble, never braggin’; always fight for right battling wrong, with the power of the dragon. Training his whole life in the martial arts under the Oldest Dragon, Billy Lee’s life is turned upside down by the arrival of his long-lost brother Jimmy. The two Lee siblings must join forces to protect the world against those who would use the Black Flame to conquer it, defending against the cruel Shadow Master and his dark machinations. Along with new allies in the form of the Dragon Warriors, Billy and Jimmy Lee battle all over the city, the world, and even the wild unknowns of the World Wide Web! With the twin dragons upon their chest, they are the Double Dragons!

Double Dragon is a bit of a strange creature, narratively. The foundation is built upon the Dragon's code, which preaches peace and nonconfrontation. However, this is ultimately an action show bas on a beat-'em-up video game, so there is a caveat in the code: "if you must fight, do not injure. Never intentionally harm another." The Dragons "fight for right" in just about every episode, and often to spectacular fashion. The show is awash in action -- punches, kicks, throws, swordplay, laser guns -- and the action is the defining characteristic and the reason to watch. The irony may be lost on younger fans just looking for some action, but at least the code grounds the characters and firmly cements them in the "good guy" category without traversing through the more narratively rich, but also trite, gray area morality that is more the base in today's Action landscape.

The show does take some time to develop its main characters with some level of tangible depth and resolve, refusing to allow them to be one-trick action ponies. The "twins" angle is played up nicely with some consequential bonding elements between them. Their upbringings -- they were separated at birth -- could not have been more different: Billy was raised by the peaceful Dragon Master Oldest Dragon, while Jimmy was raised by the villainous Shadow Master. Jimmy, of course, has a fissure with his evil mentor and joins Billy on the path of goodness, but their opposing personalities bring some depth to the content, both in action and away from it. However, much of the core drama takes place in just the show's opening salvos; from there on is a parade of original content and characters. None of the support heroes earn much depth, save for perhaps Marion Martin, a local law enforcement officer. Otherwise, the show revels in generic characters, overwrought and underdeveloped villains, and a general sense of flatness. It's still fun, but it is also rather unimaginative and very linear in its totality.

Double Dragon: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Expectations are always key for Discotek's "SD on BD" line of classic animated titles dropped onto Blu-ray less for visual acumen and more for full series convenience. The picture, which is framed at its original 4x3 aspect ratio which preserves the original broadcast parameters by placing vertical "black bars" on either side of the widescreen 1.78:1, is presented at the 480i resolution. The image deals with a slew of SD faults, like false colors, uneven lines, interlacing issues, mosquito noise, shimmering and aliasing, source blemishes, and the like. However, it is also very watchable in context. While it lacks the precision, stability, clarity, and all of the other characteristics of a crisp, efficient HD image, fans should find this one to fall in the "good enough" category so long as they are watching for content and fun, not to nitpick a source. Anyone wanting a perfect image and a perfect image only should stay away, but otherwise this one should satisfy, in context. Colors are adequality stout, lacking brilliance and nuance, but the various reds and blues are very satisfying.

Double Dragon: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack is just fine and more than adequate. It's actually quite a bit of fun. It's aggressive as can be within the encode and sports a wide berth for music and effects alike with focused center content when necessary, especially considering dialogue. Clarity is fairly strong, allowing listeners to enjoy the theme and score as intended while also soaking up the details of various action effects. Even without a subwoofer channel in play there is a decent sense of depth to the action content. Movement along the front is fine, too. Dialogue is clear and intelligible as well with, again, a nice feeling of placement where the center channel sits, here otherwise unused.

Double Dragon: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Double Dragon: The Complete Series contains one supplement: Double Dragon V Tips (480i, 4:41) offers, as it states, some gameplay tips on how to conquer the game. This is an older piece supporting a game that released in 1994 on the Super Nintendo. Unlike the original game, which was a side scrolling beat-'em-up, this is a traditional fighting game. It is based on the TV show. This release contains no DVD or digital copies, but it does feature reversible over art; the alternate looks a little more like the slipcover, which is non-embossed. The disc itself has printing to make it look like an old NES game cartridge.

Double Dragon: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Double Dragon may not rise to a level of animation excellence, and it strays from the game source material (though in all honesty it had to build a fuller world). Still, it's a fun if not very linear and rote sort of production that kids and genre fans should enjoy well enough; just don't expect to find a hidden classic. Discotek's Blu-ray is close to featureless, but the packaging is very nice. Video is fine within the company's "SD on BD" presentation style and the audio, while only two-channel lossy, is very good. Recommended.