DOA: DEAD OR ALIVE

Starring:
Jaime Pressly, Holly Valance, Devon Aoki, Sarah Carter, Natassia Malthe, Matthew Marsden, Kane Kosugi and Eric Roberts

Director:
Corey Yuen

Running Time:
87 mins

Out to buy on DVD 08/01/07

"Game Over"

The best fighters from around the world gather to compete an elite contest called DOA: Dead or Alive. With each competitor matched up by computer, which looks at their fighting style, strength, speed and skill, they face off to produce the ultimate fight. Christie Allen (Valance), Kasumi (Aoki) and Tina Armstrong (Pressly) all have different reasons for entering the competition however but they are all fighting towards the $10 million prize for the winner.

Video game adaptations have always made awful movie but can 'DOA: Dead or Alive' fight against this trend and emerge victorious?

After the failure of films like 'Street Fighter', 'Super Mario Brothers', 'Doom', 'House of the Dead', 'Alone in the Dark' and so on, there are very few video game adaptations that have been box office hits or finding any critical acclaim. You have had some hits like 'Lara Croft: Tomb Raider', 'Mortal Kombat' and 'Silent Hill' but they are hardly classics. The problem is that each of these games has the potential to be great film franchises but every movie that comes out never quite finds the essence of the game. Unfortunately 'DOA: Dead or Alive' doesn't buck this trend.

The 'Dead or Alive' gaming franchise is very popular but not as well loved amongst gamers as the 'Tekken', 'Streetfighter' or 'Virtua Fighter', so the decision to base a movie on it is a strange one. Also the fact that the game is just a fighting game means that there is little here in the way of plot or story to build on. This is the problem of most video game adaptations so then they end up making up a story that is extremely basic and just a way of linking action sequences together.

'DOA: Dead or Alive' is a contest to find the best fighters in the world but there is an added plot of super fighter technology that is completely unnecessary. The essence of the game is here however. The fights are energetic, with scenery been smashed and take place exotic locations. There is a volleyball sequence for fans that love the spin off game of the series and of course all your favourite character are here.

The stroke of genius on the filmmaker's part is making the female characters from the game the main emphasis of the plot and they are the things that fantasies are made of. Jaime Pressly, Holly Valance, Devon Aoki and Sarah Carter as Tina, Christie, Kasumi and Helena fight in various states of undress, wearing as little as possible as they kick butt. This is pure titillation and what strangely makes the movie more watchable than it should have been but only from a male point of view. The girls have fun with their roles and are as sexy as hell but the male roles suffer from their presence. Neither Matthew Marsden, Brian J. White, Kane Kosugi and Steve Howey's characters have much development and are simply there to provide some love interest for the girls. Eric Roberts is a suitable villain but he isn't the greatest actor in the world.

Coming from the director of 'The Transporter' and producer Paul W. S. Anderson, you shouldn't go into this movie expecting much and you won't be that disappointed. If you want to watch beautiful women fighting in bikinis then this is the film for you and it is this that makes the movie more enjoyable than it should have ever been.

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1 with Dolby Digital 5.1, the movie is presented extremely well.

BONUS FEATURES

Making Dead or Alive (22.15 mins)
Director Corey Yuen, producer Jeremy Bolt and stars Jaime Pressly, Holly Valance, Sarah Carter, Devon Aoki, Natassia Malthe, Matthew Marsden, Kane Kosugi and Eric Roberts talk about bringing the video game to the silver screen. The cast and crew talk about the characters, the fights, training, locations and capturing the essence of the game, including the famous volleyball sequence. This is a good featurette that takes you behind the scenes of the movie of the game.

Deleted Scenes (8.53 mins)
Fifteen deleted or extended scenes that show you more of the fights, the volleyball match and villain Donavan revealing more about his plan. Unfortunately the scenes do not have a commentary track or introduction to reveal why they were removed.

OVERALL

The featurette and deleted scenes are fine but a film like 'DOA: Dead or Alive' was crying out for a commentary track from the leading ladies. Fans will be disappointed not to her from the fight babes, especially Jaime Pressley, who is very funny.

DVD

The Transporter


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2006