Starring - Robert Patrick (Terminator 2: Judgement Day, The Faculty), Mark Dacascos (John Wick 3, Brotherhood of the Wolf), and Scott Wolf (Saved by the Bell, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)
Release Date - 1994
Genre - Action/Comedy
Tagline - "Power. Justice. Darkness. Light."
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)
Rating (out of 5):
I'm a product of the 90s. I may be obsessed with 80s cinema but I cut my teeth on 90s television and movies along with the games during the initial console wars. I had an original Nintendo and a Sega Genesis so most weekends was spent renting old 80s tapes along with any new release that interested me along with a few games. When Double Dragon was released I rushed to the video store and grabbed the tape and the video game. The game was fun but quickly wore thin. However, the movie was all the crazy over the top fun that I loved from 90s movies. I know it was bad but I fucking loved it growing up. When MVD announced a blu release as part of their MVD Rewind Collection I had to check it out. I reached out to them and they were kind enough to send a review copy my way. Thanks guys!
The film follows the Lee brothers, Jimmy (Dacascos) and Billy (Wolf), who live with their guardian Satori who keeps half of the Double Dragon amulet. The evil Koga Shuko (Patrick) has the other half and will stop at nothing to get it. He tracks Satori down to get it and she dies but not before giving her half to the brothers to protect. They seek help from the street gang The Power Corps but things turn hairy for the brothers who quickly realize that they must work together to stop Koga Shuko or they will fall to him.
I loved this movie growing up and I can accredit this film, along with Street Fights, and Super Mario Bros., for my horrible taste in films. I hate say this movie is bad in a review but I refuse to lie. However, as bad as the movie is you can't deny the amount of fun it is. I could watch this movie, flaws included, several times a day and not tire of it. It's just a fun movie and the bad points of the movie just adds some unintentional humor. The acting in this is far from perfect. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if members of the cast won a Razzy. The cast delivers some of the cheesiest performances I have ever seen but I would be lying if I didn't admit how much I love them. The characters are all over the top in true 80s fashion which was starting to fall out of favor by this point. They do bring in some of the characters from the games but they feel more like characters from a Troma movie instead of a video game adaptation. I absolutely loved the story for this one. The night belonging to gangs along with the two pieces of an amulet that brings the wearer great power was always alluring as a kid. After 15 years or so I can say that this still holds up at least for me. The film rarely slows down and every scene just pulls you in. Finally, the film has pretty cool and elaborate sets along with some pretty cool practical effects. There is no gore or blood in this one but one of the characters is wearing a rubber suit that I always loved. Yea, it looks cheap but it works with the film. Overall, Double Dragon is bad but it's impossible not to have fun with it. The blu looks great and I highly recommend it to anyone that grew up in the 90s. Check it out. 
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