One of my all time favorites.

best movie i've ever seen.

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Honestly, perhaps the most perplexing thing about 2009's "Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li" is just how completely and utterly average a movie it really is. It's basically completely sanitary and relatively inoffensive in its structuring, with just competent enough production values and a generally passable cast. But it's so plain and "blah," you can't help but feel yourself starting to nod off should you chose to give it a watch. And I think that's the real problem. It's not the terrible crime against film that it's made out to be... it's just so wholly unremarkable as a movie-going experience, that it feels empty and pointless. It really does remind one of those cheap-o 90's direct-to-video action flicks that used to pollute the video-store shelves back in the day. This feels like the sort-of film you'd rent on a whim because it looks like it might be good for a laugh, watch on a Friday night and forget about a day later. The sort of film Z-grade actors like Antonio Sabato Jr. or Cynthia Rothrock would pop up in and kick some butt while a cheesy synth soundtrack blared in the background. But inexplicably, this one somehow got a theatrical release, a $50 million budget and was tied in to a popular tournament-fighter video-game series. Unfortunately, unlike the other "Street Fighter" live-action adaptation, which at least was semi-comedic and benefited from campy laughs and a great performance by the late Raul Julia... "The Legend of Chun-Li" is just boring and mind-numbing in its standardness.The film follows one of the characters from the "Street Fighter" game series, Chun-Li. When she was only a child, she witnessed the kidnapping of her father by the dreaded M. Bison. Years later, after losing her mother to cancer, she encounters martial-arts master Gen, and trains under him, vowing to get vengeance for her father's abduction. And so, the film degenerates into a standard tale of action and revenge as our heroine faces various thugs and obstacles in her struggles against Bison and his cronies. Yawn.It shouldn't be too surprising that the film is helmed by Polish cinematographer-turned-director Andrzej Bartkowiak. After all, he was already responsible for another extremely bland and toothless video-game adaptation in "Doom", and this film falls into many of the same trappings as that release. Inspired by a video-game source material yet afraid to follow the details and formula of the original work. Filled with lots of high-concept ideas but a slave to clichés. Cast with generally decent performers who are hampered by sub-par screen writing. And assembled with relative competence while simultaneously feeling generic and trite. While Bartkowiak's films might not be as ludicrously awful as other, more infamous video-game movie directors (I'm looking at you, Uwe Boll), in a way, his films are worse. At least the poorer films generate some talking points due to their overt failures... Bartkowiak's are merely wholly forgettable.To give credit where it is due, the film does have some minor strengths. I really liked some of the supporting cast for one. It was really great seeing "Mortal Kombat" star Robin Shou back on the screen as martial-artist Gen, and he's a criminally underrated and highly likable actor. It was also good fun seeing the late Michael Clarke Duncan as one of Bison's main cronies. Some of the action was appropriately thrilling and the effects were generally passable. And there's even a few really fun, schlock-tastic instances of blood and gore in the Unrated version of the film that generate an appropriately queasy response.But the script by Justin Marks is the most basic of the basic, the cinematography is flat and uninspired and lead actress Kristin Kreuk is hilariously un-charismatic, leaving the film just feeling dull. Not terrible. Just dull and average at best. There was really no reason this film should have been tied to "Street Fighter" besides brand recognition, and it could just have easily been re-written to be an "original" story. The purported $50 million is barely visible on- screen and could easily have been slashed in half. And the movie really didn't warrant a release on the big-screen. This really is just about on- par your standard direct-to-video action-thriller. And that's where it should have been released. At least then, I would have known to set my standards a bit lower."Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li" is a 4 out of 10. If you catch it on cable and there's nothing else on, give it a shot. It'll at least kill 90 minutes on a slow afternoon. But if you're thinking about actually paying to rent or buy it, don't bother.

When producers know that the 1994 movie completely flopped into nothing but an inside joke, they could have turned around and decided to make a serious movie that could have driven the Street Fighter game to new levels, but no, they crapped it all down the tubes. The sequencing is absolutely terrible, they start out with a narrative, and have a few good parts, but then the narrative just keeps going and the movie keeps bogging itself down with very poor wire-stunt work, and some of the worst acting I've ever seen. The "kungfu master" Gen, who is obviously a combined character of Ken and Ryu, has the most cliché dialog ever thought up to go along with his infinitely cliché role. The only really good performances I could find were from Michael Clark Duncan and Neal McDonough. Through out the movie, you could very easily predict what was going to happen several minutes before it actually did. All in all, another depressing look at one of my favorite childhood past-times, put into live action and carelessly flailed across the screen.

This terrible movie makes Van Damme movie look like a masterpiece in comparison. The movie makers were promising a more mature picture that will change the fate of movies based on computer games forever. Promises , promises… The movie seems to follow "Batman begins". The story about Chun Li reminds me quite a lot of Wayne's story – similar motivation , traveling around the world , finding a teacher from secret society , becoming an urban legend. The inspiration is good , but it's badly made.The movie wants to be realistic , yet the fights defy the laws of gravity and there are magical powers too. The Dark knight trilogy had more or less far fetched science fiction gadgets , but bringing a magic into movie is a completely different thing. I mean seriously it just looks stupid and laughable when other characters seem to treat it as something natural . Either the movie makers should make a movie in fantastical world (like Van Damme's movie) where magic would be natural or set the movie in real world and don't use it . You can't have both the realistic world and magic . Same goes for the over the top fights . The lack of gravity in "Matrix" makes sense , here it doesn't.The acting is awful . The only good actor here is Michael Clarke Duncan (RIP) , but even he is limited by terrible dialogue lines. It's sad to see him in another crappy movie. I guess it was really hard for him to find a good role worthy his talent considering his physical appearance. Kristin Kreuk who plays the main role is pretty and actually OK . She puts a heart in her performance , but she can't save this big mess. Other actors and actresses should never do anything related to movie making.I doubt that fans of computer game will be satisfied with this movie as adaptation . With the exception of Chun Li other characters who appear here barely resemble the characters from the game. Especially Vega who was supposed to be bad ass , yet ends pathetic. I understand the need for changes , but in the end Van Damme's movie has much more cheesy charm and reminds the game better. It also doesn't take itself too seriously like "Chun Li movie" .Bad acting , dialogue , badly written screenplay , many scenes who were supposed to be awesome are laughable (the seduction of Bison's assistant , soul into child , escape from torture and many more) , dumb fights , weak special effects. Jesus ,seriously better watch Van Damme's movie . At least is unpretentious and funny.I give it 1/10.

I honestly thought I was watching some low budget TV show. But then it went on for over an hour and a half...so I began to think I was watching a special extra long premiere. Then during commercial break it said something about the Sunday night movie will continue... I couldn't believe that this was an actual movie...as a TV show it was OK but knowing now that this was an actual movie that someone wrote and directed is just disgraceful. I would like to see the street fighter series made for real. This movie would be suitable for teenage kids. But true street fighter fans may want to wait for the real deal to be made.