Customer Reviews

Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie

5 star:		(74)
4 star:		(38)
3 star:		(22)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

First, let's get the obvious out of the way. I'm sure the main reason the majority of guys are going to buy this is because of the shower scene. Let me just make one note about it and move on. The english version has an EXTENDED version of the shower scene. There is still one shot that's missing (just to be exact). However, the Japanese side of the disc does indeed have the UNCUT version of the shower scene. So feel free to go nuts, take screen shots etc. It is in here.

Now on to the rest of the review. This release is in everyway superior to the original US release.

It has the UK version of the movie (which is vastly extended over the US version) and the Japanese (completely un-cut).

The menu system is also a vast improvement (since the original DVD didn't even HAVE a menu system). The extra's, while sparse, also make it a cut above the original release.

The only thing I could possibly fault this release with is that it's only the Japanese version that's completely un-cut, while the UK version is merely extended.

Even that's not much of a fault. I don't typically watch my anime with the Japanese track, but with this one, I'll make an exception.

Once you see the Japanese version, you'll realize just how bad the english dub is. The dubbing team had to add to the dialogue to fit the mouth-flaps. This made for a lot of (for a lack of a better word) stupid dialogue that made some scenes go on painfully too long. It killed a lot of the flow of the movie. The original Japanese dialogue fits the flow of the movie better, and the voice acting is simply better.

While I may have actually grown to like KMFDM, Alice in Chains and Korn, thanks mostly to this movie, I can't deny that losing their music is a small loss considering how much better the dialogue is in Japanese.

A few notes on the movie itself. Yes the plot is paper-thin. But the fight scenes are what the movie is all about, and in those, Street Fighter II shines. There are a few parts with bad animation (crossed eyes being my major gripe). But taken as a whole, this movie is very well put together. It's well worth the cost. Stay away from the original US release at all costs.

When Jean-Claude Van Damme came out with the live action movie, "Street Fighter", a lot of people, especially video game fans, were disgusted. This movie was a spoof of a video game, not a translation. However, this tragedy would be avenged with the release of "Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie". Unlike the live action film, this movie is extremely intense, decently parallel to the arcade story, and is overall a good movie.

In the story, the evil organization known as Shadowloo is unleashing an icy grip over the world powers. Under the leadership of M.Bison, scientists Brainwash expert martial artists to assassinate world leaders. Bison's latest target is the legendary Ryu, who had recently defeated his top henchman, Sagat. Kidnapping his best friend and respected rival, Ken Masters, Bison plans to either add Ryu to his army, or destroy him. With the aid of Air Force Captain William Guile, Interpol agent Chun Li, and Sumo Wrestler Edmond Honda, Ryu wages a war against Shadowlaw, and prepares for a showdown with his best friend.

The fights in this movie are spectacular, as the fighters from the smash hit video game execute signature moves. One of the most dazzling fights is the match up between Chun Li and Vega, which is very "Matrix"-like (ironically, this movie was released five years before "The Matrix"). There's eye candy in the movie, too. (Keep your eyes peeled for a cameo appearance by Akuma.) With a dynamic storyline and a cutting edge soundtrack, "Street Fighter II" is a masterpiece.

Are you tired off all those cheap attempts by untalented people to bring Street Fighter to life? Then get this, this is the COOLEST anime I have EVER seen! If you put all the characters into a tournament it would be really dumb and you would never really learn about them...that is why this anime is so cool..it doesnt do that...you have a story behind the movie...

Each character has his/her own life and ambitions...the movie is very emotional!! You get to explore the history of Ryu's and Ken's friendship...the movie has EVERYTHING, -

EXCELLENTLY CHOREOGRAPHED FIGHTING - real kung-fu and karate movies and styles were studied by the creators to bring this to life...the fight are very smart and emotional..and totally exciting, which make you wanna scream " yyyyyyeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" at some points!!!

EMOTION - the movie deals with such things as friendship and love...it emphasizes on something which is very rare in cinema at all, - affections and emotions of 2 friends! you CANNOT stay untouched after very strong emotional scenes in the movie...some would make few people weep..

MUSIC - From fast-paced rock songs to beautiful and calm Japanese music...the movie integrates it all very smoothly..

I am not really that GREAT of a Street Fighter game fan, but this is the best ANIME i have EVER seen in my LIFE! ANd I have seen alot of anime...

I recommend this with all my heart!! =)

YES, THE FULL SHOWER SCENE IS IN. That said, I just bought this DVD this morning and it appears I get to be the first to review the finished product! Sadly, this release is somewhat disappointing. To put it bluntly, it's very bare bones. To the moron that was absolutely giddy thinking this DVD was going to be a hacked up full screen version, IT'S WIDESCREEN! Not anamorphic widescreen, but at least widescreen. The only people who would want fullscreen are people that don't understand what fullscreen really is.


The disc is two sided. One side contains the English version and one contains the Japanese version. I have found that BOTH VERSIONS ARE CROPPED on all 4 sides a little bit from the original Japanese import version I have on DVD and neither compare in picture quality. Here is a summary of each:

English Version:
This version has the full shower scene which is about the only improvement it has over the previous DVD release. The altered soundtrack is still there. Furthermore, the picture looks very washed out and the focus is very soft, almost to the point of blurring. The widescreen is non-anamorphic and, to make matters worse, not ever centered on the screen! The viewable area is a little more to the top that the bottom, making it look very unprofessional. This side has extras, but the extras only include the UK trailer for the movie and some other Manga trailers.

Japanese Version:
This is the original version. The color looks great and the picture is sharp, at least if you play it on a television. Play it on your computer and it looks all grainy and glitchy, especially during action scenes. The original soundtrack is there in all it's glory. There are English subtitles which are on by default, but you can turn them off. The viewable area of the widescreen is centered this time which is good. The only extra on this side is character profiles that link to each character's fight scenes. Overall, this is the superior version just because of the picture and soundtrack.

As for the movie itself, it's a classic which I consider about 4 stars. The fight scenes are great and the story is respectable. Nothing much more I can say about it that hasn't been said dozens of times before.

The DVD also comes with a mini comic book. Not bad for the price, but far from the perfect release I was hoping for. Oh, and the cover shown is a slip cover. The cover to the actual DVD is the same as the UK version's cover if that makes any difference to anyone. For the price, I say pick it up and hope for a superior re-release in another few years.

There's been many Anime's based on fighting games, including Street Fighter, Fatal Fury, Tekken, etc... But, "Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie" is probably the most well made one out of the group. Exceptionally well drawn characters, incredible fight scenes, coherent story, there is a lot to like about this Anime. If there is anything that stands out, it has to be the awesome fight scenes. This Anime fully takes advantage of the fact that it is an animation, and not a real movie with real actors, and choreographs some spectacular moves together. Obviously, the reason I mention this is other Anime's have failed that simple task and churned out some real dull fight sequences. Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie, however, is a real eye-candy.

This the best anime I've ever seen!! Sure it's slightly edited but, who cares (It was a tiny scene with Chun-Li in the shower and some stronger cursing.)? The best scenes are Cammy's 1st cameo (Her 2nd one is quite boring.), Ryu and Sagat's fight, Ryu and Fei Long's fight, and (My personal favorite...) Vega and Chun-Li's fight. The voice acting is actually quite good (Except for Dee Jay, he's supposed to sound Jamaican, not American!) and Honda is quite funny. However, there is another American dub, but with more cursing (Dee Jay always ends his sentences with a curse word and Vega called Chun-Li a word that rhymes with witch when she hits him in the face during the fight.)and surprisingly the "uncensored" cuts out Chun-Li's nudity (But I really don't care because I'm a girl.). Although many people hate the music, I think it's cool (Especially the song Chun-Li plays while fixing her hair and her fight with Vega.). All 'n' all, this movie is very good and should go out and buy it or rent it.

SFII:TAM is a great anime if what you're looking for is hard-core action. The main stars are the [butt]-kickin' Ryu, rich brat Ken, bad boy Guile and babe, Chun Li. They are all out to bring down the evil Bison and his lackeys, who want to take over the world (surprise surprise)

Everyone from the game makes at least a cameo appearance in the film, and the brilliantly animated fights make up for any inconsistancies in the plot, such as the way that Guile, Honda and Balrog all survive a 100 foot fall, and why Bison doesn't use his psychic powers to kill off Ryu and Ken, even when he starts to lose the fight.

Also, Guile and Chun Li come across as having a relationship in the film. One example is Guile's concern for Chun Li when she's getting shredded by Vega, and another is the way he actually shows an emotion other than anger when he's with her.

There is a lot of swearing and blood that wasn't cut out of the special edition, as well as a shower scene especially for male Chun Li fans. It's not a film for little kids.

Bottom line: The fights are so well animated that you get the feeling you could do a Dragon Punch if you practised hard enough.

This is the best fight amine out there. I have seen the others. "Fatal Fury" was okay, but not enough fighting. "Tekken" and "Ayane's High Kick" were fair. But the plot, music, and fight scenes in this movie make it heads above the rest. The story is interesting and the animation is well done. The DVD is only in English, no special features. Nevertheless, the movie on it's own is reason enough to see it.

If you are a fan of Japanese animation and Hong Kong kung fu movies, this movie will be a pleasure to watch. It stays true to the original video game, it shows the awesome skills of Ryu as he teams up with his long lost fellow student Ken Masters, who almost is the equal to Ryu, to fight the evil Bison with his collection of fighters. The animation is very well done and the movie has a cool soundtrack, if you like rock and alternative. I'm a big Bruce Lee fan, so I wanted Fei Long, the mirror image of Lee, to have had a bigger part in the movie. The fight between Ryu and Fei Long had to be one of the best, it's one of my favorite scenes in the movie. I hope, if it's not out already, they will have a sequel to this anime. So if you haven't seen it yet and you like the video games that it is based on, I would highly recommend it.

While I liked the animation and simplistic plot of the movie, the decision to change the soundtrack and to only include the English dubbed version on a DVD, nonetheless, hardly makes purchasing this DVD worthwile. I'm sure there are rock fans out there who will disagree with me on this, but if you've ever heard the original soundtrack, you'd see just how much more inspiring this film could've been. Also, the dubbing just doesn't quite cut it when Ken or Ryu shout out their attacks. Voice actors aren't as enthused in yelling out the special attacks as the Japanese voice actors did.