D.O.A. - Dead or Alive
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Movie Reviews of D.O.A. - Dead or Alive
Movie Review: Dumb Over Arousing
Summary: 3 Stars
... yet entertaining. If you're in it for straight, brain-on-hold, action or VG to film authenticity then this is the film for you. As far as titillation goes, however, if Ms. Pressly and company acted any more masculine they'd be wearing jockstraps. A perfect gift for the video gaming feminist in your life.Movie Review: Good movie but bad plot.
Summary: 3 Stars
DOA is a good movie but has a very bad plot. Jamie Pressly, Devon Aoki, Holly Valance. The movie is choregraphed by Corey Yuen. It is a great chick flick but the story needs a-lot of work. I know it's based on the popular video game.Movie Review: cheeze
Summary: 3 Stars
Buy it only if you need it to complete your DOA collection or love B movies.Movie Review: More "Dead" than "Alive"
Summary: 2 Stars
Chalk one up for oblivion and greedy studios, video game fans - we lost out on "DOA: Dead or Alive".
Whilst watching this movie, I became convinced of a couple of things: first of all, the filmmakers obviously wanted to replicate what Mortal Kombat had done for the adaptation genre ten years ago; and secondly, every single one of them had both an unhealthy fixation with breasts but had never actually touched a pair themselves. Both of these aspects become all too obvious throughout the course of this 87-minute debacle that's sure to give critics just another reason to bash on game-based movies.
In "DOA", the best fighters from around the world - including a Japense princess (Devon Aoki, Sin City), a female pro wrestler (Jaime Presley, "My Name Is Earl"), and a beautiful assassin (Holly Valance, "Taken") - are called to partake in a tournament for the prize of $10 million. Their reasons for joining are diverse: the princess Kasumi is searching for her lost brother Hayate (Collin Chou, The Forbidden Kingdom) who disappeared after the last tournament; Tina the wrestler is desperate to prove to the world that she's not a fake; and the assassin Christie plans to steal the prize money. However, when it becomes clear that the tournament is merely a cover for a more sinister operation instigated by the organizer Donovan (Eric Roberts, Best of the Best), the remaining warriors must cast aside their differences to escape with their lives.
While the film has no shortage of characters from the game series, you'll get to actually know next to none of them because the focus is constantly on the three starring ladies, which are highlighted more for their quirks and sex appeal than for their respective backgrounds or fighting abilities. Characters like Hayate, Hayabusa (Kane Kosugi, Blood Heat), and Ayane (Natassia Malthe, Elektra) are major players in the games, but in the movie, they're presented as little more than afterthoughts in favor of the teasing sensuality, light lesbianism, and partial nudity, all of which are presented as though the viewer is eavesdropping in on the classroom daydream of a 15-year-old boy - girls sharing beds, fighting topless, the ever-forgettable volleyball match, etc. etc. etc.
Of course, that's only half the story - what about the action? Ten martial arts showdowns highlight the actual fighting aspect of the franchise. To run down the list, Tina vs. Zack (designated token black guy Brian White), Hayabusa vs. guards, and the sword fight involving Helena are good; Kasumi vs. Ayane, Helena vs. Christie, Hayate vs. Donovan, and Donovan vs. the girls are merely decent; and Leon vs. Kasumi and Tina vs. Bass are in the infamous negative-star range (Max vs. Bayman also takes place, but it's too much of a joke to count).
Though it lacks a proper term, I label the action in "DOA" as "pop fighting" - lots of posing, quick cuts, wire-fu, and the performing of moves that not even suspension of disbelief can make plausible; in particular, the Leon/Kasumi encounter is a study in ridiculousness.
I won't even get into the forsaken acting, the braindead dialogue ("I am your servant, but if you leave the compound, I am honor-bound to kill you"), the ridiculous production (overdone sound effects, repetitious transitions), or the fact that Hayabusa walks through the entire movie wearing his headband like an idiot on a hot day: you'll already know by now that unless you're over the age of fourteen, you'll need to watch this film whilst intoxicated to walk away thinking it was at all signifigant. "DOA" might have been a great film back in 1995, but nowadays, it's thoroughly behind the times in what both an action movie of any kind could be. The film received only limited promotion in North America, and I'm not surprised: director Corey Yuen (The Transporter), writer J.F. Lawton (Under Siege), and producer/genre guru Paul Anderson (Resident Evil) really could've done better than this.
Movie Review: D.O.A. Dead or Alive Movie Review
Summary: 2 Stars
Theaters should be required to give a free bag of popcorn with each ticket purchase of DOA: Dead Or Alive, because you'll need it. And they should serve it plain because the movie provides plenty of cheese. Though to be honest I found myself laughing along with the lighthearted martial arts flick more often at intentionally funny scenes than unintentional ones. With a generous helping of well-choreographed fights, a healthy dose of humor, and non-stop gratuitous nudity (well, almost), DOA will provide ninety minutes of video game movie fun, though the amount of fun largely depends on one's mindset and willingness to forgive.
No one is watching this movie for the story, which is good, because there really isn't one. Basically, nefarious businessman Donovan (Eric Roberts) gathers several of the best fighters from around the world to battle it out on an island for a ten million dollar prize. The rules are simple: random one-on-one matches, no weapons allowed, and you must fight your scantily clad opponent until she uh...goes down. Where was I? Anyway, everyone has a hidden agenda for entering the competition and the four main heroines (Devon Aoki, Jaime Pressly, Holly Valance, and Sarah Carter) must learn to work together to uncover Donovan's evil scheme and save the day. Or something like that.
If one were to walk into this movie at any given point, they might think they were watching a series of Victoria's Secret commercials. Luckily, bad acting and a plethora of fight scenes would soon correct their assumption. Though to criticize the four main girls' acting abilities would be akin to trashing a stripper's outfit. After a few minutes it doesn't really matter. The girls chosen to portray each classic fighter in the DOA universe neither look like nor act like their video game counterparts, but their costumes and attractiveness help to disguise that minor detail. And while their dialogue may not be easy on the ears, at least the eyes won't have a hard time. Jaime Pressley's performance as Tina Armstrong stands out the most, though it's hard to determine whether she should thank her acting coach, her personal trainer, or the screenwriter for giving her the sassiest lines. It's a toss up for most attractive, and though I'd side with Holly Valance as Christie, having her character shack up with the weasliest guy on the island certainly detracts from her appeal (but then again she does get the slow motion fight in the rain against Sarah Carter).
If the girls don't do it for you, then you're probably watching the wrong movie. The only other feature DOA has to offer are some unexpectedly entertaining martial arts fight sequences that utilize inventive locales, sharp editing, and creative choreography. It's obviously not as good as the real thing (a la early Chan or Li), especially when gravity-defying wuxia is thrown in, but it's still interesting to watch and looks far more stylish than one might imagine.
As with most video game movies, the similarities to its origins don't stop with just the characters. The use of the in-game announcer enthusiastically yelling "Fight!" and "KO!" ups the cheese factor, but doesn't quite reach the level of absurdity seen in films like House of the Dead, where actual video game footage was spliced into the action. Overused gold DOA logos tire quickly, but fantastic set designs that pay homage to many of the arenas found in the game actually liven up the proceedings. There's even a nod to DOA's spin-off volleyball game when the four main girls compete in a vigorous match, proving director Yuen has a better sense of humor than I gave him credit for.
Chances are that if you want to see this film, you already know what you're getting yourself into. While there's plenty of questionable choices, from Zack's green hair to the ridiculous puzzle vault code, DOA presumes not to take itself too seriously, allowing the audience to more easily enjoy the beautiful girls, the martial arts, and the beautiful girls. Though heavy techno rock music will unabashedly cue you in on when the "cool" scenes are occurring, you'll likely know when you find yourself reaching for the video game controller that isn't there.
- Joel Massie