My review of 'Tekken: Blood Vengeance'.
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TEKKEN: BLOOD VENGEANCE (2011)
(Directed by Yoichi Mori)
"And it's in 3D!!!! But I didn't see that version....It's in 2D!!!"- Signed by MartialHorror
Plot: A schoolgirl/warrior investigates a young man who has caught the interest of two rival organizations and finds herself caught in a three way battle between them.
Review:
I'm a huge “Tekken” fan, but lately the franchise hasn't been too kind to me. While 90% of the fans play it for the gameplay, I have to confess that I am more interested in the story and characters. They effect me far more than their fighting game contemporaries. But “Tekken 6” turned out to be a storytelling mess and that 2010 live action “Tekken” made... ME... ANGRY!!! As a fan of the franchise, I was becoming more and more irate with everyone involved with it. Harada's catering to the fanbase means that he's resurrecting EVERYONE and characters who aren't part of the 'Mishima bloodline' have lost all relevance. They even tease us with Lars, a potential protagonist who isn't part of the bloodline, but guess what? He's really part of the bloodline. I don't even know who most of the new characters are anymore! There's some transvestite looking person, some fat guy and some chick who wears skimpy clothing. I don't even remember their names, much less what they brought to the franchise. Then of course the 2010 movie seems to have been made by people who knew little about the franchise, or were too pompous to do an actual adaptation so changed everything for the sake of their own 'artistic' vision. It was a subpar movie made reprehensible due to it having the title of “Tekken”. So when I heard about “Tekken: Blood Vengeance”, I let out a long sigh. It seemed like a quest for more money and I knew that I would be buying it as soon as I could. But “Tekken” has not had much luck with movies, so expectations were low. But much to my surprise, I found myself highly enjoying it. Then it ended and I realized how sloppy the movie was. But that didn't stop me from enjoying it! Finally, a movie for us Tekken fans! Even if- or maybe because- it's CG animation!
I'm not going to list voice actors, because I'd probably have to list the dubbed voices and the subbed voices. Ling Xiaoyu, who lost almost all relevance to the story after “Tekken 3”, is still in high school and still quite the troublesome badass. She's recruited by Anna Williams, who works under Kazuya Mishima, to spy on some kid named Shin at a mysterious high school. Xaioyu reluctantly agrees and in the process of spying, she meets Alisa (the only “Tekken 6” character I came close to liking) who also possibly is spying on Shin. But what is so important about Shin, and what is Jin Kazama's interest in him? The film seems to more-or-less take place between “Tekken 5” and “Tekken 6”, but in a similar-yet-alternate universe to the games. Lee Chaolan and Ganryu have small roles as teachers, which last I checked, was not part of the games. Furthermore, you should know that if you aren't a “Tekken” fan, you probably won't have an idea what's going on and I'd recommend that you avoid this.
What surprised me about “Tekken: Blood Vengeance” is that it just didn't cater to the fanbase. The writer, Dai Sato, has a respectable reputation in scripting anime and it shows. The film primarily focuses on Xiaoyu and Alisa and their growing friendship. This is refreshing for two reasons. For one, trying to make an ensemble cast usually doesn't work. Even “Street Fighter II”, which is probably the best of these films, struggled with balancing everyone. More importantly though, I am tired of the Mishima's (including Jin). It's become redundant as to who will come out on top and has made all of the other characters rather pointless. Focusing on two minor characters is a nice relief and the film deserves credit for fleshing them out as well as developing them. The film is often compared to “Resident Evil: Degeneration” and “Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children”, but it easily has the best characterizations of these films. Now granted, the films dialogue is rather corny. Do Japanese schoolgirls really encourage their love rivals to “do their best” like every anime seems to portray them to do? But I grew to like both of the leading ladies, which surprised me as I was indifferent to them in the games.
I also felt that the plot was surprisingly compelling. This achieves what “Tekken 6” tried to do but failed at. It's really about Alisa and Xaioyu trying to solve the mystery that is Shin. The script is surprisingly organized (at least for 75% of the film) and you feel that all the important parties have enough to do. “Tekken 6” tried, as I said, to have its lead character deal with Jin, Heihachi, Kazuya and the monster-of-the-game evenly. But there, it just felt like Lars was resolving the games many subplots and it came across as disjointed and convoluted. Here, there's enough mystery behind everything and you feel that Jin and Kazuya (and through them, Nina and Anna) are just as relevant. Somewhere in the shadows lurks Heihachi, which leads to my next praise. This film treated its characters with respect and dignity, something that has been lost on the games since “Tekken 5” (I think). In the games, Kazuya has become useless, unable to defeat his Father or Son. But Heihachi has it worse, almost being reduced to the comic relief. Here, both men return to form. Heihachi is downright scary and menacing, while Kazuya could (I stress 'could') defeat Jin based on what we see. It takes the mighty power of deux ex machina for Jin to stand a chance. I suspect that Dai Sato likely knew the problems with the games characterizations and did his best to fix them. It's just too bad that the film loses itself in its final act.
In a way, it's ironic that I'm going to criticize the films finale, as it's also the most lauded aspect of the film. Indeed, the finale in itself is marvelous, showcasing the best CG animation as well as surprisingly good choreography. My problem is that it doesn't fit with the rest of the films structure. Xaioyu was the protagonist here. The protagonist has to be the one who resolves the story. But once Jin returns at the very end, it becomes his movie. It's bad writing when the protagonist is pushed to the sidelines at the end. Then you have the Heihachi-monster, which doesn't look as bad as people claim, but certainly feels tacked on and absurd. The plot pretty much collapses at the end too, the Shin subplot being concluded in one of the lamest ways ever produced on film. The dialogue becomes even cornier and preachy. I swear to God, if Xaioyu asks why people fight one more time...Rawr! The ending honestly feels like there was studio interference. The film goes from steadily made to an unfocused, spectacle laden mess. Granted, as I said, the final battle is epic. It just felt like it belonged in another movie where Jin is the protagonist.
As for the CG animations, they're not perfect. Sometimes you feel like you're watching an overlong cut scene in one of the games. Other times you do feel that it surpasses its limitations and looks like an actual CGI movie. The facial expressions especially look awkward when they smile or laugh. But the backgrounds often look detailed and the fight scenes have a rhythm that works nicely with the CGI. At times, the film even has atmosphere, especially with its use of rain. Generally though, the tone is amicable and light hearted, filled with funny moments that make up for the lack of battle sequences. The CG animations overall are about as good as “Resident Evil: Degeneration”, but not as good as “Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children”. Then again, “Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children” had the advantage of being an adaptation/sequel to an older game so it's high tech achievements might've been more noticeable. But I also believe that the fight scenes there were better than what was delivered here, so.....Still, a solid example of CG animation.
“Tekken: Blood Vengeance” has more problems when you think about it. They imply something apocalyptic is going to happen early on, but nothing of the sort ever occurs. There's even a Exposition 101 sequence, where they deliver a plot point via the teacher (Lee), which is even lazier when you consider that no one is even in the classroom. But the film goes out of its way to have a developing story and interesting characters along with its epic battle sequences. I would've hailed it as a 'good' movie had the ending not felt like it was spliced in from another movie. Instead, you get an uneven movie that tries to be more than what it is. But more importantly, “Tekken” fans like me have a movie that treats its source material respectfully. It's not perfect, but it is the best “Tekken” movie out there...Even though that doesn't say much. I can finally be glad to be a "Tekken" fan once again. Can't wait for "Tekken Tag Tournament 2", so that Jun can return and become completely pointless and obsolete for "Tekken 7". Er, holy *beep* that "Street Fighter X Tekken" crossover looks epic! Now I'm thrilled to be a "Tekken" fan once again!
Violence: PG-13 worthy I guess.
Nudity: Nothing explicit, but holy *beep* “Tekken” pulled a “DOA: Dead or Alive” on us with its fanservice. It's almost creepy how many shots seem to take place underneath Xaioyu's skirt.
Overall: “Tekken: Blood Vengeance” is worth watching if you're a fan of the franchise. As a fan, I might give it a 3/4 star rating. But I'm going to be more objective and say...
2.5/4 Stars
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