Double Dragon

Here is the first thing you need to know before you contemplate renting Double Dragon. It’s rated 12. Now, technically, that means it’s meant for twelve-year-olds and older. WRONG. It’s meant for twelve-year-olds – full stop.

If you’re a parent and you’re wondering whether Double Dragon is appropriate for your child, you may be mistaken in thinking it looks a bit violent. Maybe a bit dark and scary. It’s not. It’s basically Power Rangers with different actors. Sure, they kick each other a bit, but all ‘violence’ is done in a pretty ‘Saturday morning matinee’ kind of way.

If you have young boys, they’ll love watching the fight scenes, as Billy and Jimmy Lee kick, punch and scream their way through hordes of comically over-the-top baddies.

As for anyone OVER the age of twelve… well, you may find the film’s campness and *ahem* humour a little hard to take. Just let the boys be amused and get the ironing done.

Oh, alternatively, if you’re one of the few people who played the arcade game this film was based on during their misguided youth in the eighties (guilty I am), you may also get some sort of enjoyment out of this. Just don’t admit that in public. This film has a phenomenally low rating on IMDb (3.3). Seriously, it’s not THAT bad; it just aims low at those who are probably too young to own their own Blockbuster membership card and therefore choose to rent this one out.

I don't know if it's the fact that I played the computer game as a kid, but I quite liked this odd film. Sort of a slapstick/futuristic/action movie. Definitely can't be taken seriously. One for the 'so bad it's funny' list.

Oh, and the special effects are terrible. Really terrible.

This movie is based on the 80's arcade video game hit of the same name. Some of the martial arts are really good. The most accomplished martial art comes from Mark Dacascos (the star of alternative, but quality, action movies which include Crying Freeman and Brotherhood of the Wolf). Double Dragon, the movie, will probably please mainly fans of the video game series. If you don't like flimsy storylines and martial art butt-kicking, then give this a miss. For its intended audience I'd say it was a tad better then some of the video game to movie renditions which came out in the same era.

I got this for my 9 year old and as it was a 12A at cinema watched it with him. After the first 5 minutes turned it off and returned without watching - definitely for older children/teenagers.

Here we have a film based on a classic side-scrolling beat-em-up videogame that doesn't really succeed in pleasing the target audience it was supposedly designed for. It's 12 rated and you get that impression when you watch it as the humour is more aimed at children and it only says the 's-word' twice. In the game, Billy and Jimmy Lee roamed the streets armed with martial arts and any brick, 2x4 or crate lying around that could be used to waste the next street-thug that entered the screen. In this film they spend most of the time running away like nancies. The Lee brothers are the Double Dragons not some amulet. Abobo just looks plain stupid. However if you ignore the flaws and treat it as a film on it's own without reference to the game it's actually somewhat enjoyable. The apocalyptic sets look ok, and as RT said up there the junk powered cars are a nice idea, (albeit ripped off from Back To The Future). Simple plot, simple actors, simple dialogue. Just treat it as mindless fun for the kids who were born after the 80's gaming era and won't judge it by its superior, electronic analogue. If you want fatalities, check out the Mortal Kombat movies, they are so much better.