Capcom Shrugs Off Critical Mauling of Chun-Li Movie

[Michael Grimm]

Capcom Shrugs Off Critical Mauling of Chun-Li Movie

Despite the latest Street Fighter movie being almost universally panned, Capcom is still optimistic about its upcoming forays into the world of cinema.

Chris Kramer, Capcom's Senior Director of Corporate Communications, said today in an interview [http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/news/capcom-dismisses-street-fighter-movie-reception-taking-marvellike-approach-to-hollywood/?biz=1], "Critics were unkind to the first Street Fighter movie as well, but that film has been ridiculously profitable for Capcom over the last decade. The original SF movie still generates millions of dollars in royalties for Capcom every year, thanks to cable, foreign distribution, home video, DVD and Blu-ray sales. And Capcom would be receiving even more money if that had been a co-production deal!"

So mediocrity is totally acceptable just as long as it's profitable. Capcom is also set to release 3 new movies based on some of its other IPs - Onimusha, Lost Planet and Clock Tower.

Kramer talked about Capcom's more hands-on approach with these upcoming films, saying, "About five years ago, Capcom decided to adopt the same approach to its IP that Marvel has adopted. Going forward, all major theatrical productions based on Capcom licenses will be co-produced - we're through with the idea of taking a check and throwing our IP over the wall."

Hopefully Capcom's co-production on its upcoming films will keep them closer to their source material, though given the abysmal track record of videogame movies to actually resemble what they're based on, it's a poor bet.

While the original Street Fighter movie had camp value going for it, critic's responses to The Legend of Chun-Li haven't even given it that. Nathan Rabin of The Onion's A.V. Club had this to say in his review [http://www.avclub.com/articles/street-fighter-the-legend-of-chunli,24491/]: "Chun-Li understandably wasn't screened for critics. It shouldn't be screened for audiences, either. Even Uwe Boll could have done better; at least he makes terrible videogame adaptations with a little personality."

Yikes. If a movie being described as sub-Uwe Boll isn't enough to make potential viewers run far, far away from the theater in terror while ripping out clumps of their hair, I don't know what is.

Source: CVG [http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/news/capcom-dismisses-street-fighter-movie-reception-taking-marvellike-approach-to-hollywood/?biz=1]


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[quellan_thyde]

[M]ediocrity is totally acceptable just as long as it's profitable.

That's as good a description of 21st Century Hollywood as I've ever seen.

 

[Cousin_IT]

An Onimusha film? Im both excited & horrified at the same time

 

[joystickjunki3]

Making a movie off of a fighting game is like making a book based on a flight simulator: Retarded and unnecessary.

But totally profitable.

 

[GloatingSwine]

Seriously, there seems to be some kind of fundamental disconnect for hollywood movie makers when it comes to making movies based on fighting games.

Because what people care about with a fighting game character is the move list. If you make a street fighter movie and Chun-Li isn't doling out lightning kicks and spinning bird kicks left and right you are doing it wrong.

That's why people like the animated Street Fighter movie, because all the characters get to show off their signature moves. It's not just that Chun-li gets a shower scene, it's that she does that and then lightning kicks vega through a damn wall

That, along with all the other reasons they were rubbish, was the central failing of the first Street Fighter live action movie, and of the Dead or Alive movie, where the only characters who vaguely approached their game fighting moves were Tina and Bass, and in the latter case only because they got a wrestler to play him.

Hell, I think the Mortal Kombat movie is still the only one where you get the feeling that someone involved in the production of it stood in the same room as a Mortal Kombat cabinet once.

 

[Pseudonym2]

Clock tower could be interesting. That game is messed up.

 

[Escapefromwhatever]

Even if Capcom takes a more hands-on approach to production, the writing quality probably won't improve. Most of their writing sucks too, except for Phoenix Wright.

 

[DeadlyYellow]

Mediocrity is totally acceptable just as long as it's profitable.

That's as good a description of 21st Century Hollywood as I've ever seen.

It's my quote of the year now.

 

[zoozilla]

I may be wrong, but I don't think "nonplussed" is the correct word to describe Capcom's reaction.

Nonplussed:
?verb (used with object)
1. to render utterly perplexed; puzzle completely.
?noun
2. a state of utter perplexity.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Even Jackie Chan did better [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVx8l_-nn6c]

 

[theultimateend]

[M]ediocrity is totally acceptable just as long as it's profitable.

That's as good a description of 21st Century Hollywood as I've ever seen.

You mean 21st century entertainment in all mediums right?

That's the catch phrase of EA for god's sake . They have it in huge letters on the side of their building.

Even Jackie Chan did better [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVx8l_-nn6c]

One of the best things I have ever seen in my entire life. I would have gone to theaters to see that . It's amazing how joke stuff ends up being really good.

Seriously, there seems to be some kind of fundamental disconnect for hollywood movie makers when it comes to making movies based on fighting games.

Because what people care about with a fighting game character is the move list. If you make a street fighter movie and Chun-Li isn't doling out lightning kicks and spinning bird kicks left and right you are doing it wrong.

That's why people like the animated Street Fighter movie, because all the characters get to show off their signature moves. It's not just that Chun-li gets a shower scene, it's that she does that and then lightning kicks vega through a damn wall

That, along with all the other reasons they were rubbish, was the central failing of the first Street Fighter live action movie, and of the Dead or Alive movie, where the only characters who vaguely approached their game fighting moves were Tina and Bass, and in the latter case only because they got a wrestler to play him.

Hell, I think the Mortal Kombat movie is still the only one where you get the feeling that someone involved in the production of it stood in the same room as a Mortal Kombat cabinet once.

That and Ryu is an ultra thug. He is so much cooler in the anime than the games (until they added that forward down to forward kick ultra uppercut thing...that's oddly exciting for me).

I liked the Mortal Kombat movie, I mean I was really young at the time, but it helped me visualize the ass kicking that was involved in the MK universe.

It just seems like they have to try to make these otherwise un-screw-up-able storylines and screw them.

I mean really, the story behind mortal kombat makes a perfectly good movie. It would be far better than a crappy retelling of Titanic anyday. But they don't...they make shit up from scratch and that confuses me. Same for Street Fighter I'm sure.

 

[ElArabDeMagnifico]

Clock tower could be interesting. That game is messed up.

Yeah no kidding, it's cinematic enough to where it plays like a movie. I just hope it doesn't get too hollywoodized to where it loses it's eerieness and just goes for jumps and scaring tweens.

 

[Dectilon]

Clock tower could be interesting. That game is messed up.

Yeah no kidding, it's cinematic enough to where it plays like a movie. I just hope it doesn't get too hollywoodized to where it loses it's eerieness and just goes for jumps and scaring tweens.

I think I can say right now that you will get exactly that, unless they hire David Lynch

Lost Planet might work as a stupid action movie with pretensions of being something more and failing utterly, but Onimusha? Those games are so dumb I doubt you'd be able to make a kids cartoon out of them!

It's sad that Capcom has so little respect for their own products, but I guess it's possible they realized that they don't have a single competent writer to begin with so trying to polish the turd isn't meaningful.

 

[Galletea]

An Onimusha film? I'm not sure whether to be excited or horrified. If it stars the man with Samanoske's face then that would be cool, but still...I don't know what to think. Although I have yet to see a good videogame movie.

 

[blackcherry]

Even Jackie Chan did better [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVx8l_-nn6c]

Well that was actually pretty good. Though the point where Jackie Chan appears dressed as a woman will give me nightmares I'm sure.

 

[Arbre]

[M]ediocrity is totally acceptable just as long as it's profitable.

That's as good a description of 21st Century Hollywood as I've ever seen.

Fits McDonalds as well.

 

[joystickjunki3]

Making a movie off of a fighting game is like making a book based on a flight simulator: Retarded and unnecessary.

But totally profitable.

True, that... God I hate people. Who would really shell out admission price for something so inevitably awful besides optimistic fools and people who have long ago sacrificed standards for spectacle?

Other than those people... ummmm, the general publ--... oh, wait.

 

[Sylocat]

[M]ediocrity is totally acceptable just as long as it's profitable.

That's as good a description of 21st Century Hollywood as I've ever seen.

Remove the words "21st Century" from your post, and it won't become any less accurate.

Clock tower could be interesting. That game is messed up.

Yeah no kidding, it's cinematic enough to where it plays like a movie. I just hope it doesn't get too hollywoodized to where it loses it's eerieness and just goes for jumps and scaring tweens.

Ironically, the game was BASED on a movie.