Highlights
- The Double Dragon movie, released in 1994, is often overlooked but is still cherished by 90s kids for its nostalgic 90s appeal.
- While critics have given it low ratings, the film can still be enjoyed for its fun action and basic yet entertaining storyline.
- The movie features a cheesy villain, played by Robert Patrick, whose performance adds an electric quality to the film despite its flaws.
The 90s were a strange time, but it was a great time for gaming, something that is especially true for the Double Dragon series since it got its own feature film in 1994. The Double Dragon movie isn’t one of the more talked-about video game movies, and some will even say that is the case for good reason. Unabashedly being a product of its time, the movie is a fun romp through a dystopian Los Angeles seen through a 90s lens.
Those who have played any of the games are bound to know exactly what they’re in for with the movie. Even if the movie isn’t as fondly remembered as the games, that hasn’t kept the film from living on in the hearts of 90s kids. With a great cast giving it their all, Double Dragon may be cheesy, but it’s well worth a watch, even if it is rotten.
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What Is Double Dragon About?
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Double Dragon |
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Director |
James Yukich |
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Writers |
Screenplay by Michael Davis & Peter Gould, Story by Paul Dini and Neal Shusterman |
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Cast |
Scott Wolf, Mark Dacascos, Alyssa Milano, Robert Patrick |
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Release Date |
November 4, 1994 |
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Runtime |
95 Minutes |
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Box Office |
$4.2 Million |
The ruined city of Los Angeles has become New Angeles and the crime lord Koga Shuko is set on not just dominating the city, but the entire world. It is his plan to do so by getting his hands on the Double Dragon, a powerful magical medallion that will give him the strength to bend any who stand against him to his will. It’s not long before Shuko manages to get his hands on one-half of the medallion, but he can’t be all-powerful until he holds the second half which is currently being held by Billy, Jimmy, and their guardian Satori.
After a chaotic martial arts tournament, Billy and Jimmy Lee are headed back home with Satori when they’re attacked by a violent gang led by Bo Abobo. After a hectic chase in which it looks like the heroes are goners, a strange group of people known as the Power Corps arrive, led by a young girl named Marion. Not wanting to deal with the headache of the Power Corps, Abobo takes his leave, but he lets Shuko know that Satori is in possession of the other half of the Double Dragon medallion. Sadly, Abobo is then transformed into a hulking mass of a human to show Shuko’s cruelty.
Once Billy, Jimmy, and Satori get home, she explains the significance of the Double Dragon, leaving her piece to be protected by the two best fighters she knows. Billy holds onto the medallion, later on learning that the two halves of the medallion can only be used in tandem and not against each other. That’s when Shuko’s forces break in and try to take their half of the medallion, even unleashing the hulking new Abobo on Billy and Jimmy. Shuko demonstrates his half’s power and possesses Satori, eventually leading to her death as the boys high-tail it.
Now on the run, the boys decide to turn to Marion and the Power Corps for help, eventually hatching a plan to sneak into Shuko’s base to take his half of the Medallion. Things go as well as one would expect, with Jimmy being captured and both Billy and Marion having to flee to keep that half of the medallion out of Shuko’s hands. With the brothers separated, Billy has no clue what steps he can take next, but luckily, Marion is happy to help him out.
What Is Double Dragon’s Rotten Tomatoes Score
Double Dragon has not been treated kindly by fans or critics on Rotten Tomatoes. Critically, the film is rated at 12%, and not much higher, 26% by the general audience. While even the critics who didn’t love the film can find aspects to praise, the most common complaints are just how basic the story is and how incredibly cheesy and 90s the movie feels. Most people will find arguing against calling the movie cheesy to be a seriously difficult task, a sentiment that the general audience seems to share for the most part. Even star Robert Patrick doesn’t have much praise for the movie, telling The AV Club:
That was a movie I did that, on paper, I thought could really work. It, uh, didn’t really work that well.
The special effects in the film weren’t bad for the era, but a lot of the love for the film truly does seem to come down to childhood nostalgia. As long as someone is able to go into the film prepared for a simple story with fun action that happens to be aimed directly at a younger audience, it can be enjoyed. The villain Shuko is bound to feel painfully 90s to everyone who witnesses his cheesiness, but Robert Patrick’s performance makes the villain strangely electric despite it all.
How Does Double Dragon End?
Luckily for Billy, he doesn’t have to wonder what he’s going to do without his brother for long because Jimmy shows up to the Power Corps along with Shuko’s henchmen, possessed and looking for a fight. Unfortunately, Billy is no match for Jimmy since he doesn’t want to hurt his brother, causing him to search for some other way to solve the problem. By pure luck, Billy is able to finally use his half of the Double Dragon medallion, something that gives him full protection from physical damage. Now unable to be hurt by Jimmy, Shuko tries a different approach, threatening to make Jimmy kill himself if Billy won’t hand over the medallion. Shuko manages to get both halves of the medallion, becoming the ultimate warrior that both Billy and Jimmy are no match for.
With some help from Abobo and Marion, Jimmy and Billy finally manage to do what they do best and bring the beat-em-up to the twin warrior that Shuko has become, causing him to revert to normal. This time, Billy and Jimmy take up the halves of the Double Dragon medallion and unite them to each gain the different powers of the halves. The two boys humiliate Shuko as the police arrive, with Jimmy forcing Shuko to pay millions of dollars to atone for his crimes before accepting his arrest. With Shuko and his gang defeated, the only thing left for Billy and Jimmy is to carry on protecting the Double Dragon medallion from any and all threats that should step up to try to claim it for their own nefarious purposes.
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