I admit that I never really got into that whole action oriented video game infatuation. There are several puzzle games I have enjoyed on occasion but the martial arts or weapon centric games never found a place in my home. One corollary to the video game craze is it did establish a new dynamic for action adventure movies. Popular games become action packed movies which in turn spawn a sequel which then becomes a video game. There are numerous variations on this progression but the main thing here is a symbiosis has developed between the games and movies that frequently delight the man fans. It also provides a means of exposure for non gamers to getting at least a portion of mythos that has become a significant aspect of the better constructed games. In some cases the films are used to provide exposition for the game explaining how the circumstances that require such excesses in violence were brought about. The flicks can also provide the gamer and audience a better understanding of the rule and peculiarities specific to the universe hosting the game. As far as being a flimsy basis for s film video games have moved on to become a genuinely valid as the basis for an action oriented movie. It is not as if there is a tradition of plot intense action movies in the history of movies. Many of the most popular action flicks use a plot as something provides a scaffold to afford some foundation for the fights, explosions and weaponry expositions. One of the most recent game series to make the transition to the proverbial silver screen is ‘Tekken. The foundation employed here is a common one; young hopefully trying to prove his worth and manliness by entering an infamously deadly martial arts tournament. There are several factors working in this movie that does elevated above the common throng of the genre. It makes an honest attempt at telling a compelling story instead of the usual endless stream of mindless violence. Inherently any film of this type is going to distance the devoted gamer player from the first person driven vicarious experience. Some gamers might miss the degree of control they are accustomed to having. On the other hand for the non video game enthusiast it takes the fundamental elements of a game and uses them to construct a reasonable solid science fiction tale.

This movie is a dystopian view of the world in 2039, after a global war has destroyed most aspects of civilization. The age of governments as passed giving way to the world’s domination by powerful corporations that span the continents. In control of the North American land mass is the largest of the companies, the Tekken Corporation. The CEO/Chairman of the Board, Heihachi Mishima, (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa) has an effective albeit insidious means to apprise the uneasy masses; martial arts competition typically determine by death matches; the ‘Iron Fist Tournament’. The ultimate prize for the one left alive at the end is the remainder of their life spent with fame and fortune. Considering what contestants in today’s popular reality shows are forced to endure we are not all that removed from the realization of this scenario. Considered from a historical perspective many declining cultures travel down this path what the Romans described as ‘Bread and Circuses; the Gladiatorial games. In some respects the reverse of this premise was done in 1975’s ‘Roller ball’ where the controlling corporations used violent tournaments but the goal there was the dissolution of the individual. The change to glorify individual triumph had to be made in order to make it conducive to the video game format. The main protagonist in this flick is Jin Kazama (Jon Foo). He received his training in numerous martial arts forms by his mother as they try their best to just live in peace. The Tekken Corporation institutes a draconian crackdown on insurgent inadvertently killing Jin’s mother in the cleansing of Tekken City. Going to the slum section of the city Jin is despondent over not being able to save his mother vowing revenge on the corporation. After conveniently discovering a Tekken Fighter I.D belonging to his mother his path becomes clear. He enters an open call round of the tournament and readily becomes the people’s choice to represent the slum in the main contest. Admittedly there is almost what would have to be called an excess of plot. Once in town for the Iron Fist Jin is befriended by the usual set of characters plucked from central casting. The main one is Christie Monteiro (Kelly Overton) an expert in mixed martial arts and as deadly as she is beautiful. In a flick such as this the romantic interest cannot be some dainty damsel in distress; she must be a warrior cut of the same invincible cloth as her man. Standing together they do look like a poster for some genetics breeding program. They go up against the reigning champion, Bryan Fury (Gary Daniels) and odds on favorite the tank like Yoshimitsu (Gary Ray Stearns)

There is plenty of action contained here so fans of the video game series will not be disappointed. Stylistically the martial arts scenes appeared on the brutal side rather than manifesting some of the grace and stylistic beauty of movement depicted in some recent Hong Kong wire movies. The Blu-ray edition is stunning; the colors leap off the screen with the textures and framing done exceptionally well. This film tries to get the characterization right but they frequently fell short albeit supported quite well by the non-stop action which after all the entire justification for the film. This makes for a very well done popcorn flick s enjoy.