I am a huge fan of the franchise. This is the first game I played on the PSX console. It was Tekken 3 and it remains to be my all-time favorite video game. When they announced movie plans, I was interested. All of the characters had great backstories. Nina (and Anna) was even given a spin-off game.
I finally obtained a copy of the movie. No surprise that they chose Jin as the main character. After all, he’s the most connected story-wise to other characters. I was particularly interested on how they will do the fighting. I was most impressed by how they portrayed Eddy Gordo, my mom’s favorite character [did I mention that I have the coolest mom ever]. When he started with his battle stance, I was whooping with joy! Marshall (I would’ve preferred Forest) Law’s signature finishing move was also shown, once. Although not as a finisher. Where’s the epic Down + Circle kick? Other than those, well… at least you have a moves list in the game. I like how they put Jun in the story. If you’re a fan of the franchise, you would know how Jin connects to most of the characters. Looks-wise, they did good on Yoshimitsu and Anna Williams. Raven looked like Blade, as he does in the game.
Apart from those already mentioned, the movie featured Nina and Ana Williams, Christie (the female Eddy), Yoshimitsu, Bryan (my character in Tekken 3 if I just want to beat the shit out of everyone), Kazuya, Heihachi, Jun (my go-to character in Tekken 2), Raven, Sergei, Steve, Miguel, and (Gun) Jacks.
Here’s what I didn’t like: where is King? Paul? Dude, they are like the MOST popular characters of the franchise. And Paul’s one-hit kill shot? Down + Square? That’s… gah. I would’ve wanted the hotness of Hwoarang too. Also, they showed Yoshimitsu fighting WITHOUT his sword. That NEVER happens. Even a Mokujin in Yoshimitsu mode has a wooden sword. And what’s the shit about Bryan being half-cyborg thus illegible for Iron Fist Tournament? Hey, Yoshimitsu is 100% cyborg made in the labs of Dr. B! Christie, as I mentioned earlier, is a female version of Eddy. She has the same fighting stance and style. In the movie, nope. She just stood there and looked pretty with her ass crack hanging out. I kid you not. Even Jin’s signature air punch move wasn’t included. :\
Overall, despite the things they left out, I liked it. Sure, it’s your typical fighting movie with the small-town boy, dark horse, revenge-fueled rage cliche. But I geeked out from all the Tekken (game) references. I quite enjoyed the fight scenes because they were well-choreographed and even with the lack of signature moves, it stayed true and believable. Jin, especially with his fighting gloves, looked amazing. The acting was okay; not much was required anyway with these kinds of movies.
Do I recommend this? Yes, surprisingly. Haha. I’m normally a snob when it comes to cliche movies such as Step Up, Fast & Furious, and whatever movie franchise that has been squeezed dry. But Tekken: Movie… go for it!
