DOA : Dead or Alive

Reviewed by Andrew Clark
July 27, 2007

Director: Zack Snyder Studio: Dimension Films MPAA: PG-13 Website: Click Here

L-R: Kasumi (Devon Aoki), Christie (Holly Valance), Helena (Sarah Carter), Tina (Jaime Pressly), and Ayane (Natassia Malthe). Courtesy of Dimension.

DOA: Dead or Alive is the movie adaptation of Team Ninja’s bestselling fighting series, Dead or Alive. The movie was scheduled for American release in Fall 2006, but has been pushed back to the Fall 2007. However, in this time the movie has become available in other countries.

If you are a DOA fan I suggest you stop reading here. Making a video game into a movie is a difficult thing to do.  First you have to have at least some idea as to the story behind the game, then you have to find actors who somewhat resemble the characters, and write a script that will please the people who know about the game, and the ones that don’t. When making a fighting game into a movie it’s even harder, I’m sure. Since most fighting games don’t have in-depth stories, you have to create one from a rough idea then make sure it still comes out to fit the game’s atmosphere. That being said, this movie is awful.  DOA has a fairly simple story, and this movie has nothing to do with it. It brings in new characters and events that never even nearly happened. One of my biggest pet peeves was the constant use of weapons; if you have ever played any DOA game, you should know that there are never weapons. On top of that, most of the actors look nothing like the character they play, some are close, but others are plain laughable. Even if I view this movie from the point of view of a person who never even heard of the game, it is still bad. There are attempts at humor that come off as either stupid or pointless, the action scenes are decent at most, and the dialog is plain horrible. If you want to go see a good adaptation of a video game, go watch Silent Hill, or if you want it to be of a fighting game, stick to Mortal Kombat.

This move was almost painful to watch, it’s only saving grace was that it was short. If this movie ever does release in the states, save yourself the trip and don’t see this in theatres, nor buy the DVD for that matter. This movie is a rental at most.