Tekken: A Man Called X (2014) Reviews

• A terrible cash-grab attempt that will understandably outrage fans of 'Tekken'

  moviexclusive2014-08-16

  We do not blame you if you can't quite remember anything about the first 'Tekken' movie; like many of its ilk, it was a forgettable attempt at translating the Namco video game for the big screen. Given how cold a reception it had gotten, it's no surprise that this sequel is arriving with so little fanfare, given a theatrical release in some territories and dropped straight to video in many others. Not to worry though, if you haven't caught the first movie, this is an in-name only sequel, and in fact is meant as a prequel to its predecessor. Whereas the earlier film chose Jin Kazama as its protagonist, this one makes Kazuya Mishima its lead character. Fans of the game will know that Kazuya was only a good guy for the first instalment, thereafter turning into one of its main antagonists from the second one onwards. Fans will also know that Kazuya is in fact the son of Heihachi Mishima, the head honcho behind the infamous Iron Fist tournament of Tekken City where fighters from the eight mega-corporations ruling the world battle it out for survival and glory – and for those who are interested, the only continuity 'Tekken 2' has with the earlier film is that Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa returns, albeit for no more than a glorified cameo, as Heihachi. This is a story which ultimately culminates in Kazuya learning that he is the son of Heihachi, but before we get to that big reveal, writers Nicole Jones and Steven Paul introduce us to Kazuya as a man with superb fighting skills who wakes up one morning in a room not knowing who he is or where he comes from. As he tries to escape from a gang of heavily- armed militia, he is knocked unconscious and brought before a questionable character known as the Minister (Rade Serbedzija). Though he says that he is running a reformation school for 'sinners', the Minister turns out to be no saint himself, wanting Kazuya only to do his bidding by acting as his assassin for hire. Long story short (because there isn't much plot to begin with anyways), Kazuya discovers that the Minister isn't the man he says himself to be thanks to a former compatriot named Bryan Fury (Gary Daniels) who defected from the Minister's ranks and whom Kazuya was sent to kill. His only ally? Rhona Anders (Kelly Wenham), a British chick who tries to emote very hard in order to project a sense of conscience. Rhona who? Yeah, you're right. She isn't in the Tekken universe to begin with, nor for that matter is the Minister. There is a more interesting backstory here about how the film began as a project known as 'Agent X', and was only revealed later on as a Tekken prequel – hence the blatant use of character names which don't even belong to 'Tekken'. But perhaps the most disappointing element about 'Tekken 2' is that the action just doesn't cut it. Unlike 'Tekken', this origin story for Kazuya doesn't boast of any grand tournament to speak of, relegating the fights instead to the first act where he is made to show off his fighting skills in the Minister's training camp and in the third and last act where he confronts Bryan and later on comes face to face with his estranged father Heihachi. Unfortunately, the choreography is utterly disappointing for a movie which should thrive on its mano-a-mano fighting; there is no distinction in Kazuya's technique and for that matter between any of the fights to make them stand out against each other. What we get is a series of poorly edited shots (thankfully not shot in the jerky close-up style) stitched together with little sense of continuity between them. That is even more upsetting for fans of Kane Kosugi, whose role in 'Tekken 2' marks the first leading man break for the talented American martial artist of Japanese descent. Kosugi executes some beautiful moves, but they are lost amidst the unremarkable choreography and some dismal editing. It suffices to say that neither Kazuya nor his opponents get to express any sort of personality through their moves, and as a result none of the fights are actually memorable. The title alone may draw those who have played the game before and may be excited to see a real-life incarnation of their avatars, but not even nostalgia can rescue this abysmal martial arts-based movie which only bears the 'Tekken' name for familiarity and to ring up more coin. Indeed, 'Tekken 2' is an embarrassment to the 'Tekken' franchise and an outrage to fans of the game, so you'll be wise to avoid it whether in theatres or on home video.

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• craptastic

  lastgreatman882015-01-22

  was excited for this movie. I liked the first one, even if the story was shallow, just because I loved Tekken the game... but Tekken 2 was no way Tekken, not even close. I don't know what they were thinking about when they did the film, there was just no value to it... too slow, fight scenes were terrible... and "ruthless" assassin was not really the case... it was just awful and I can't find anything positive to say about the film except when it ended which I thanked the high heaven because I could finally breath. it was terrible, did I say that? it was like when sloppy writing meets terrible research, you get Tekken 2... it was so awful it was so agonizing to watch. there was really no Tekken to it,

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• A big step down from the first movie

  helmutty2014-08-20

  I know the first live-action movie was not well-received by fans and critics alike but I enjoyed its decent fight scenes. It was a guilty pleasure. I guess I could say that because I am not a fan of Tekken though I have watched the CGI Blood Vengeance. Now, back to this movie, the prequel is shockingly inept; it is extremely low-budget and features some half-baked choreography, story and editing. I may not be a fan of video games but I know if the movie tries to recreate the moments of the games and this has none. The characters do not look anything like the characters in the game. I thought I could let it go since I am not a fan but the fight scenes do not even make up for it or the lack of story. The story: Kazuya wakes up in some unknown hotel room. He is confused about his identity. Shortly, some action happens. I thought it will be an action-packed ride given the short runtime. However, the thought was short-lived. It does contain some fight scenes but they are shockingly normal; none of the characters have distinctive fight styles. Unlike the first movie, the choreography is boring and uninspired. Each fight scene is quite short; shorter than one and a half minutes. Take out the name, Tekken 2: Kazuya's Revenge, and you will get an uninspired action movie that is almost pointless to watch. There are many annoying pointless slo-mo scenes of characters walking and walking…and bad editing. The acting is not that good too. Music is alright. Overall: There is almost no saving grace in this. It makes the first one looks like a classic. I could at least see some efforts used to create the look in the first movie but in this, there is none. There is no distinctive style, no interesting things happening and it looks like it is shot fast with not much consideration of locations. There may be many tepid movies based on video games but this is one of the worst movies. It just does not look appealing. Not much to recommend here.

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• No. Just, no.

  dorothewatcher2014-08-11

  As a player of the game Tekken from the introduction of the very first game I was excited as all get out when I saw the first Tekken movie which was animated. After feeling like my hard earned money was wasted I still had faith in the people who would make a great Tekken movie. I believed that SOMEONE would do this game the honor it deserves and produce a great film adaptation. I saw Gary Daniels connected to the film and having loved his work for years as a big screen martial artist I had reasonably high hopes for this film to at least be bearable. This movie was not. I applaud the success of those who were able to bring their vision to life, but this was really really bad.

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• Absolute crap

  shaitan_lives2014-08-22

  I am an avid Tekken player, and I too loved the story line of the games. This movie had nothing to do with the games, and it was just a waste of time. I barely made it through. The first live action movie they made wasn't great either, but it had a lot more to offer than this did. At least in the first one there were more than 2 of the original players in the game, and there was an actual tournament! Fight scenes were poorly done, and believe it or not, I would rather the first 'porn' actor that played Kazuya than the guy they got for this one. If you have to, watch it because you liked the games, but trust me, don't expect anything out of this.

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