I don’t trust videogame movies and there are more than a few examples not to. So when news breaks about the new Street Fighter movie, titled Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li, I usually ignore it. But it is my duty to report my findings on the internet, so I will indulge you this time readers… this time.
Justin Marks the writer of such classic films as Unbroken and Fast Forward recently discussed why Chun-Li (played by Kristen Kreuk) was the focus and made a point to say "I’ve never seen a successful action movie (in my mind) that blatantly sexualised [sic] its female lead and succeeded for its audience; Catwoman, Elektra, the list goes on and on."
"Then I think back to The Terminator, or possibly my all-time favourite movie, Aliens, and I think of how Ripley is depicted in that film. She’s a tough woman, but not because she came from a place of wearing tight pants and beating up men. She’s tough because she had this core emotional story about a life that could have been and never was. To me, that’s the way you write a woman in these kinds of movies."
I guess his list is like my list of awful videogame movies. And just when you believe Justin Marks when he says, "We’ve gone to great lengths to make sure Chun-Li is not just a sex object fantasy for people’s desktop backgrounds," he totally reverses everything.
"That said did I mention Kristin is gorgeous? And there’s one very steamy night club scene where she does awesome things to get the information she needs."
Credibility lost. You had me there with the reference to Aliens and Lt. Ripley. It proved to me that maybe you could make a decent film with solid characterization. I was almost excited, and then you ruined it.
[via Eurogamer]
