Terminator Star Strikes Terror In This Forgotten Sci-Fi Video Game Adaptation On Streaming
Everyone knows Robert Patrick played the fearsome T-1000 in Terminator 2: Judgement Day, but he wasn’t done playing villainous roles after that. Patrick would also play the main antagonist of the video game film adaptation Double Dragon, which you can stream on Peacock. While it’s far from the best video game adaptation of all time, it’s certainly one that will keep you entertained.
An overlooked Robert Patrick villain role came in one of the first video game adaptations, Double Dragon, which is available to stream on Peacock.
Double Dragon is a martial arts film adapted from the video game series of the same name and takes place in a post-apocalyptic Los Angeles. The film follows two brothers who have one half of an ancient talisman and an evil gang leader who has the other half. The two brothers must prevent the leader from getting their half of the talisman, which would grant him immeasurable power.
Mark Dacascos and Scott Wolf star as the brothers Jimmy and Billy Lee, while Robert Patrick plays the gang leader Victor Guisman/ Koga Shuk. Interestingly enough, Patrick’s character was an original character for the movie but would later become the final boss of the Double Dragon fighting game released in 1995.
The cast is rounded out by Alyssa Milano as the leader of the Power Corps, along with an ensemble cast that includes Julia Nickson, Leon Russom, Kristina Wagner, Nils Allen Stewart, Henry Kingi, George Hamilton, Vanna White, Andy Dick, and Cory Milano.
Double Dragon was directed by James Yukich with a screenplay by Michael Davis and Peter Gould from a story by Paul Dini and Neal Shusterman. The quality of the film doesn’t really reflect the talents of this creative team. You may notice some pretty big names from the writing team, as Peter Gould worked on all five seasons of Breaking Bad, while Paul Dini is best known for Batman: The Animated Series.
If you’re expecting something on par with Breaking Bad or Batman: The Animated Series, prepare to be severely disappointed, as Double Dragon was a critical and commercial flop. These were dark days for video game adaptations, and this film does nothing to prove that checking out 90s video game adaptations is a great use of your time. Still, the special effects are actually pretty decent, and the film is certainly entertaining in its own way.
Double Dragon is filled with talent, from Robert Patrick and Alyssa Milano to the writing team of Paul Dini and Peter Gould, but it’s one of Hollywood’s most notorious box office bombs.
In fact, many have called Double Dragon one of the worst video game adaptations of all time, so it’s honestly worth checking out to see how bad things can get. The box office performance of the film also reflects its quality, as it barely broke $4 million at the global box office. When all was said and done, the reported gross of the film was roughly $4.1 million, which easily makes it a flop.
The performances are appropriately over the top, too, especially Robert Patrick, who got to be much less stoic of a villain than the one he played in Terminator 2: Judgement Day. The action and performances aren’t quite enough to make Double Dragon good, but it doesn’t help make it watchable in a funny way. Plus, the production went above and beyond for some of the action sequences.
A particularly notable story about the production of Double Dragon was when they filmed a boat chase scene that involved 700 gallons of gasoline combined with 200 gallons of alcohol. Although nearby residents were warned of the stunt beforehand with a broadcast, the explosions were so significant that emergency services were called by panicked people in the neighborhood. That’s certainly a big commitment to practical effects, but it doesn’t necessarily pay off in the final product.
Double Dragon earned barely $4 million at the box office, only half of the $8 million production budget.
While the Double Dragon movie landed with a pretty significant thud, the subsequent fighting game that was based on the movie was a little bit better, providing players with a fairly solid one-on-one arcade fighter. It’s also a much easier game than the game the movie was based on, which is super hard. Of course, the iconic original game is what was popular enough to get a movie adaptation in the first place, so it’s worth checking out if you like your retro games with a challenge.
Fortunately, we’re now in a day and age where video game adaptations can be pretty good. However, it’s always fun to go back and see how things used to be. If you want a blast from the past, make sure to check out Double Dragon while it’s streaming on Peacock.
