Sister Street Fighter / Sister Street Fighter II Blu-ray features poor video and bad audio in this poor Blu-ray release
Double-feature including:
Sister Street Fighter
Sister Street Fighter II
For more about Sister Street Fighter / Sister Street Fighter II and the Sister Street Fighter / Sister Street Fighter II Blu-ray release, see Sister Street Fighter / Sister Street Fighter II Blu-ray Review published by Kenneth Brown on March 4, 2009 where this Blu-ray release scored 2.0 out of 5.
Of all the technological advancements, cultural achievements, and socioeconomic developments brought on by the passion and activism of the 1970s, my personal fondness for the decade can be attributed to three things: my first glorious visit to a galaxy far, far away, the birth of Stephen King's Dark Tower series, and the sudden influx and booming popularity of martial arts cinema. Sure, I could have rounded out my trio with The Who or Pink Floyd, but there's just something completely and utterly satisfying about a genre filled with plotless actioners and rock-em-sock-em revenge flicks; a genre that produced icons like Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, and Sonny Chiba, and classics like Enter the Dragon, Drunken Master, and Street Fighter.
They may not be great martial arts cinema per se, but each one slapped a smile on my face...
A spin-off of Chiba's ultra-violent Street Fighter series (which already boasts two direct sequels, Return of the Street Fighter and The Street Fighter's Last Revenge), the first two entries in director Kazuhiko Yamaguchi's Sister offshoot make little effort to tie into the overall mythos, relying on throw-away dialogue and a Chiba cameo to tie everything together. Sister Street Fighter introduces a young marital artist named Koryu Li (Etsuko Shihomi) that has to save her brother, an undercover agent, being held captive by the leader of a heroin cartel. Battling her way through legions of warriors and an endless stream of diverse fighting styles, Kaoru has to bring down the dangerous drug lord and restore peace to her homeland's shores. In Sister Street Fighter: Hanging by a Thread, Li's particular skills are procured to rescue a girl whose father is mixed up with villainous diamond smugglers. Wash, rinse, repeat. Koryu has to work her way up the gangland ladder, defeat countless opponents, and bring an evil gangster to justice.
The Sister Street Fighter flicks desperately try to replicate the hard-hitting oomph of Chiba's original Street Fighter (the first film to earn an X-rating for violence alone), but groan-inducing scripts, a shallow parade of every fighting style imaginable, and little to no plot cohesion leave this double-feature sitting proudly in the pile of decidedly decent martial arts extravaganzas that have littered electronic store bargain bins for decades. Don't get me wrong, both films are loaded with flashy fighting... they just don't have the edge or memorability of films that went on to become '70s genre classics. Instead, Shihomi is the lone draw of each entry -- her fluid fighting is an absolute joy to watch, her delivery establishes her as one of the genre's early female standouts, and her fierce expressions and emotional vulnerability (contrived as it is) transform Koryu into a relatively believable character. Yes, quick cuts and overblown sound effects will make it more difficult for modern martial arts fans to appreciate the appeal of her performance, but Shihomi nevertheless grabs hold of Chiba's mantle and delivers three hours of flip-kicking fun.
Unknown as they are, the first two Sister Street Fighter films are worth checking out, especially considering the extremely limited selection of '70s martial arts films available in high definition. The technical quality isn't up to par (more on that in a bit), but the weak AV presentation almost adds to the cheesy flair of the double-feature and highlights everything that continue to make films like these such enduring guilty pleasures.
Anyone familiar with the quality of the vast majority of early '70s martial arts productions probably already know what I'm going to write about BCI's 1080p/AVC-encoded transfers before reading any further. Color vibrancy, contrast, and overall detail benefit from the inherent upgrade to high definition, but both films are burdened with more technical issues and print deficiencies than I can possibly convey. Skintones are often oversaturated, brightness regularly wavers, blacks are rarely resolved, delineation is weak, and almost every scene flounders with soft edges, hazy textures, and indistinct backgrounds. Moreover, depth is non-existent, grain surges and recedes at random, and whites often bloom. It doesn't help that pervasive artifacting, obvious print damage, and noticeable edge enhancement muck up the few shots that actually look good. Granted, the mediocrity of the transfers helps each presentation achieve an authentic genre appearance, but there are far too many problems and distractions on hand to warrant higher marks or greater praise.
Since I really didn't expect any sonic polish or power from either Sister Street Fighter flick, I wasn't caught off guard by the substandard quality of BCI's underwhelming Japanese-language Dolby Digital 5.1 surround tracks. Dialogue is often muddled, thin, and tinny, LFE support is heavy-handed and shallow, and the rear speakers rarely contribute anything to the experience. As it stands, the films' soundfields have little to no immersive properties, directionality and accuracy are a joke, and channel pans are jagged and clumsy. I don't have a standard definition copy of the series on hand to do a proper comparison, but I doubt the the Blu-ray editions sound much better than their DVD counterparts. Honestly, I had a hard time sinking into the experience at all -- if it weren't for the nostalgic feelings swirling in my gut, I probably would have given the audio package an even lower score. In short, don't approach this double-feature expecting any sonic prowess whatsoever.
Even though I can think of a hundred other genre classics I'd rather spend an evening watching, I can't deny the cheesy charm and nostalgic draw of the first two Sister Street Fighter films. Unfortunately, no amount of charm or nostalgia can overcome poor video transfers, awful audio packages, and a lack of supplemental material. If you're planning on buying this BCI double-feature, do so for your love of the films or the genre... every other aspect of this release will leave you sorely disappointed.
Use the thumbs up and thumbs down icons to agree or disagree that the title is similar to . You can also suggest completely new similar titles to in the search box below.
Use the thumbs up and thumbs down icons to agree or disagree that the title is similar to . You can also suggest completely new similar titles to in the search box below.
