Sci-Fighter (2004) User Reviews

Don's best but a bit of a letdown!

[supertom-3 · 4/10 · 12 January 2005]

Imagine my surprise and my glory when I saw this puppy at my local blockbusters, having appeared out of nowhere. I was excited about this all last year because it was a collection of B-movies star to make you proud. Don Wilson, Cynthia (Jubblies! I like the Jubblies!) Rothrock and Lorenzo Lamas. Unfortunately it ended up being standard Don fare with a ludicrous plot about a virtual reality fighting game that goes haywire and in essence is an excuse for loads of fights. The fights are very routinely done and Don Wilson continues his annoying trend of pulling his punches and forcing out the choreogrpahy slowly and without timing. I have never seen him look lightening quick in a film. Granted I have not seen all his movies but for a legendary kick boxer her certainly looks like he can't fight when it comes to his movies. Dan Mayid, who plays his son in this film puts him to shame and looks like he could have a bright future as an action star, he is certainly a better actor than his mentor. Mayid was interestingly enough cast at a marital arts convention. He is a big fan of Don, he showed him a few moves and they cast him as his son. Great stuff.

Problems in this film arise because there are loads of fights and most are from Don, while Mayid and the other leads have a lot less to do. Rothrock has one fight which is good and she still kicks but like the best of them, whilst showing her ample jubilee off in a cleavage boosting low cut dress. Lorenzo has a brief bit but he is essentially a cameo part, which is a shame because he is the best actor of the lot, by far. I'd have preferred him in the lead because he fights better than Don. The film is still reasonably fun though because it is so cheesy and they have some clichéd and hokey drama in it that is so badly done you can't help but laugh.

The film also features a score from Vince DiCola responsible for two scores I loved in the 80's in Transformers and Rocky 4, however this is not 80's style and his score is mostly generic, aside from some moments that have the Vince pazzazz. Overall this film has great curiosity value but for those expecting something great, you'll be disappointed. It was a fairly ambitious idea for a Don film but is letdown by poor execution on most parts. Only Rothrocks boobies and the potential of Mayid (An amazing athlete, and young enough to develop into at least an acceptable actor)make this worthwhile but that's about it. **

Bad front office job.....

[ryogamkn · 2/10 · 10 June 2005]

Having knowing some of these people IRL and having taken karate, I really have to fault the director for this one being bad. All of these people are capable of putting better than blue-belt level fights and acting better. It was a nice treat seeing Danny Mayid do his form at the end, it's just a shame he couldn't come out of his shell anymore in his intro film. It looked like a safe, conservative karate movie where the insurance didn't cover the level of fights that people expect. I've seen better in karate class and on demo teams.

Sorry if I offended any of the actors with this, because this was clearly not their fault.

-James

who knew a modded X-box could be so powerful??

[movieman_kev · 3/10 · 19 May 2005]

Widowed father Jack Tanaka (Don 'the Dragon' Wilson) feels that his son Brad is drifting from him. After catching his son drinking one sip of beer at a party, he grounds him for a week. The grandfather makes a custom virtual reality game in hopes of bringing the father and son closer together again. But when Brad get stuck in the game Jack has to follow him in and save him. No, it's not a exceptionally good film, but what the hell were you thinking when you rented a film starring The Dragon? Hamlet? I didn't think so. If you like Don, you probably will like this one , all others steer clear.

My Grade: D+ (would be higher if it didn't have the Monkeyman in it)

It's bad by Don "The Dragon" Wilson's standards. That's saying something isn't it?

[aloep · 3 May 2005]

I've always had a soft spot for Don "The Dragon" Wilson's films. None of them are great films, but the likes of the Cybertracker films, Ring Of Fire series and Out For Blood with PM Entertainment were very entertaining B-flicks. However, signing a contract with Roger Corman probably wasn't the wisest idea as many of these films are low quality and not very interesting. I wasn't expecting a lot from this when I rented it, but wasn't ready for incredibly bad cinematic cheesefest thrown at me. This is a bad film. This is BAD. Although it may have some comedy value, there are far more more entertaining examples of "so bad it's good" films so I can't think of one good reason to watch this.

If anything, the career of Art Camacho serves as proof that sometimes the production company has more influence on a film than the director. The only film he directed that was actually worth anything was "Recoil" for PM Entertainment but everything in it screams "Joseph Merhi" who was the main man behind PM Entertainment and bears nothing in common with the movies Art Camacho directed for other production companies, so I highly doubt he was responsible for making the movie turn out the way it did. Since the demise of PM he's been responsible for ultra forgettable efforts like 13 Dead Men and Redemption as well as the hilariously bad Albert Pyun tribute film Gangland. But with Sci-Fighter it seems he's hit a new low!

First, it's quite remarkable that a movie like this could be made in 2004. The whole "Virtual Reality" thing is so 1992. There's a good reason why nobody makes movies like "The Lawnmower Man" and "Arcade" anymore, and that's because computers have become an integral part of our everyday life and nobody finds it scary anymore. Likewise, "Virtual Reality" has all but died. Nobody is really interested in plugging some bulky object into their head anymore and awkwardly trying to control it through a sub-standard design as the good old computer monitor or TV screen is a lot more convenient and comfortable. The antiquated plot is about a "genius" who creates a virtual reality fighting sim for his grandson. Apparently while you're playing it takes control of your mind so in case you hadn't already figured something similar, a virus gets into it and locks his mind inside the game so his Dad jumps to the rescue and the only way to free him is to complete every level according to Grandpa. Woohoo! Sounds great doesn't it? Now let's just think about that for a second shall we? A virus gets into it? Firstly, viruses can't just generate out of nowhere. Programmers write viruses. And a virus that runs on one platform won't work as another in the same vein that a PS2 game won't work in an XBOX. Somebody would have had to have coded a virus for this game while it was in production. And dang, how does old Grandpa know that the only way out is to complete all the levels if he's never seen the virus before? But we're getting carried away now, as we all know this completely stupid and nonsensical plot is just a thin excuse for fight scene after fight scene. So how does it fair on this scale? Not very well, is the answer. All of the fights take place in areas clearly inspired from beat em up video games but unfortunately none of them are particularly well choreographed and have no real interesting touches so it just comes off as tiresome.

As for the performances, all I really thought about Don was "poor guy". He's just left with a bad part, and when his character isn't fighting, all he does is moan about his sons behaviour. Even when Grandpa shows him this virtual reality game, he just hits out with "There's no way he's going to be playing this". Would you respond like that if you were introduced to a device which brought your mind into another world? And then there's Cynthia Rothrock, who goes around dressed in clothes that look 25 years too young for her. At one point she's referred to as "a lovely young lady" which gave me a good laugh. As for Lorenzo Lamas, he's there. There I said, he's there. No more, no less. He only appears in a few scenes and interacts with about 2 other characters. I'm still trying to come up with a good reason for this character to exist, and I'm not finding one. It's painfully obvious that he was just cast for name value alone so they can plaster the names of three B-grade stars on the cover.

Overall, the premise made this doomed from the start but I wasn't expecting the huge levels of stupidity it threw at me. It's cheap, it's boring and although there are a few unintentional laughs along the line, they aren't worthy of the price of a rental. Best left to collect dust at the bottom of the video shelf for years to come.

average, rather disappointing film.

[[e-mail] · 5/10 · 11 January 2005]

Now just too clarify I wasn't expecting a brilliantly acted, exceptionally well crafted story when I purchased this DVD.

I was however expecting some quality martial arts fight scenes but I was disappointed in this regard as well........there were 2 or 3 that were fairly good but none of them were great........

The story itself was poorly written, the dialogue was weak and the script needed at least 2 or 3 more re-writes...even for a "B" movie this was weak.

It wasn't a bad idea just needed better execution........one watch for me was more than enough.

On another note, I bought this DVD in England as i am a resident of this country, it also doesn't include the "making of documentary" listed on the back of the DVD box.

Also despite "lorezno lamas" being shown on cover he's only in about 10 minutes of the film..............

OK rental if you are a big Don "the dragon" Wilson fan........but wouldn't recommend a purchase.

Sci-Fighter:The Doc's Review

[walken_on_sunshine · 1/10 · 13 November 2006]

This movie is kung fu crap.It's campy,corny,cheesy,and just appalling.Anyone who can enjoy the random,badly choreographed,slow paced,ridiculously amateur martial arts fight scenes is clearly off their rocker.The storyline screams bad and the plot barely progresses at all.The unbelievable cheesy storyline involves a martial arts student receiving a video game from his grampa in which he and his father get sucked into they then realize that in order to escape they need to beat all of the fighters in the game.Wasn't this on an episode of something like Kim Possible.Hard to believe but the film actually started out OK but after 15 minutes the film becomes a steaming pile of crap.The dialogue is like taking the dialogue from the Mortal Kombat Films,Power Rangers,3 Ninja's,and the English dubbed version of Japanese anime Naruto and creating a hybrid of them all.Don The Dragon Wilson sucks at acting just like the entire cast of this brutally corny film.Stay as far away as you possibly can from this direct to DVD piece of garbage rent something better instead don't waste your time.

Should have been better

[gridoon · 5/10 · 14 October 2007]

Despite the (wooden) family drama and the (half-baked) sci-fi elements, this is essentially a fighting movie, in the style of, say, "Mortal Kombat". The fights are acceptable, but nothing special. The film makes a noble attempt to include a variety of styles (grappling, streetfighting, weapons fighting, "monkey kung fu", etc.), but although all the participants are legitimate martial artists, the director and the choreographers don't get maximum performances out of them. Second and third-billed Cynthia Rothrock and Lorenzo Lamas have one fight each, and Lamas' part is pretty much a cameo; the real second lead after Don "The Dragon" Wilson is Dan Mayid who plays his son, and who is obviously a gifted athlete (and breakdancer!). A lot of cheesy digital effects and some picturesque locations complete the picture....oh, and Rebecca Chaney (The Scorpion) is HOT. Get this girl in more action movies as soon as possible. (**)

Die-Fighers...

[fmarkland32 · 1/10 · 19 February 2008]

Don "The Dragon" Wilson stars as Jack Tanaka a father of a teenager who goes inside a video game to save his son from a virus which controls his mind. Along the way Wilson is helped by fellow fallen action stars Cynthia Rothrock and Lorenzo Lamas. You would think a movie with so many trained martial artists, in a video game plot which would be nothing but wall to wall fights would be at least mildly diverting campy fun, and if made ten years ago you would be right. X-Treme Fighter is the pits. A movie so bad that it makes one pine for the days of Expect No Mercy, Arcade and Virtual Combat. Indeed those three movies I often sited as the worst examples of said genre where "Guy ends up playing video game in real life when game comes alive." but next to the really lame X-Treme Fighter, these come off as the work of Tron or Dreamscape. It's a really awful picture. Starting with the fight sequences, the video game itself has nothing that would indicate that it takes place in a video game world, outside of the phony costumes. The fight sequences are all very badly staged, for a movie featuring so many martial artists, all of them past their expiration date, don't put out any effort to indicate that anyone choreographed these fights without anything but the least amount of effort. The plot element ripped off from hundreds of movies is derivative and ridiculous. However that's not what bothered me. What bothered me was the complete lack of effort in giving us enjoyable villains, a charismatic hero and indeed intense fight sequences. In a film where the fighting is the main point such must be done well. It isn't here. Lorenzo Lamas has hardly any screen time, Cynthia Rothrock doesn't fight and basically this is a replay of Virtual Combat. A replay that is much, much worse.

1/2* Out of 4-(Awful)

90 minutes of my life wasted

[psych-l · 1/10 · 19 February 2007]

Please do not blow your money on this DVD, I should have just tuned into the science fiction channel instead of wasting my time on this low grade soap opera disguised as a science fiction movie. Mediocre plot, terrible fight sequences, horrible acting. Don "the dragon" Wilson seemed like he needed a few more lessons, along with his son Brad Tanaka. Dan Mayid was more of a spoiled child than a convincing actor. The cast seemed like a failed attempt to reunite actors who were prestigious martial artists, but lacked a flow.

Overall, don't expect much. If you view it as a cult-comedy, you may have a better time sitting through it.

Oh dear!

[dcondron-78437 · 1/10 · 28 March 2021]

Ray Charles did a cracking Job on the choreography!

How does the head set let you perform questionable martial arts moves and dialogue when sat doing nothing???

Z-grade nonsense, but kind of fun

[Leofwine_draca · 5/10 · 3 November 2017]

I caught this Z-grade martial arts feature on Prime under the title X-TREME FIGHTER. It's certainly the cheapest film I've ever seen Don "The Dragon" Wilson star in, and that's saying something. The effects and feel of the film, which is in the field of virtual reality, looks like it comes from the early 1990s. Wilson's kid plays an experimental fighting game and his father joins him, but it soon turns that this game has a deadly side.

Mostly this nonsense set-up is an excuse for various staged fight scenes in the countryside between a variety of outlandishly-attired fighters. Wilson is on autopilot but some of the fight choreography is okay, which is why this isn't the worst I've seen. Old-time actor Aki Aleong gets a nice role as the inventor while Cynthia Rothrock merely seems to be around to show off her surgically-enhanced assets in a revealing costume. Somewhat inevitably for this genre, Lorenzo Lamas appears too.

Martial Arts Movie with over 15 top notch Martial Artists

[fingfilmfan · 10/10 · 27 November 2006]

As they say in the behind the scenes, "Sci (X-treme) Fighter Rules!". If you like marital arts, and watch cheesy Kung-Fu Hong Kong style movies, they you will love the action in this movie!!! This is a Martial Arts Movie with over 15 real top notch Martial Artists. Yes, the acting is poor, and story is cheesy (just like most Kung Fu movies). But, the way to watch this is to watch the "Making Of" on the DVD first, and then watch the movie. You will then know who the real martial artists starring in this movie are. You can then watch it as a demonstration of real, and sometimes intriguing, martial arts skills. Don "The Dragon" Dragon Wilson is a 11 years in a row kick boxing champion. He fights in this movie 2 of his real former kick boxing opponents: Dewey the black cobra Cooper, and the infamous Maurice Smith. Maurice Smith is an infamous kick boxer and now Mixed Martial Arts competitor, who had a fight the day before the movie shoot, and is referred to in popular martial arts magazines. Cyntha Rothrock is one of the most famous women martial artists with black belts in 6 different disciplines, is a record holding 5 times forms champion, and was the first American women to break into Hong Kong Kung Fu movies, where the action is all but real. Lorenzo Lamas is a 3rd degree black belt. Dan Mayid is the young co-star of this movie, who is a 3rd degree black belt in Kempo Karate. His forms and fighting skills in this movie are phenomenal. Bob Wall, from Bruce Lee's enter the dragon, comments interestingly on the state of martial arts in the "Making Of" special. Christine Bannon-Rodrigues is a professional martial arts teacher with high skills in Wu Shu and Kempo Karate. She was a competitor for team Paul Mitchell, and has been featured on most martial arts magazines that exists in the world. Eric Lee, famously known as the King of Kata, does several excellent weapons forms, using a sword, rope, and a 3 sections staff. This movie stars a master of Monkey Kung Fu, Michael Gonzales-Matsuda. This is a very unique and interesting martial arts style. My favorite character was Gokor, also know as the Armenian Assissan. He is a famous grappling martial artist who has been undefeated in over 400 no holds barred, Judo, and Sambo fights. Chris Cassamassa is a 7th degree karate black belt whose moves are precise. He is one of the most skilled artists shown, doing barehanded fights, and an interesting kama (sickle) fighting demonstration. The 7th degree taekwondo black-belts, Simon Kim and James Kim, known as the tiger twins, star in this. The strongest looking fighter is this is Brad Verret, a lifetime body builder, and no holds barred fighter. He is the king of the cage fights icon. Rebecca Chaney is an attractive 2nd degree taekwondo black belt with an interesting part. There are also many ninja fighters (probably stunt men) and a lot of beautiful/ attractive women fitness professionals: dancers, actors, models, spokespersons for muscle tech nutrition, all of which add to the fun on this film. A martial arts films with real world class martial artists performing various fidgeting styles and forms, weapons demonstrations, Kung-Fu, taekwondo, karate, monkey style fighting, grappling, and some fantasy sequences, along with a "Making Of" section on the DVD which interviews and tells about the different stars of the movie, make this worth seeing. And they all speak non dubbed perfect English, unlike the typical Kung-Fu movies!!!!!

Total nonsense, but still bizarre fun

[I_Ailurophile · 7/10 · 17 May 2022]

The very first thought to enter my mind as I began watching was "oh no." This was also my first thought as the end credits began to roll, and a wholly absurd and out of place rock song began to play on the soundtrack.

I recognize it was at least partly intentional, but the computer-generated imagery that greets our vision is only a small step or two above what we saw in 'TRON' in 1982. The dialogue and acting presented in the game, deliberately stilted and hammed-up, is nonetheless a bit of a burden to bear even with our suspension of disbelief, along with the accompanying editing and vocal effects. Even at that, the dialogue and acting in the movie outside the context of the titular game isn't much better. I've seen enough of the cast elsewhere to know they're more capable than this, so I assume it's a question of director Art Camacho distinctly emphasizing the action over other elements. For that matter, the screenplay is clearly geared the same way: the plot is light and thin, filled with common themes and tropes, and though fine as it is, there's no mistaking the writing was nothing but a silly excuse to exhibit martial arts. All this is most plainly evident where the feature switches tones for a scene of intended emotional weight; nowhere is the writing, direction, or acting weaker. In my opinion 'Sci-fighter' actually is entertaining, a suitable enough way to spend 90 minutes, but potential viewers should be keenly aware of what they're getting into.

Apparently rated PG-13, it's nonetheless hard to feel that perhaps merely "PG" would've been more appropriate, as the feature is rife with conscious camp that makes it a hair's width away from being a kid's movie. With that said - ridiculous as it is, nothing here is sloppy, or accidental. Exaggerated, over the top, or gauche as so much of 'Sci-fighter' is, I think Camacho's direction is fine from a technical standpoint. The filming locations are choice, and I genuinely appreciate the costume design, hair and makeup, and props and weapons. Bombastic as it may be, Vince DiCola and Kenny Meriedeth's original music adds a lot of flavor in the more invigorating moments. Why, though Thomas Callicoat's screenplay is more than a little gawky as it serves as a vehicle for the action, in the broad strokes I think the narrative and scene writing is reasonably solid.

All this brings us to the essential core of the movie. One doesn't need to be particularly studied of martial arts in the last 30-40 years to quickly glean that the cast includes some very accomplished experts, and that shines through in the terrific, proliferate fight scenes. The choreography and stunts are outstanding, to one degree or another showcasing a variety of styles. As extra flourishes we're even treated to some wire work in a couple instances. Cheesy as it may be at multiple points, one does actually wish 'Sci-fighter' could have been a smidgen longer, if only so as to include still more action. True, the camerawork and editing of the fights don't do the picture any favors, as the most possible visceral thrill of the its is diminished - but this is a flaw with too many action flicks at large, not just this one.

There's no denying that the unwieldy slant toward unserious tomfoolery puts unique constraints on what the film is, and definite limits on the size of the audience that will be on board with it. Watching 'Sci-fighter' is, to say the least, a rather singular experience. Through all the ludicrousness, however, the intent here is obvious: an easy cash-in on the next generation of videogames that was flourishing in 2004, and above all a fantastical pretext to let martial artists show off their skills and their disciplines. Is it entirely too much at times? Yes, it most assuredly is. Does it still manage to be cheeky fun despite everything? Yes - yes, it does. Relax your presuppositions and just kick back for 90 minutes of weird, wonderful 2004 nonsense.

The power of Gamecube.....only crap

[onesky_onedestiny · 2/10 · 17 August 2005]

Story in short - old man wants to train fbi agents, buys gamecube, puts sticker over said gamecube and turns it into a powerful combat training game.....WHICH GOES BAD! Bad story, half arsed effects and crap choreography aside this isn't a bad film. If you should think that there is anything besides those three points. Well, there is some quality face-pulling.

The only reason i would give this a two is because its so bad its laughable, and the monkey ninja is hilarious in the fact he doesn't actually do anything other than hop about like a monkey. On the floor. I could get a 9 year old to do just as good a job, and he'd probably do it with more gusto.

In summary, rent/buy if its amazingly cheap (like a quid) or you really have nothing better to do. If you like Forbidden Warrior, you'd probably sit through most of this without laughing. I send out my pity.

Go see Kung Pow or Shaolin Soccer instead. Now.

A decent martial arts film for younger audiences.

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 4 March 2019]

This film is also known as "X-treme Fighter".

The movie began oddly. After showing the names of the three leads, the film then showed a list of actors in the film along with their martial arts certifications. Yet, oddly, they didn't do this for Don Wilson, Lorenzo Lamas or Cynthia Rothrock. Could it be those actors are just actors...period? I had no idea...so I needed to wait and see why. And, it turns out the three leads' credentials were shown at the very end.

Jack (Don Wilson) and his son, Brad (Daneya Mayid) have a problematic relationship. Jack's wife died some time ago and Jack seems overwhelmed with raising the boy and has a hard time being flexible and loving towards his teen. Their relationship is quite strained when grandpa arrives and gives Brad a gift...an experimental victual reality game where you fight various bosses and it's all VERY real. The opponents look 100% real and their hits and kicks hurt...just like real ones. Of course this is totally ridiculous based on today's technology...let alone 2004's....just go with it! Eventually a weird accident occurs. For some unknown reason, the game malfunctions and Brad is stuck inside. So, it's up to his dad to enter the game and find him...and extract him.

While the plot is very simple and perhaps a bit cartoonish, it works reasonably well because the two leads are good actors and their martial arts skills were exciting to watch. Fortunately, Rothrock and Lamas were not major factors in the film, as I have found their acting in other films to be a bit flat...and that's me being nice, believe me.

Would adults enjoy this film? Maybe. But for younger people it is actually a good film. It espouses good values and although there's a lot of fighting, I'd let teens or even older kids watch it. Overall, this one surprised me. While I didn't love it, I did see a lot to enjoy as well.