Tekken's U.S. release date should be forthcoming in early 2010. The film's post-production period, seemingly endless, must finally be ending. Unfortunately, U.S. audiences won't be first to see Tekken, unless one counts it November 5, 2009 debut at the Mann's Criterion Theatre in Santa Monica, California (per SDTekken.com), as part of the AFM Film Festival. Despite this debut, the major film review websites remain silent about Tekken's U.S. release date.
Namco's popular video game series with its newest releases on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Tekken is yet another best-selling video game made into a science fiction film. The game's predecessors have met with mixed box office success and almost universally horrible reviews. Some games have made fairly decent movies, with Resident Evil and Hitman topping the list but by no means excellent films.
And there is no end to the video-game-turned-movie madness in sight. A fourth Resident Evil is on the horizon. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Shadow of the Colossus, and Gears of War, will also follow. The genre is stacked with films past, present, and future. Will any of them ever truly be great films?
There seems to be little hope for Tekken. It's already scheduled for a straight-to-DVD release in one country. Perhaps it will last as long as Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li did in American theaters. In any event, it likely won't even match Mortal Kombat in quality, which at least had its catchy, glow stick- inspired techno soundtrack.
Tekken Film Released in Japanese Theaters on March 6, 2010
According to the Internet Movie Database, Tekken will be released inJapan on March 6, 2010. And why not? Japan gets all the good video games first. Why shouldn't they get all the crappy video game movies first?
Not surprisingly, Tekken will star a largely unrecognizable cast. John Foo (The Protector, Universal Soldier: Regeneration) stars as Jin Kazama, a character who doesn't make his appearance until Tekken 3 in the video game series. However, the character's family is central to the games' storylines and will likewise be central to the movie.
Luke Goss, Ian Anthony Dale, Tamlyn Tomita, Lateef Crowder, Nathan Jones, Mircea Monroe, Gary Daniels, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, and Gary Ray Sterns round out the cast. Chiaki Kuriyama, who Tarantino enthusiasts will remember as Gogo in Kill Bill: Vol. 1, was rumored to star in the film, but that rumor appears to be unfounded. Many of the film's stars have martial arts backgrounds. With its cast built for action not acting, Tekken will need to compensate its melodrama with unique fighting scenes.
Tekken's U.K. and U.S. Release Dates Likely April or May 2010
With Japan's March 2010 release, Tekken should follow soon after everywhere else. Amazon.com, however, is already pre-selling the DVD, claiming a U.K. release date of April 5, 2010. This date seems logical, but it is uncertain if it or the DVD cover picture is accurate.
If Tekken is being released on DVD and Blu-ray in April in the U.K., a similar release is likely in the U.S. Thus, for those waiting to see their favorite Tekken characters on the big screen, they'd better buy a larger television.
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Jason Parent - Jason Parent earned his Bachelor's Degree in English in 2000 and his Juris Doctorate in 2006. He currently works as an attorney with a ...
