The upcoming reboot – THE KING OF THE IRON FIST TOURNAMENT - will constitute the third TEKKEN-inspired feature within a decade, and the fact that fans are a lot less happy about this than you'd assume says a lot about the missed opportunities of the series as a film franchise. The movie ends without any resolution, clearly teasing another sequel that I hope will not see production – at least not under the same director. Several times, Kazuya will enter a new locale, and with some unclear understanding known only to the characters, he will engage in an unprompted and unexplained fight scene. The motivations of and relationships between characters are frustratingly enigmatic.

Many scenes are given over to time-killing flashbacks and montages of Kazuya aimlessly wandering around. Aside from the fact that the plot in no way resembles the TEKKEN series and would probably make more sense without the label, the screenplay of KAZUYA'S REVENGE appears to have been written with a license to pad and instructions to only tell a fractional story.

Normally, my satisfaction for that regard would garner at least an average rating, but the movie is a metaphor for how a table cannot stand on only one leg. The low number of characters from the series limits the dream matchups this one can present (and the one it does give us – Kosugi versus Gary 'Bryan Fury' Daniels – is rubbish), but Kane manages some respectable bouts with genre regulars Ron Smoorenburg, Eoin O'Brien, and Brahim Achabbakhe. A stellar performer just coming off one of the best fight scenes of the decade in NINJA II, Kosugi does what he does best in delivering fights that range from endurable to pretty good. The best thing that can be said about this movie is that Kane Kosugi is, at least, a much more apt choice for the lead role than Ian Anthony Dale was before him. The story: Haunted by confusing memories, an amnesiac martial artist (Kane Kosugi) is kidnapped by a crime organization and turned into an assassin. KAZUYA'S REVENGE is not so much an adaptation as a lazy spin off, and though it does some things very well, its deficiencies are overwhelming and make this an unenjoyable outing for all but niche viewers. Director Wych Kaos is not exactly known for making great films and his video game movie does not bolster his reputation. The fact that TEKKEN was not a perfect movie isn't shocking, but it is surprising how significantly worse its successor is.

Reviewed by The_Phantom_Projectionist 4 / 10 'You will get used to the noise'

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