DOA: Dead or Alive Movie Poster Image

DOA: Dead or Alive

age 15+
(i)

 

Sexed-up game adaptation is heavy on bikinis.
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  • Review Date: September 24, 2007
  • Rated: PG-13
  • Genre: Action/Adventure
  • Release Year: 2007
  • Running Time: 87 minutes

What parents need to know

Positive messages

Inane motives are the primary offense here, though the fact that just about everyone joins in the ongoing melee means there are no moral or intellectual alternatives.

Violence

Video-gamey violence includes kicks, karate chops, punches, body slams, flips, falls from great heights, sword fights, crotch grabs and crotch kicks, needle stabs/pricks, head-butts, bites, breaking bones (with crackly sound effects), eye gougings, martial arts weapons (stars, poles, etc.), and explosions. Pirates appear with guns but don't use them. Father and daughter fight it out in a river; two girls fighting throw each other around in the mud and rain. The island explodes at the end (in slow motion, of course).

Sex

Women wear bikinis and/or underwear, showing lots of cleavage; men appear in underwear, too. Christie first appears in the shower, then a towel as she battles intruders (she slips her panties on to distract them, eventually tossing her bra into the air, which then falls onto her naked form in slow motion, accompanied by brief profile shots of her breasts -- but they're suggestive rather than explicit). Max and Christie embrace in bed and make flirty talk (the movie then cuts to a presumably post-sex scene in bed); Zack "comes on" to Tina in hot tub; she flirts, then leaves with his clothes (he gets out naked, covering his genitals). Seeing two women in bed prompts a father to assume that they're lesbian lovers. Battle between two women takes place in rain and slow motion (wet T-shirt effect); Christie and Max kiss passionately; closing kiss inspires Tina to tell a couple to "get a room."

Language

Several uses of "s--t," plus "ass," "hell," and "son of a b--" (it's cut off in mid-utterance).

Consumerism

One big promotion for the video game it's based on.

Drinking, drugs, & smoking

Characters drink what looks to be beer, champagne, and wine.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that this movie (based on the same-named video game) is full of incessant, mostly mindless action (though not too much blood), much of which seems to be designed to showcase girls in bikinis and underwear. In fact, there's a fair amount of sex-related content for a movie aimed at kids -- including brief profile shots of a woman's breasts, characters embracing and flirting in bed, the assumption that two women are lesbians, and more. There's also some implied drinking, as well as several uses of words like "s--t," "ass," and "hell."

What's the story?

DOA: DEAD OR ALIVE follows a grueling competition on a heavily-guarded island overseen by the odious Donovan (Eric Roberts). Ninja princess Kasumi (Devon Aoki) overcomes a courtyard full of warriors in order to find out the truth about her martial arts-star brother, who vanished at the last DOA contest. Professional wrestler Tina (Jaime Pressly) knocks out a crew of pirates who arrogantly think they can take on a pretty girl sunning herself on her yacht. And assassin-thief Christie (Holly Valance) takes out a squad of thugs in suits, then almost gets away with the loot until she's thwarted by her boyfriend/rival Max (Matthew Marsden).

Is it any good?

QUALITY

Directed by respected martial arts choreographer Corey Yuen, DOA: DEAD OR ALIVE is a series of fight scenes strung together by a pretense of a plot. Video games aren't renowned for yielding complex movie characters, and in keeping with such low expectations the three primary girls in show lots of skin and little in the way of motive or deep thinking. The girls don't so much bond as admire one another's skills, which they all flaunt frequently. Only one non-girl opponent stands out, Zack (Brian J. White), who is outsmarted by Tina despite the deliriously low IQ levels of all participants.

The plot, such as it is, includes some rudimentary familial tensions: Tina fights with her father (also a pro wrestler); Kasumi believes her brother is not dead, as has been reported; and good girl (and competitor) Helena (Sarah Carter) suspects that her uncle Donovan is up to no good. Like, duh.

Families can talk about...

  • Families can talk about video game-based movies. What's their appeal? What do they have in common? Why do you think filmmakers want to adapt video games? What sorts of plots or characters do they provide? Does this movie's story work better on the big screen or on a console? Why? What audience do you think it's trying to attract?

Movie details

Theatrical release date:June 15, 2007
DVD release date:September 11, 2007
Cast:Devon Aoki, Eric Roberts, Jaime Pressly
Director:Andrew Adamson
Studio:MGM/UA
Genre:Action/Adventure
Run time:87 minutes
MPAA rating:PG-13
MPAA explanation:pervasive martial arts and action violence, some sexuality and nudity.

This review of DOA: Dead or Alive was written by

Cynthia Fuchs
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are conducted by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

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Adult Written bybsteimle April 9, 2008
not rated for age
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Teen, 15 years old Written byevolinag April 21, 2012
age 12+

Stupid action flick focuses on martial arts and lacks story

This movie is a pure waste of time. Nonstop martial arts fights and other violence, girls are dressed up in revealing outfits in order to attract and seem like objects of lust. The plot is hilariously predictable and features almost every stereotype you have even seen in a movie. In such movies, usually the special effects save the movie. Usually. In this movie, there aren't any memorable visual effects. Only sound effects, most of which are taken to unnecessary extremes. Awful, very awful. The movie is filled with violence, but it never ends up bloody, sometimes we hear bones breaking, though the characters come out unharmed. Teens will handle this.
What other families should know
Too much violence
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Teen, 13 years old Written byEverything'sAmazing November 18, 2012
age 13+

I actually enjoyed it!

Unlike a lot of people I actually really enjoyed this movie! I found the fight sequences really good and realistic and the plot was quite good considering it was based on a video game. Although there was quite a lot of scenes that would be inappropriate for some children there was nothing too serious. There were a lot of bikini shots and in one scene Christie isn't wearing a top (at all) and you can sort of see her upper body but only for a split second. There are also a few scenes with sexual implications but nothing too bad. Overall the movie isn't presented in a way where fighting can be taken very seriously (a lot of slow-motion and sound effects give it a very video-game-y feel rather than a real-life feel) and as long as it is not taken seriously it is a great watch for teens and older.
What other families should know
Great role models
Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much consumerism
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
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