Dead or Alive proves that just because you can do something doesn't always mean that you should. I have no problem with suspending belief to watch a movie with a topic that is fantastic but the plotline for DOA makes The Chronicles of Narnia look like a PBS documentary. The only thing that saves the film is pretty girls and some nice fight sequences..

The film tries to recreate the magic of the awesome videogame franchise of the same name, telling the story of a gaggle of beautiful gals invited to a deadly tournament with a purse of 10 millions dollars in cold hard cash. From the beginning you'll be rolling your eyes as the actors deliver the awful dialogue as best they can, betraying decent characters created by more diligent and thoughtful souls in the videogame industry.

The film has all the best DOA faces including the defiant princes ninja Kasumi (Devon Aoki) with ninja assassin Ayane (Natassia Malthe) closely on her heels; the southern wrestler gal Tina Armstrong (Jaime Pressly) and Hulk Hogan wannabe father Bass Armstrong (Kevin Nash); the spy assassin Christie (Holly Valance) and the less than scrupulous thief lover Max (Matthew Marsden); and the computer geek Weatherby ( Steve Howey) and his aging mentor Donavan (Eric Roberts). The fighters among this line-up find themselves on an long international flight followed by a plane jump to a remote tropical island paradise. There they'll fight until someone loses.. and then gets kicked off the island until only one person remains to claim the massive cash prize and the title of the greatest fighter in the world. Which makes one wonder, why is this a Dead or Alive Tournament if no one ever dies?

As the film progress, you'll be treated to liberal amounts of well choreographed fight scenes and a paper thin plot that ultimately doesn't matter. You'll also figure out that the organizer of this event is kind of an evil dick and has managed to create a software program that lets him download the fighting abilities of select fighters into a nifty set of glasses... Perhaps Eric needs a sports strap because apparently these glasses don't work very well if they get kicked off your face...

The film even tries to play up the whole "girls playing volleyball" angle, which was made popular with the DOA Volleyball series, but that's very tough to do when you have a PG 13 rating. And honestly, it makes no sense to not have this blatant exhibitionism in the film given its target audience, but these scenes aren't all that titillating so what's the point? It's kind of like putting girls on trampolines on The Man Show... wearing bathrobes.

Tina is probably the best character in the film because the part she is playing is one she has done before, sans the ass kicking abilities. She nails the saucy-feisty southern gal character perfectly. Professional Wrestler Kevin Nash also puts in a decent performance, though I can't help but feel that he's playing a character based on Hulk Hogan. Many of the other characters are just plain forgettable - warm bodies to beat on for the brand names that signed on to the film.

And no offense to Eric Roberts, but dude what happened to your career? He sure has come a long way from The Pope of Greenwich Village to ... playing a diabolical tournament organizer.. I will give credit to Roberts for his fight chorography in the film even though I suspect a stunt double slaved over some hot wires while he sipped on some refreshment involving tiny umbrellas, spiced rum and a coconut.