Chubby Boy Films Presents: BALROG: BEHIND THE GLORY And MATADOR
You know you stink when you spend millions of bucks on a video game adaptation when smaller-scale, independent efforts tend to stand out, as has always been the case with the highly popular Street Fighter franchise from Capcom. Machinima’s launch of Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist back in May was only the latest attempt at an episodic series with feature-length quality following its 2010 concept short, Street Fighter Legacy.
Just a year after Legacy, however, things were brewing in another corner of the world where filmmaker Vahe Gabuchian began turning out a few of his own contributions to Capcom’s famed property, beginning with 2011’s Balrog: Behind The Glory, an origin short story focused on the titular character’s roots as an upcoming champion gone rogue and ultimately working for the international terrorist organization, Shadowloo.
At its core, Gabuchian‘s vision takes much more on the identity of a contemplative fight drama than anything else. On any given day, fans would probably complain, and maybe some have. Clearly however, none of that matters, since obviously a certain amount of approval would ultimately garner the need for a second offering from the likes of Gabuchian and his ilk over at Chubby Boy Films.
Evidently, fans did get a follow-up a few months ago in July when Twitch TV streamed Gabuchian’s new short, Matador, on the second day of EVO 2014. Here, the story focuses on a young boy’s loss of innocence in the years following the death of his mother, and the vengeful, anti-heroic assassin he became known as, Vega.
While there are some usual budgetary restrictions, Gabuchian and screenwriter Brett D. Bayonne still manage to turn out two awesomely good short stories. Sure, 1994 and 2009 weren’t exactly the best of times, but clearly, the internet is boundless with content creators and inspired artists to follow their passions. As such, both Street Fighter fan films achieve what they set out to, and very healthily I might add if you’re a Street Fighter fan, you might approve.
Hey Gabuchian, don’t ever change, if only for the greater good!
*Special thanks to actor Loren Avedon (King Of The Kickboxers, No Retreat No Surrender 3) for posting about this!