Not too long ago, a successful (be it critically or commercially) video game adaptation was a rarity, but with the likes of The Minecraft Movie, both Super Mario films, HBO's The Last of Us, the recent Resident Evil reboot, and, to a lesser extent, Mortal Kombat II - which didn't do particularly well at the box office but was largely embraced by fans - the tide has most definitely begun to turn.
Can the new Street Fighter movie from Paramount Pictures and Bad Trip director Kitao Sakurai keep this momentum going?
Unlike the infamously awful '90s movie (yes, Raul Julia was great as Bison, but please don't attempt to reassess that mess) that centered on Jean-Claude Van Damme's Guile, Street Fighter 2026 wisely shifts focus to Ryu (Andrew Koji) and Ken Masters (Noah Centineo), and their complicated relationship that has always been the backbone of the games.
The movie opens with a stunning 2D animated flashback sequence (others are scattered throughout), as we discover the catalyst that led to the fracturing of their friendship amid a tragic event that has understandably made the chances of a reconciliation very slim over the years.
When we catch up with Ken, he has abandoned his promising career as a competitive martial artist to capitalize on his fame with sponsorship deals and MTV appearances, facilitated by his manager Dan Hibiki (Andrew Shultz). Ryu, meanwhile, has also put his past as a fighter behind him and is now living a solitary life as a nomad in Japan.
Both men are convinced to enter the second World Warrior Tournament by Chun-Li (Callina Liang), who is recruiting the best fighters from around the globe on behalf of the villainous M. Bison (David Dastmalchian). When Ken, Ryu and various other combatants such as Guile (Cody Rhodes), Dhalsim (Vidyut Jammwal), and Zangief (Olivier Richters) arrive at the tournament, they begin to realize that Bison has far more sinister motives for staging the event than simply crowning a new champion.
It's a very basic story designed to move a bunch of characters we recognize into place so we can watch them beat the holy hell out of each other, and in that respect, Street Fighter delivers. Though there aren't as many actual tournament battles as you'd expect, the various action sequences are handled very well, and we do get to see most of the fighters unleash at least one of their signature special moves.
The movie also looks incredible, fully embracing the colorful heightened reality of the games along with the '90s vibe. All of the characters resemble their pixelated counterparts, and if some of the costumes look a little on the cheap side, it mostly fits with the aesthetic.
Unfortunately, Street Fighter is hamstrung at almost every turn by a muddled script, dreadful dialogue, and juvenile, cringe-inducing humor. Taking any adaptation of these particular games too seriously would have been a mistake, but there's a difference between self-aware silliness with a sprinkling of camp and flat-out stupidity bordering on farce.
Not only do most of the jokes clang, but a lot of them are just outright bizarre. Sakurai and co-writer T.J. Fixman - who may or may not be 10 years old - clearly thought it would be funny to include (at least) two closeted gay characters, one of whom has a foot fetish and seems to derive sexual gratification from inflicting pain, and an obsessive government agent who touches himself during one of Chun-Li's fight scenes. Then there's Blanka, who scratches his armpit before sniffing his fingers and describing the different smells (there's hotdogs, eggs, and... ass?) several times during his battle with Ryu.
Have your sides split yet?
The tone wouldn't necessarily have been an issue if the movie was actually funny, but aside from a couple of semi-decent gags (Cody Rhodes and, as hard as it is to admit, Andrew Schultz raise a few titters), it's tumbleweed city.
It's a shame, because there was a good movie in there somewhere. The cast gives it their all, and the central Ryu/Ken story does remain compelling throughout. But so many elements fail so catastrophically that you may find yourself wondering how this cut made it to theaters without some studio exec with even a modicum of sense stepping in.
Strong leads, amazing animated sequences, and some exciting scraps just about rescue Street Fighter from disaster status, but unless you are a die-hard fan who only cares about seeing these characters square off on screen and nothing else, it might be best to wait for streaming.
“Set in 1993, estranged Street Fighters Ryu (Andrew Koji) and Ken Masters (Noah Centineo) are thrown back into combat when the mysterious Chun-Li (Callina Liang) recruits them for the next World Warrior Tournament: a brutal clash of fists, fate, and fury. But behind this battle royale lies a deadly conspiracy that forces them to face off against each other and the demons of their past. And if they don’t, it’s GAME OVER!”
The movie stars Noah Centineo as Ken Masters, Andrew Koji as Ryu, Callina Liang as Chun-Li, Cody Rhodes as Guile, Orville Peck as Vega, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson as Balrog, Jason Momoa as Blanka, Vidyut Jammwal as Dhalsim, Olivier Richters as Zangief, Hirooki Goto as E. Honda, David Dastmalchian as M. Bison, Joe “Roman Reigns” Anoa’i as Akuma, Andrew Schulz as Dan Hibiki, Eric André as Don Sauvage, Mel Jarnson as Cammy, Rayna Vallandingham as Juli, and Alexander Volkanovski as Joe.