For a long time, the art of adapting video games into movies was misunderstood. Time and time again we were getting films that just poorly adapted these video games. It made you realize that the intellectual properties were video games for a reason to begin with and not films and shows because they specifically fit that format. This was something that studios just never understood. That’s all changed recently, as we’ve started to get better video game adaptations, and ironically, Paramount Pictures has been the one studio to already nail this with Sonic the Hedgehog. We’ve now got the first Street Fighter live-action adaptation in 32 years, and personally it doesn’t feel afraid to be Street Fighter, which helps it in the long run. Street Fighter is one of the boldest and riskiest live-action video game adaptations that I’ve seen, and while it tends to pay off massively in some areas, it also doesn’t always land in others.
Street Fighter follows Ryu (Andrew Koji) and Ken (Noah Centineo), who are recruited into the second World Warrior Tournament by Chun-Li (Callina Liang), almost a decade after Ryu won the first tournament and eventually disappeared from the face of the Earth. Meanwhile, M. Bison (David Dastmalchian) is using the tournament as a way to pull Ryu out and extract the Hado that’s hidden within him.
At its core, Street Fighter is a movie that focuses on the relationship between Ryu and Ken. As wacky as this film can get, it’s arguably the most nuanced part of its story. The casting of Andrew Koji as Ryu and Noah Centineo was better casting than anyone could’ve originally thought. These are two actors that straight up feel like their characters’ personalities. The same sentiment can be passed onto almost every other character, as it feels like the characters have been written more to fit the actor and the slapstick nature of Street Fighter rather than what fans remember of these characters.
Where this doesn’t work well is when we turn to characters like M. Bison, Cammy (Mel Jarnson), and Guile (cody Rhodes) primarily. Yes, their performances aren’t bad, but these characters are completely unrecognizable within this setting. As a fan, even while writing this review, my feelings are still conflicted, as it works fantastically within the convention of the film itself, but these also aren’t the versions of the characters I wanted to see on the screen. On paper, 50 Cent as Balrog is hilarious casting and works well, but when you notice that his inclusion doesn’t provide anything but excuses to include his music, it becomes a tired gimmick real fast. Despite some of these characterizations of characters not sitting well with me, the supporting cast is filled with outstanding talent who all bring a unique aspect to the film. Cody Rhodes is hilarious as Guille, Jason Momoa is quite literally electric as Blanka, and Mel Jarnson brings an unhinged energy to Cammy that works for the film. Without this stacked supporting cast, Street Fighter wouldn’t work nearly as well.
I’ve watched many video game adaptations and, ideally, a lot of films, and not many have managed to surprise me within their first five seconds. Kitao Sakurai does that with ease in Street Fighter, and it ends up being the movie’s highest remark. As the film opens, you immediately notice that something is different, and the movie doesn’t quite look how it was marketed. That’s because it opens up with a fully animated sequence. Originally, this seemed like a short playing before the actual film, but then it goes into the title card, and throughout the rest of the movie, we continue to still get animated flashbacks to Ryu and Ken’s days with their master, Gouken (Don Lee).
There are even smaller animated scenes that involve Chun-Li, M. Bison, and Blanka. These scenes are beautifully hand-drawn and animated by Titmouse and are a testament to Sakurai and the crew’s love for the franchise. It’s like Titmouse took Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie and modernized it, making it feel almost like an homage to Street Fighter’s past. It was clear that this movie wasn’t just another job for them with a paycheck at the end of it; it came across as a passion project. For that alone, Street Fighter deserves its flowers.
Street Fighter takes risky and bold moves such as this, which benefit the film so much but at the same time slightly hurt it. It’s hard after being given a delicious slice of cake to not want to eat the whole thing, and that’s how watching the animated sequences felt. It also didn’t help that the voice acting from their respective actors was also phenomenal and that the character designs sometimes looked better than their live-action counterparts, like Blanka and M. Bison, for example. Andrew and Noah already give great performances, but being able to switch like that and immediately sound like younger, more spirited versions of themselves is a blessing in disguise. Sakurai easily could’ve opted for de-aging or casting younger actors or even voice actors, but they took the riskiest move, and it worked completely in their favor. It’s a move that no other video game adaptation has tried to do, and that’s what really sets Street Fighter apart from what has come before.
Where a movie like this should excel is with its fighting choreography and with actors like Anderew Koji on board, who have been training for this all their lives, and actors such as Callina Liang, who are willing to put in what it takes to achieve the believability with their role, it stands out as one of the better aspects of the movie. Each fight scene is entertaining, kick-ass, and full of the brute force that it requires. Liang’s take on Chun-Li feels the most familiar to her video game counterpart, and she delivers the most effort throughout the film. While it’s clear that Sakurai decided to go in a direction that sets up a sequel/franchise, I’d happily take a spin-off movie if it was solely Callina Liang as Chun-Li.
The score composed by Leo Birenberg and Zach Robinson is also a noteworthy talking point. It transports you back to those very video games, as it takes from the first two Street Fighter games to create something original, new, and refreshing but also something that fans of the games will immediately be able to recognize and click with. Guile’s introduction works magnificently because of the inclusion of his score, which is one of the franchise’s most iconic tracks. While the 50 Cent movie can sometimes take me out of the film, the soundtrack is still great and transports you back to the 90s (for those in the audience who actually were alive then).
The worst part of a movie that doesn’t satisfy with its ending is when that specific ending is used in the marketing a lot. Like mentioned previously, a lot of what doesn’t work with this adaptation of Street Fighter has a lot to do with the fact that they’ve shot themselves in the foot a lot with some of the choices that they’ve made. It’s a simple story about M. Bison wanting to take Ryu’s power for himself while Akuma (Joe “Roman Reigns” Anoa’i) looms in the shadows, waiting to pounce at his prey like the predator he is. Yet, somehow it all feels like it loses sense of direction as the film tries to juggle many plot points.
Street Fighter is without a doubt a movie made by fans of the games for fans of the games. As a fan myself, I’ve found myself entertained and thrilled that this is the version of the film we’ve gotten on screen, but as a lover of films and also of the franchise, I wish it had a clearer direction that didn’t feel too convoluted. The combination of beautifully animated sequences by Titmouse, chaotic fight sequences, and a cast that are having a whale of a time makes this a fun, enjoyable viewing experience that still manages to honor the franchise despite its flaws.
