Street Fighter Review: A Nostalgic Knockout That Swings and Misses

Street Fighter has its heart in the right place. However, the Capcom-inspired adaptation leans so heavily on tone and aesthetics that you realize it is more than nostalgia; it’s an attempt to cover up how dumb the plot is and how inept the comedy feels. This is a big and messy video game adaptation that lacks what the latest Mortal Kombat perfected:

The latter embraced the source material’s absurdity, while Street Fighter made absurdity the main attraction. The experience lacks meaningful stakes for its iconic characters and fails to take the source material’s beloved game mythology seriously. And even with the inherent silliness, the adaptations fail to capture what makes the film unmistakably Street Fighter, delivering something entertaining for longtime fans and newcomers alike.

What is Street Fighter about?

No, unfortunately, Street Fighter focuses more on reproducing the game’s aesthetic than capturing the exhilarating ride of playing it.

Most of the story is set in 1993, giving the film a nostalgic feel reminiscent of the era when the original arcade game was released. However, we first meet Ryu (Andrew Koji, of Gangs of London fame) in 1987, preparing for the World Warrior tournament. Ryu wins the title, but shortly after, his victory awakens Akuma (WWE’s Roman Reigns), a miserable deity who then murders his mentor, Gouken (Don Lee).

Fast-forward six years after Ryu’s walkabout, and Chun-Li (Tell Me Everything’s Callina Liang) recruits him, along with the cocky younger brother Ken Masters (Noah Centineo), for the second World Warrior tournament. Initially, Ryu refuses, unwilling to confront what he’s been running from. However, when Ken accepts despite Ryu’s warnings, his old friend reluctantly enters the tournament to have his back.

Street Fighter Review

Of course, since the days of The Karate Kid, no tournament is ever just a tournament. The boys stumble into a vast conspiracy with deadly consequences. Much of that has to do with the evil financier (basically an influencer), M. Bison (Dune‘s David Dastmalchian), who arranges the tournament. But don’t worry, some bring their fists to the fight, while your favorites bring the fight to their fists. Or whatever that means.

With video game adaptations finally finding solid footing in Hollywood, Street Fighter was set up for success, leaning more into the game’s outrageous, macabre fun than Jean-Claude Van Damme‘s mid-1990s cinematic outing. The latter took the subject too seriously. This reboot’s redeeming quality is that the franchise is more tongue-in-cheek than you’d expect.

Bad Trip director Kitao Sakurai helms the update, which explains Eric Andre’s cameo. Sakurai co-wrote the script with T. J. Fixman (Carry-On), and their movie has a fun look, an almost arcade-like tone, and infectious energy. However, while the fights are fun, the special effects are oversaturated, making them far less than visceral.

Is Street Fighter worth watching

Watching the film, I can see where it went wrong. After several rewrites by writers associated with Marvel films and horror franchises, the story seems to have abandoned its stronger emphasis on action for a watered-down, toned-down version designed for mass-audience appeal. And, initially, you can appreciate the adaptation’s self-awareness of how dumb it can be, seemingly aimed at a much younger demographic than the franchise’s feverish fans.

However, the story would have benefited from exploring the complicated friendship and rivalry between Centineo’s and Koji‘s characters beneath all that video game goodness. Instead, the narrative focuses on a convoluted, laughable plot and never touches on themes like Ryu’s guilt and grief or Ken’s bravado masking vulnerability. The script also fails to explore both main characters’ relationship with violence and loyalty.

These additions could have been subtle, but their absence makes the stakes feel predetermined. While this Street Fighter has the moves of a nostalgic knockout, the script swings wildly at nothing.

You can watch the film adaptation of Street Fighter exclusively in theaters starting October 16th!

Street Fighter Review: A Nostalgic Knockout That Swings and Misses