Street Fighter is a blast. If you have ever loved the look of ’90s action movies, or just want a take on Street Fighter that does not take itself too seriously, this is the movie for you. This movie is loud, ridiculous and has one hell of a soundtrack, and if you love the franchise, you will feel right at home. Despite all that, the movie has a pretty fun story at its centre, and if you leave your serious hat at the door, Street Fighter will keep you entertained for its two-hour runtime.
The story of Street Fighter puts its focus on its two main heroes, Ken Masters (Noah Centineo) and Ryu (Andrew Koji), two fighters who trained under the same sensei, Gouken, only to go their separate ways after he is killed by the mysterious Akuma. Fate has other plans, however, and when Chun-Li (Callina Liang) recruits them both for the second World Warrior Tournament, they must reunite, take on M. Bison (David Dastmalchian) and uncover the conspiracy unfolding behind the scenes.
If you read that and thought it sounded like the plot of a bad ’90s action movie, you would be correct. Street Fighter wears its legacy on its sleeve and embraces the camp of that generation of movies with open arms. This is a movie that does not take itself too seriously and instead leans into the insane lore and concepts found in the classic fighting game series. It is filled with cheesy one-liners, people being thrown into walls, and fight sequences that hold nothing back. It is also a lot of fun, and despite all the camp, there is some heart at the core of this insane mashup of tropes, violence and callbacks.
“Street Fighter’s Andrew Koji, Noah Centineo and Callina Liang all give their roles everything they have.”
Despite what I may be making it sound like, there is a lot of effort put into Street Fighter. The filmmakers have worked hard to capture the world and concepts from the games, with real attention paid to the different elements of the story. The team worked with Titmouse to create some truly fantastic animated sequences that are among the highlights of the movie. These are used to give the audience flashbacks to the characters’ pasts, explore what they are struggling with and even tease where the story is going. They feel very much in line with what we have seen from Street Fighter anime in the past and are honestly pretty fantastic overall.
The performances are all over the board, with the main cast knocking it out of the park. Street Fighter’s Andrew Koji, Noah Centineo and Callina Liang all give their roles everything they have. Koji plays Ryu as more of the straight man to Centineo’s Ken Masters, delivering a level of stoicism against the brash and vocal Ken, and it really works. Their chemistry helped sell me early on what the film was trying to do with its story. Callina Liang also manages to deliver a performance that is both over the top and genuine, all while leaning into the ’90s tropes Chun-Li has played into across the games, anime and, of course, the ’90s film.
I want to give a particular callout to David Dastmalchian’s M. Bison. It would have been so easy to mirror Raúl Juliá’s performance, but while he has a few callbacks and lines that evoke that iconic take, Dastmalchian makes the character his own. He manages to be both menacing and insane in equal measure, and you can kind of see how this character could dominate a country. It is a very different take on M. Bison, but I bought into it and want to see where the story takes him beyond this film.
But I will be honest, this is a massive cast, and each actor brings a different level of camp and commitment to their performance. Everyone seems to be leaning into their characters, but it works to varying degrees. Cody Rhodes as Guile is objectively bad, but other performances, like Mel Jarnson‘s Cammy, hit just the right level of camp to make them fun, if not completely bonkers. Even Andrew Schulz as Dan Hibiki manages to work, and I normally do not like his roles in movies. Street Fighter is all over the place with its casting, but with so many characters brought to the screen, that is only to be expected.
Let’s not forget the best part: the soundtrack. Street Fighter has an amazing soundtrack that leans hard into the action-movie concept it is trying to bring to the screen. Featuring songs like It’s Raining Men, What’s Going On, Come Out and Play, and even Who Let the Dogs Out, combined with its original tracks, it makes for some wild needle drops. That said, this is very much not a soundtrack rooted strictly in 1993, and the filmmakers have gone for the feel of the genre rather than period-authentic songs. It did not bother me, but if you are a ’90s purist, you may be disappointed.
I don’t want to oversell Street Fighter. It exists very much in the world of dumb fun. I enjoyed it, and I think if you like the world of the games, you will feel right at home with this movie. As I mentioned, though, this film leans heavily into the ’90s camp aesthetic and doesn’t try to be a particularly deep take on the source material.
The ending clearly sets up a sequel, and not all the plotlines wrap up, with many dangling threads for the inevitable sequel (should this one do well), but I will be honest: with a movie like Street Fighter, I kinda expected that. But if you were hoping for a dark, gritty Street Fighter, you will be disappointed; if you want to embrace the insanity, this is the movie for you.
Street Fighter is a wild ride, and if you want to enjoy a campy take on these classic characters, this is the movie for you. The soundtrack is solid, and the film does not try to be any deeper than a popcorn flick starring some of the characters you know and love. I was worried the movie would lose the essence of what made the games so iconic, but it feels like the filmmakers knew exactly what they were getting into and delivered on that concept. It is wild, brash and very dumb at times, but also a damn good time as long as you are ready to embrace the madness.
