Media reviews for the live-action Street Fighter film have been released, with IGN giving it a 6, GameSpot a 5, and Metacritic compiling scores from 22 media outlets, currently averaging 45.
IGN: 6/10
Street Fighter’s greatest strength lies in its passionate cast and the film’s unrestrained, whimsical vibe. However, director Kitao Sakurai’s adaptation of the Capcom game never effectively channels this energy into telling a coherent story.
Summary
Street Fighter is indeed a rather absurd, even somewhat silly film. But think about it: some things don’t require technical sophistication, and can even be ridiculously stupid, yet as long as everyone participates with enough enthusiasm and madness, it can still be enjoyable. This film is no different: it may not be smart or refined, but the unrestrained, chaotic energy itself can be quite entertaining.
Kitao Sakurai doesn’t always manage to harness this enthusiastic cast, nor does he perfectly blend the film’s whimsical style with action and comedy elements. With too many characters and a thin story, it’s inevitable that some aspects feel neglected. However, the core of Street Fighter has always been about landing as many punches as possible before the round timer runs out. Although many moves miss the mark, those that land still pack a considerable punch.
GameSpot Review: 5/10
Pros
Excellent fight choreography
Gorgeous 2D animated scenes
Noah Centineo is the perfect choice for Ken
Cons
The film’s tone is inconsistent throughout
The humor never really works
Many characters lack appeal, and the performances are mediocre
GameSpot Full Review:
Street Fighter has long transcended the realm of fighting games. When discussing the most popular video game characters in history, Chun-Li, Ryu, and Ken are definitely on the list. For many of us, it shaped our childhood memories of arcades in the 90s and introduced us to the fighting game genre. Additionally, it has spawned multiple movies, comics, animations, and manga, and has engaged in countless collaborations with other fighting games and comic series.
The huge success of the Street Fighter video game series also brought unexpected negative consequences: although the 1994 Street Fighter and 2009 Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li were well-produced and heavily promoted, both films suffered disastrous box office failures. The failure of these two live-action movies was undoubtedly a major embarrassment for Capcom, so it’s normal for fans to be skeptical about whether the third live-action adaptation will succeed.
When Kitao Sakurai was announced as the director of Street Fighter, fans were both excited and worried due to his close collaboration with Eric André. There was still hope, especially after several other game adaptations received positive responses in recent years: perhaps André’s quirky comedic style could bring a more unconventional creative approach, similar to Zach Cregg’s direction of Resident Evil? Perhaps the combination of André, professional wrestlers, martial artists, and somehow podcast host Andrew Schulz could create a wildly chaotic live-action comedy? Unfortunately, the film’s ambiguous positioning ultimately became the biggest flaw of this adaptation. Even with cartoonish action sequences and plenty of humor, this Street Fighter movie still fails to truly find its identity.
Like many other Street Fighter adaptations, Ken is now wealthy and famous, but he’s lost his former spark—Ryu’s absence has clearly taken a toll on him. Noah Centineo perfectly captures Ken’s flamboyant personality and inflated ego, while also revealing his vulnerable side, especially when reminiscing about his past with Ryu. Meanwhile, Ryu has fallen into obscurity as a homeless ramen chef living in seclusion. Andrew Koji’s portrayal of Ryu is also excellent: his serious and dignified demeanor feels natural, even when making unappetizing ramen. The film’s first act is engaging largely thanks to the depiction of the relationship between Ken and Ryu. Their respective personalities should have set the tone for the entire movie, but unfortunately, the film falls into an identity crisis when the plot shifts to the main storyline.
Don’t get me wrong—this film still captures the essence of the Street Fighter games in many ways: exciting fight scenes, slightly clichéd dialogue, and some casting choices that initially raise eyebrows but make sense after watching the film, especially Noah Centineo as Ken Masters. Street Fighter immediately grabs the audience’s attention. After Capcom’s iconic logo ignites the crowd’s enthusiasm, the film transitions into a beautifully animated sequence showcasing the deep bond between Ryu and Ken. This animation is the most impressive visual in the Street Fighter film series to date, and fortunately, these scenes permeate the entire movie, constantly highlighting the story between the two young fighters.
After the opening credits, the film continues to evoke a strong sense of 90s nostalgia, with cool scenes and laugh-out-loud comedic moments throughout. The story is set in 1993, with Ken living alone while his childhood rival and sworn brother Ryu has been missing for years. The last time Ken and Ryu saw each other was when they witnessed their master Gouken being killed by the demon Akuma. Akuma was awakened by Ryu’s power during the first World Warrior Tournament. Gouken’s death left Ryu devastated and burdened with guilt, causing him to disappear from the fighting world.
Like other films adapted from fighting games, Street Fighter rushes to reach its core objective: having Ryu and all the iconic characters face off in the World Warrior Tournament. This hurried pace prevents viewers from fully understanding other characters and settings. If the film had mastered its tone and focused on character development, it might have compensated for this flaw, but Street Fighter fails to do so, instead wasting the talented performances of its entire cast.
The biggest failure lies in the dialogue, as the inconsistent humor means the film never quite finds its tone. Some characters, like Chun-Li and Dan Hibiki, also fail to fully express their personalities. Whether due to a juvenile script or poor casting choices, it feels like watching amateur actors clumsily playing roles rather than seeing these characters come alive on screen. At first, the awkward interactions did make me laugh, interspersed with some mildly cute moments, but the film tries too hard to maintain this comedic effect and ultimately fails. To drive the plot forward, the film forces viewers to accept bad writing and performances rather than letting any interaction feel natural.
Chun-Li is the most disappointing character.Her tragic backstory of avenging her father is already established canon, so in theory, it would only take minor adjustments to adapt it into a decent side plot. In practice, however, she comes across as incredibly flat and never fully realized. Actress Karina Leung appears bored and awkward throughout the film, even during intense confrontations with M. Bison and in some inconsequential action scenes. Both the script and the strange directorial choices cater to a male perspective, clearly written by men. As one of the most powerful and coolest female characters in the game, Chun-Li—and Karina Leung’s portrayal of her—deserved better, as did the fans.
The most baffling casting and writing choice in this film is having Andrew Schulz play Dan Hibiki. When Street Fighter was announced, the casting of Andrew Schulz—a controversial podcast host and stand-up comedian—sparked significant controversy. I could continue listing Schulz’s fanbase, his racist remarks, his extreme views, his comedic style, and so on, but for the sake of everyone’s sanity, I’ll just say that he is completely unfit for the role of Dan, which once again confirms why he was involved in the making of this film.
In the Street Fighter series, Dan is typically portrayed as an arrogant character with somewhat clumsy fighting skills, but in the film, his characterization is vague—is he slick and cunning or charming? Should he be cracking jokes, or just being an awkward friend? Dan’s frequent appearances throughout the movie feel abrupt, especially since there’s no plotline or backstory to support his constant presence. The film attempts to portray the friendship between Dan and Ken, but it’s an extremely uncomfortable friendship that feels neither authentic nor entertaining. The only moment where vulnerability is shown between the two is immediately ruined by a baffling homophobic joke—unfortunately, the film is filled with such jokes—making the experience quite unpleasant. All in all, the character of Dan and the casting choice are lackluster and uninspired.
The initial nostalgia for the 90s quickly fades. While choosing 90s hits like Montell Jordan’s “This Is How We Do It” and 4 Non Blondes’ “What’s Up?” for the soundtrack is certainly a good choice, the film then ignores its established time period by playing “Who Let the Dogs Out?”, released in 2000. Although the film’s colors remain vibrant, the lack of attention to historical accuracy often disrupts the overall atmosphere.
The only aspect of the Street Fighter series that maintains its quality is the fighting. This film unabashedly embraces its cartoonish style and draws inspiration from various unique moves: Hurricane Kick, the iconic Hadouken, Blanka’s electric shock, Zangief’s Spinning Piledriver, and more, woven into every battle. Although the PG-13 rating limits the intensity of the action scenes, I was still impressed by the exaggerated stunts and diverse fighting styles—ranging from humorous banter to John Wick-style nightclub brawls, along with several unique 1v1 duels reminiscent of the fights in the Street Fighter games.
Disappointingly, a film titled Street Fighter doesn’t utilize its tournament structure to arrange more one-on-one duels between supporting characters. I would have loved to see Guile unleash some Sonic Boom-style moves, or Bison do something other than complain about needing more psychic power, but the film attempts to compensate for this shortfall with other impressive martial arts and slightly exaggerated action sequences. Despite the PG-13 rating limiting the level of violence, the action choreography team still performs admirably. I just wish the film had more Street Fighter-style fights involving different characters, rather than being overshadowed by slapstick brawls common in ordinary martial arts movies.
Street Fighter is filled with slapstick action sequences, vibrant visuals, and exquisite animation, focusing on the bond between Ryu and Ken. It offers some light-hearted, mindless entertainment, but it’s also a very messy film that never finds its tone, with unconvincing plot and character development. Nevertheless, it remains the best live-action Street Fighter film to date, though unfortunately, that’s not an achievement worth boasting about.
