Lord M. Bison (David Dastmalchian) decides to host the second ever World Warrior Tournament in order to lure Ryu (Andrew Koji) into his grasp and drain him of his power. Can Ryu’s adoptive brother Ken (Noah Centineo) save the day?
Based on what is arguably one of the most influential fighting games ever made, this is the second attempt at a live-action movie adaptation of the franchise since the 1994 film starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and Raul Julia. It is also the second live-action movie released this year based on a classic fighting game, hot on the heels of Mortal Kombat II.
The plot of this new version of Street Fighter is far too convoluted and overstuffed to attempt to explain here. Suffice it to say that there is an array of characters from the various games, all looking alarmingly accurate to their game counterparts. They are either on the side of good or evil, and lots of them fight each other.
Fans of the game can look forward to seeing the likes of Guile’s (Cody Rhoades) ridiculous quiff, Chun Li’s (Callina Liang) classic blue outfit, Blanka’s (Jason Momoa) shocking attacks and Dhalsim’s (Vidyut Jammwai) stretching limbs. Everything looks strikingly good. In fact, the visuals are arguably the best facet of the film. It features some gorgeous hand-drawn anime flashbacks and a bright aesthetic in which the characters’ costumes from the games only look slightly bizarre. On the whole, the visuals work and will make fans of the game very happy.
The second most impressive part of the film is how far the filmmakers have gone to keep those fans happy. There are numerous call-outs to characters’ backstories and memorable game moments, from fighting moves to the video game endings. The best joke is even a direct reference to one of the most beloved lines in the 1994 film.
That is about where I can draw the line on praise, though, because the rest of the film is a rather spectacular jumble of threads that feels like a mess. Tonally, the film is all over the place. It is at its best when it doesn’t take itself too seriously, but it often jumps from deadly serious to madly comic and back again in the blink of an eye. It also has far too many story threads and fights, to the point where I occasionally felt like I had slipped in time whilst watching. The film cuts away from story beats without ever returning to them, and the editing creates a jarring sense of befuddlement. You start to wonder whether you nodded off for a couple of minutes and missed something.
To cap that sense of bewilderment, co-writer/director Kitao Sakurai delivers a completely non-ending that just desperately asks for a sequel. And that is before the mid-credits scene, which can legitimately get away with doing the same thing.
I dare say that fans of the game will still get enjoyment from the film. I certainly did. It looks the part, is very referential and has some zany, winning comedy. If only it were less overstuffed and more coherent, it might have been something capable of breaking out beyond its niche target audience.
