‘Street Fighter’ Isn’t the K.O. Reboot Fans Hoped For | Review

Ever since Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo‘s Super Mario Bros., the very first video game-to-film adaptation, the genre has had a bad reputation — a reputation it has maintained even in the face of great artistic strides forward like The Last of Us, Fallout, and the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. But in retrospect, maybe not all of the early ’90s, just-finding-their-footing gaming franchises were as bad as we remember. The original Mortal Kombat is certainly one that has stood the test of time, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a soft spot for a little 1994 movie called Street Fighter. Is it a good movie? Heavens, no. But gosh darn it, it’s a lot of fun, and almost everything that comes out of the mouth of Raul Julia‘s M. Bison is ingrained in my brain like Blanka’s “educational software.”

That said, as fun as the 1994 movie is, it’s still not a great adaptation of what is one of the most recognizable brands in all of gaming. Whether in its original arcade forms or its modern-day takes on consoles, Street Fighter is one of the most beloved and ubiquitous gaming IPs around, with no shortage of potential for film and television adaptations (including the admittedly much-better Street Fighter II animated film). Now, a new take on Street Fighter has arrived as the franchise’s most ambitious live-action attempt yet. But is it the truly exceptional adaptation fans have been waiting for? Well, if you’re a fan of the 1994 movie, then it scratches that very particular itch. But if you’re not, well . . .

What Is ‘Street Fighter’ About?

Taking place in a fictionalized, neon-soaked version of the 1990s, Street Fighter primarily focuses on two lifelong companions who have been ripped apart by a great tragedy. In one corner, we have Ken (Noah Centineo), a hot-headed playboy who would rather spend his days drinking and partying than actually fighting. In the other, we have Ryu (Andrew Koji), a retired warrior desperate to find inner peace while concealing a dark power growing within him. Against their wishes, the two are forcefully reunited when the maniacal Lord M. Bison (David Dastmalchian) holds a tournament that brings together the world’s greatest fighters.

Let’s cut right to the chase: Street Fighter‘s story is a complete and total mess. It starts out simply enough, but soon gets bogged down by a surprising amount of pointless exposition, awkward scene transitions, and above all else, a lot of very bizarre editing choices. Choices that lead to large portions of the aforementioned fighting tournament occurring off-screen — a baffling decision for a movie that literally has “fight” in the name! Instead of getting to see your favorite characters go toe-to-toe in the arena, the film often chooses to have its core character chit-chat instead. That’s a real shame, considering that action is Street Fighter‘s biggest strength by a mile.

The characters themselves are also a bit hit-and-miss. On one hand, Andrew Koji is flawlessly cast as Ryu. Not only does Koji have the martial arts chops to play the franchise’s most popular character, but Ryu also has the most interesting character journey and arc by far. His two co-protagonists, Ken and Chun-Li (Callina Liang), don’t fare quite as well, however. Ken’s journey never really feels as satisfying as the movie wants you to think it is, and Chun-Li’s motivation is an even more bare-bones version of the 1994 film character’s, with the awkward addition of some weirdly sexualized jokes that do not land at all. The supporting cast of characters is also something of a mixed bag. Some, like Zangief (Oliver Richters) and Balrog (Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson) come and go without much fanfare, while others, like Guile (Cody Rhodes) and Blanka (Jason Momoa), are true scene-stealers and an absolute blast.

‘Street Fighter’ Is at Its Best When It Stops Talking and Starts Brawling

A compelling story and strong characters would be nice to have in just about any movie, but let’s be honest here: If it’s one thing a Street Fighter movie needs to get right, it’s the action. And while the decision to skip over showing certain fights on screen is questionable, the fighting we do see is pretty darn good. The brawls are as colorful, over-the-top, and action-packed as any fan of the game would hope for, though one of the best fight scenes comes early on, when Ryu skillfully evades one of Ken’s many temper tantrums.

Just about every fight scene is frenetic and fun to watch, but the surprisingly ubiquitous animated segments slightly overshadow the live-action elements. A good 5-10% of Street Fighter‘s runtime consists of 2D animated flashbacks that are even upscaled to IMAX, and they look incredible. They’re something of a double-edged sword, because the animated portions are almost too good, to the point where they nearly upstage the movie’s primary live-action format. This IP has already proven itself in animated form before, so it might not have been a horrible idea to make the whole movie an anime extravaganza.

For better and for worse, Street Fighter 2026 feels like it is following directly in the footsteps of Street Fighter 1994. It is goofy, it is absurd, it is ridiculous, and most importantly, it knows all of that, and it has a lot of fun doing it. The movie is at its most fun when it truly locks in for those high-octane fights and the surprisingly beautiful and not-much-publicized animated sequences. Unfortunately, to get to those, you have to deal with a lot of exposition and unengaging character drama (at least whenever Ryu isn’t on screen). It may not be a total knockout, but Street Fighter rolls with enough punches to be a combination that is a win nonetheless.

Street Fighter premieres in theaters on Friday, October 16, 2026.