The curse surrounding live-action Street Fighter movies remains unbroken.

Background: Street Fighter’s Film History Made a Third Attempt Risky

Street Fighter has been more than a fighting game for decades. Its characters, including Chun-Li, Ryu and Ken, are part of the wider conversation about the most popular video game characters of all time. For many fans, the game shaped 1990s arcade childhoods and served as the first step into the fighting-game genre. The franchise also inspired multiple movies, comic books, an anime series and manga, plus endless collaborations with other fighting game and comic book franchises.

That reach makes live action difficult. The 1994 Street Fighter film and 2009 Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li were poorly received despite big budgets and hype among fans. Two failures made the property’s live-action record an embarrassment for Capcom. When a third attempt arrived, fans had reason to be concerned.

Development: Kitao Sakurai, Eric Andre, and a Casting Mix That Promised Chaos

The next live-action effort was announced with director Kitao Sakurai. Fans were excited and concerned because Sakurai has a history of working closely with Eric Andre. The hope was that Andre’s eccentric style of comedy could push the movie toward an unconventional approach, similar to the direction associated with Zach Cregger and Resident Evil. The cast included Andre, pro wrestlers, martial artists and podcaster Andrew Schulz, suggesting a chaotic live-action comedy.

The film does not fully resolve those expectations. Its cartoonish action and repeated humor attempts show ambition, but questions about its identity remain. The result is a Street Fighter movie that does not clearly know what it is.

Plot Timeline: 1993, Ryu’s Absence, and the World Warrior Tournament

Spoiler warning: the following section discusses key story elements involving Gouken’s death, Akuma’s awakening and Ryu’s disappearance.

The film opens with animated sequences after the Capcom logo, highlighting the deep bond between Ryu and Ken. Those animated moments are among the best-looking Street Fighter has ever appeared on screen, and they return throughout the film as visual memory between the two young fighters.

After the opening credits, the story settles into a 1993 setting. Ken Masters is rich and famous, but he is also a shell of the fighter he once was. Noah Centineo captures Ken’s flashy personality and inflated ego while giving weight to his more fragile and sensitive side when he recalls his past life with Ryu.

Ryu is living in the shadows as a homeless ramen chef. Andrew Koji’s portrayal feels natural because Ryu’s serious and noble demeanor remains intact even when he is making terrible ramen. The first act works because it focuses on Ken and Ryu’s relationship, letting their individual quirks carry the story.

The film later reveals why Ryu left. Ken and Ryu’s last moment together was witnessing the death of their master, Gouken, at the hands of the deity Akuma, who was awakened by Ryu’s powers in the first World Warrior Tournament. Haunted by his mentor’s death and blaming himself, Ryu disappeared from the fighting world.

From there, the film rushes toward its core goal: bring Ryu and the iconic characters into the World Warrior Tournament. That rush prevents the audience from absorbing the other characters and environments. A stronger tone and more character focus could have balanced it, but the film does not, which becomes a disservice to the cast.

Tone and Characters: Dialogue, Chun-Li and Dan Hibiki Undermine the Adaptation

The biggest letdown is the dialogue. The humor is inconsistent, and the movie never fully understands its own tone. Chun-Li and Dan Hibiki do not commit to their personalities, and some interactions feel like amateur actors in poor cosplay rather than realized characters coming to life. Early cringeworthy exchanges may produce a few laughs and minor endearing moments, but the film tries too hard to keep that momentum and forces bad writing and performances to drive the story.

Chun-Li is the most disappointing. Her canon backstory of avenging her father could have become a decent side plot with the right amount of tweaking. Instead, she is flat and never fully fleshed out. Callina Liang appears bored and uncomfortable throughout the film, even during intense interactions with M. Bison and minor action moments. The writing and odd directional choices cater to the male gaze, making it obvious she was lazily written by a man. As one of the most capable and badass female characters in gaming, Chun-Li, Callina Liang and the fans deserved better.

The most puzzling choice is Andrew Schulz as Dan Hibiki. The casting drew backlash when the film was announced because Schulz is a controversial podcaster and stand-up comedian. In Street Fighter canon, Dan is often cocky and arrogant while also inept as a fighter. The movie leaves his characterization unclear: is he slimy or charismatic, a joke machine or an awkward friend? Dan appears frequently without an arc or story to justify it. The attempted bond between Dan and Ken feels uncomfortable, and one vulnerable moment is ruined by a weirdly homophobic joke, one of several such jokes that come off unsettling.

Latest Stage: Fight Choreography, PG-13 Limits and Period Accuracy

The only element that maintains consistent quality is the fight choreography. The film embraces cartoony vibes and references unique movesets: hurricane kicks left and right, the iconic Hadoken, Blanka’s Electric Thunders, Zangief’s spinning piledriver and other signature techniques. The action is limited by the PG-13 rating, but it still includes over-the-top stunts and tonally varied fights: silly spats with gags, a John Wick-style club brawl and unique one-on-one battles that resemble what players see in a Street Fighter game.

The soundtrack also shows the film’s uneven commitment to its 1990s setting. Montell Jordan’s “This is How We Do It” and 4 Non Blondes’ “What’s Up?” help the nostalgia, but the movie then uses “Who Let the Dogs Out?”, a song that came out in 2000. That choice undermines the period vibe.

The film’s tournament structure also disappoints because it does not use the setting for more individual fights between side characters. It would have helped to see Guile use Sonic moves or M. Bison do something other than complain that he needs more psycho power. The choreography team still does fantastic work despite the rating limits, but more Street Fighter style fights between different characters would have been stronger than goofy brawls typical of martial arts films.

Current Stage: A Better Street Fighter Live Action Film, but Still Not Enough

At the stage reached by the adaptation, Street Fighter is a colorful, goofy live-action film with strong animated sequences and excellent fight choreography. It is entertaining for some silly, mindless fun, but it remains a messy movie that never quite figures out its tone and fails to sell its plot or characters. Its best achievement is that it is the best Street Fighter live-action effort so far, though that is not an accolade that fixes the damage done by the 1994 and 2009 failures.