In this latest iteration of the Streetfighter franchise, Ryu (Andrew Koji) and Ken Masters (Noah Centineo) who had been raised as brothers but have grown distance because of reasons, find themselves brought together by Interpol agent Chun-Li l (Callina Liang) to participate in the World Warrior tournament. M. Bison ( David Dastmalchian) has set up thr tournament as a cover to to capture fighters and siphon their energy into his "Psycho Power". Ryu won the first tournament years prior by tapping into his own dark powers which resulted in the release of Akuma (Joe Anoa'i) who is part of the second tournament as well. Along the way they meet and or reunite with other fighters, some friend, some foe, but all with their own motivations for entering the tournament.
This was my first foray into the live action Street Fighter world. I have always been more of a casual fan of the series. Would definitely consider myself a Street Fight over Mortal Kombat guy for sure. I feel like I have a better grasp of these characters and who they are. Ryu has been my boy since Street Fighter II. I did go to Mortal Kombat II early this year- another first for me as I had not seen any of the previous MKs either. I was pleasantly surprised and expected more of the same.
It was not remotely the same.
The tone of the Mortal Kombat was much straighter, even a little darker perhaps. Fair enough. This is definitely the case with the games. There is a a darkness there that Street Fighter seems to avoid. It’s not wonder that when it came time to crossover over with the comics, Street Fighter and Marvel are paired while DC and MK ended up together. From my understanding, the 90s Street Fighter is pretty campy, not sure if this was by design or if that’s just how it ended up. For some reason, I kinda hoped and expected this version to be a little straighter in tone. No so such luck. The only straight up Street Fighter anyone seems interested in making was Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie from 1994.. It seems as though they are embracing the camp and I give it up to them for sticking to it.
The movie looks great! Some of the fight stuff is REALLY cool and it feels like we are really watching moments from the game brought to life. The flashbacks are done in a fun anime style, probably a nod to Street Fighter: The Animated Movie. The casting is pretty spot on for just about everyone. Noah Centineo made Ken interesting for me for the first time and I love the Johnny Storm take he brings to the character. Definitely a highlight. Koji brings a lot of depth to my favorite character that I appreciated. In addition to the cast I mentioned early, shout outs to Orvelll Peck as Vega, Cody Rhodes as Guile, Jason Momoa as Blanka, Eric Andre as Don Savage and so many others. I didn’t even mind 50 Cent as Balrog— every one made sense. I actually wanted more time with a lot to the characters, but there were just so many people to juggle into the confines of a movie like this in less than two hours.
And their in lies my biggest gripe with the movie: too much going on in two little time. They really swung for the fences and tried to give us a lot, but very few of the plots get the air they need. Prime example, the rivalry between Guile and Vega. It’s evident that there is history there and they seem to make a big deal of it, when it comes time to see them square off, it’s pretty much all off camera. It’s reduced to a reoccurring sight gag and pointed references, but we are robbed the opportunity of seeing the fight. A movie of which fighting is the main premise and we don’t even get it?! One would expect a knockdown, drag-out fight with M. Bison but nah, we get none of that. There is a really cool after credit scene involving one of the more important characters who doesn’t get much time this time around that is setting up the sequel. This is all well and good, but it is assuming we are getting a sequel. Hopefully there is, but if not, there is so much wasted potential here. I do feel like I need to see this again and probably will, but will other people make the effort? I dunno.
My score: 7.1
Didn’t like my taking? Wanna fight about it? If so, leave your opinions in the comments Keep fighting, and until next time…
