By Kris
Light spoilers: this review mentions the film’s ending.
I saw Street Fighter in IMAX, and the visuals were great. The anime-style flashbacks were especially well done and felt like a natural tribute to the classic Street Fighter animated movies.
My brother and I are both longtime players of the games, and while we enjoyed the movie, we had different opinions on several aspects. I thought the opening 15 to 30 minutes and the final three fights were the strongest parts of the film. The pacing felt off at times in the middle, but there was still plenty to enjoy.
My brother is tired of seeing Jason Momoa in everything, but I thought his Blanka was authentic. I never felt like I was watching Momoa play a character. I was watching Blanka. The heavy use of CGI was noticeable, though, especially given his massive size.
Dhalsim, Balrog, and Chun-Li were the standout characters for me. Cammy, Juli, and Bison were less successful. David Dastmalchian is a fantastic actor, but he just didn’t fit the imposing, powerful figure I expect from Bison.
The music was solid, with plenty of throwbacks for longtime fans. The Ryu versus E. Honda fight in the steam room was one of the best examples. I also have to wonder if the director and stunt coordinator have something against concrete. Almost every chance they get, someone is thrown into or through a wall. It’s not a complaint, just an observation.
The movie ends on a “to be continued” cliffhanger, which caught me off guard. My brother pointed out that some footage from the trailers never made it into the final cut. It’s possible the filmmakers shot material for the sequel around the same time and had to trim things to make room for what’s next, though that’s just speculation.
Overall, Street Fighter is a good movie for fans of the games, but not a great one. The action, visuals, music, and character moments make it worth watching, even if the pacing and some character choices hold it back.
Final Rank: B
Cinema Ranked is a community series. These are Kris’s own opinions, not Get Dangerous Games’ or the Shadows RPG crew’s.