Quick Synopsis: It’s a Street Fighter movie, are you here for the plot?

I’m familiar with the Street Fighter games, kind of. I played them a little bit growing up, specifically Street Fighter 2 on the SNES. I stopped playing after that because I was fed up with the constant updated releases. People insult EA Sports’ yearly releases, but that’s nothing compared to what Capcom did with this franchise in the early ’90s. I was also terrible at the game, so I never managed to unlock the endings. So whilst I recognise references, I’m not going to treat the lore as gospel.

There are A LOT of references to the games, as you’d expect. There’s also a reference to the 1994 film, specifically the “For me, it was Tuesday” line, which, along with Raul Julia’s performance, is one of the few things that film got right. Thankfully, it doesn’t cram in so many references that you feel like you need a study session before watching. It’s not like Uncharted, with its obvious “hey, this guy was in the game” reference.

Of all the video game adaptations this year (and there’s been a lot for some reason), this is the most video game-like. Not in terms of narrative (Resident Evil still feels like a series of levels rather than a traditional film), but in terms of tone. The music and visuals do a great job of capturing the feel of the games. Sometimes that works. The fights, in particular, are a lot of fun. But sometimes it doesn’t, and the action feels forced. The bar fight before the tournament is the clearest example. The characters’ motivations are muddled, and it’s never entirely clear what starts the fight or why everyone gets involved. The one thing everyone seems to know, somehow, is that nobody’s going to suffer any lasting damage. That’s another problem: the damage characters take in fights is inconsistent. You’re never sure whether being thrown through a wall is going to kill someone, cripple them, or simply result in them getting back up and carrying on fighting.

That’s not my biggest problem. I was thoroughly enjoying this film. At one point, I was genuinely excited to see where it was going. I was settling in for a final third packed with action and excitement. Then it ended. I’m usually pretty good at spotting sequel hooks, but this one genuinely caught me off guard. Everything felt like it was building towards a climax that never arrived. As a result, the film feels unfinished. Given how many high-profile films have flopped at the box office this year, making a film that NEEDS a sequel seems like a risky move.

Really, that’s my main criticism. That, and Jason Momoa as Blanka, whose performance veers a bit too close to silly for my liking. Thankfully, most of the cast do their jobs well. Noah Centineo and Andrew Koji make a near-perfect Ken and Ryu. Koji’s been in some great action films recently, including Bullet Train and Boy Kills World. He’s a great action performer who’s ready to lead a franchise. Callina Liang makes a great Chun-Li, although I suspect she’ll get more to do in the sequel. Much of the supporting cast consists of professional wrestlers, including Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes and Hirooki Goto. Casting them in physically demanding roles makes sense when they can perform the action sequences themselves. They hold their own, but you get the feeling there’s more to come from them in the sequel. On the subject of wrestlers, I’m pretty sure the only reason I couldn’t take Alexander Volkanovski as Joe seriously is that he reminded me too much of “Oh yeah, it’s that guy” WCW mid-carder Disco Inferno.

The supporting cast do well, but it’s Centineo and Koji who carry the film. Their relationship is what elevates Street Fighter above what it has any right to be, occasionally giving the film some genuine emotional weight. You understand their conflict. Ryu is the master fighter. His adoptive brother? He’s just Ken.

So how are the fight scenes? Aside from the inconsistent damage, they’re pretty good. The hotel-room fight is great, with Ryu being as laid-back and pacifist as possible. None of them will enter the pantheon of all-time great action scenes, but none are particularly terrible either. The moves from the games are recreated faithfully, and it’s great to see some of them brought to life in live action.

Speaking of live-action, it’s a surprise to see so many animated sections. It’s a clever way to handle flashbacks without having to use copious amounts of makeup or de-ageing technology. It reminds me of the animated Street Fighter movie from the ’90s (only with less full-frontal nudity). It’s a brave move to open the film with animation, but I respect it. Plus, it means the film builds towards seeing these familiar characters in live action.

Ultimately, I had a good time with this movie. It’s colourful, knowingly dumb, and understands that its most important job is to be fun. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, but it also doesn’t abandon the idea that its characters should have something resembling an emotional connection. That’s more than can be said for plenty of video game adaptations. I just wish the film had the confidence to deliver a complete story rather than seemingly saving all its best ideas for next time.