Street Fighter (2026) Movie Review

Street Fighter (2026) Movie Review: Not a Perfect K.O.

Being 90s kids ourselves, we wanted to love this new version of Street Fighter. The trailers promised an accurate and fun ride, and in some respects, the film delivers on that nostalgia. Seeing these iconic video game characters and their signature moves brought to life accurately on the big screen is a treat. But nostalgia alone doesn't make a great film, and once the second half kicks in, Street Fighter becomes a chaotic mess of ideas that never quite come together.

Set in 1993, the story follows Ryu (Andrew Koji), who has been missing since the death of his master, Gouken, while his adoptive brother Ken Masters (Noah Centineo) has since retired from fighting and turned to fame instead. When the mysterious Chun-Li (Callina Liang) recruits them both for the next World Warrior Tournament, the two decide to don their gis once again. But beneath the tournament's battle royale lies a deadly conspiracy involving M. Bison and his pursuit of ultimate power.

Street Fighter feels like two different films rolled into one. The first half is decent, focusing on Ryu and Ken's fractured relationship and the events that drove them apart. Ironically, this is also the portion with fewer fights and more character-driven conversations. The setup for the previous and upcoming World Warrior Tournaments and the mystery behind the two protagonists give the story at this point a consistent anchor making it easier to stay invested in their journey.

Unfortunately, everything begins to fall apart once the new tournament gets underway. The film loses focus seemingly in a rush to resolve its main and subplots at an increasingly frenetic pace. So much happens that entire fights are skipped over with the narrative quickly shifting its attention to M. Bison's schemes to gain psycho power. This messy approach also affects the film's overall tone. The comedy, action, and other genre elements shift so abruptly from scene to scene that the experience becomes as confusing as it is frustrating. What the film gets right, however, are the fights themselves. The action captures the spectacle of the games accurately and the moves they make are fun distractions. We also appreciated the animated sequences which added personality and made the film feel more connected to its 2D source material.

Ultimately, we wished Street Fighter had focused more on what it does best instead of forcing a convoluted story into the mix. The film looks great and delivers glimpses of the fun adaptation we wanted but its inconsistent storytelling prevents it from reaching its full potential. For a franchise with such iconic characters and spectacular fights, this feels like a wasted opportunity.

Rating: 2 and a half reels