Street Fighter
Director: Kitao Sakurai
Cast: Noah Centineo, Andrew Koji, Callina Liang, Roman Reigns, David Dastmalchian, Cody Rhodes, Eric André, Andrew Schulz, Vidyut Jammwal, 50 Cent, and Jason Momoa
Rating: ★★★
With Mortal Kombat II and now Street Fighter, 2026 is the year of the nerds. Two films, based on iconic arcade games, made with unprecedented faithfulness and respect for the source material, while staying fun and stylish. That is no mean feat. Sure, Street Fighter is no MK-II. It lacks the heart the former had. But it more than makes up for that with some good old-fashioned fun and heaps of Easter eggs and fan service.
The premise
In 1987, Ryu won the inaugural World Warrior Tournament, with his friend Ken by his side. But then, as their master was murdered, the two brothers had a fallout. Cut to 1993, Ken is a show fighter who rakes in the money but lacks respect. Ryu sells noodle soup for a living, having given up fighting. But the ambitious despot M Bison devises a plan to lure Ryu out of hiding by launching the second World Warrior Tournament. He invites fighters from all over the world, even Ken. Ryu senses Bison’s intentions may not be noble, and enters the fray against his wishes. And after that, it is all high-octane action.
Arcade come to life
What makes Street Fighter such a joy to watch is that it never takes itself seriously. It knows the stakes. But it also knows that, at the end, it is a film about men fighting each other in the street and shooting fireballs out of their wrists. So, fun is the buzzword.
There are callbacks to the game, so many of them that I could not possibly list them all out here. But to summarise it, every character brings out their moves from the games on several occasions. And you even get to witness the Hadouken a few times, not just once in the climax, as has been the norm for such gaming films with ‘big’ moments. In fact, Street Fighter even pays homage to the only good thing about the previous big-screen adaptation – Raul Julia’s M Bison. And none of it feels forced, which is what makes Street Fighter more than just a guilty pleasure.
That does not mean that the film is only for those who have been fans of the game. Even those who have never played or encountered the game can have fun here with a plot that may be wafer-thin but is quite serviceable. The stunning visuals and VFX add to the appeal, as does the switch to 2D animation for the flashback scenes. Even the animation is top-notch.
The David Dastmalchian and Noah Centineo show
Like in 1994 film, the best performer in Street Fighter is once again the man playing M Bison. David Dastmalchian brings a creepy, loner vibe to the villain, so different from Raul Julia’s menacing dictator. Yet, it works wonders in this film. That David still manages to make Bison’s threat real shows his class. The other star of the show is Noah Centineo. As the brash Ken, he brings out the character’s self-doubt and false arrogance no naturally. His chemistry with Andrew Koji (who plays Ken) was lacking, which does bring down the Ryu-Ken dynamic somewhat, though. Jason Momoa and Cody Rhodes are the other standout performers from the support cast, bringing humour to this slugfest very easily. Andrew Schulz is effortless as a version of himself.
Callina Liang has the responsibility to be the film’s moral compass and carry much of the emotional heft (along with Andrew Koji). The actor does well with what little the script gives her. Clearly, Street Fighter was more interested in the fun to care much about tugging at the heart strings. It’s not a big loss, though. Not seeing more of Vidyut Jammwal is a loss, however. The actor is perfect for Dhalsim, somehow making this impossibly racist caricature into a real man fit in a film released in 2026. His action is sublime, but how Vidyut grounds the character into the film’s world is commendable.
Setting up a franchise?
Street Fighter ends on an ambiguous note, leaving enough room for a sequel. That does not mean that it doesn’t dot its i’s and cross its t’s. It resolves all the conflicts it raises. But then capitalism takes over creativity. Far from a perfect film, Street Fighter is perfect entertainment. It is cheesy, it is outrageous, and it is loyal to a fault. But hey, isn’t that what we have been asking for from makers of game films? This one delivers.
