Today’s quick review: Street Fighter. As General M. Bison (Raul Julia) seizes control of Shadaloo, Colonel Guile (Jean-Claude Van Damme) leads Allied Nations troops into the country to stop him. To locate the general, Guile hires Ryu (Byron Mann) and Ken (Damian Chapa), two fortune seekers, to earn the trust of Sagat (Wes Studi), an arms dealer working with Bison. Meanwhile, reporter Chun-Li (Ming-Na Wen) seeks revenge on Bison for her own reasons.
Street Fighter is an action adventure movie based on the video game franchise of the same name. Street Fighter follows a multinational group of heroes as they attempt to stop the power-hungry M. Bison from taking over the fictional Southeast Asian country of Shadaloo. Although the movie aims to be a rollicking adventure that combines iconic character designs with live-action thrillers, slipshod execution keeps it from achieving its full potential.
Street Fighter is at its best when it embraces the fun-loving, over-the-top side of its story. The centerpiece of the film is Raul Julia’s passionate performance as M. Bison, a villain as grandiose as any action fan could hope for. The plot isn’t deep, but it does a surprisingly good job of juggling the film’s large cast. Coupled with a few funny moments, this is enough to make Street Fighter a fun watch for those who don’t take it too seriously.
But even if Street Fighter’s heart is in the right place, its execution leaves much to be desired. The transition to live-action is rough on nearly all of its characters. The games’ striking designs are severely watered down, and the characters’ personal details are scrambled to fit the story. Disappointingly, there’s no real emphasis on martial arts. Instead, Street Fighter opts for the same generic style of action as other 90s action flicks.
How much you get out of Street Fighter will depend heavily on what you’re looking for. Street Fighter fails to adapt its source material in a way that preserves its strengths, and its appeal as an action movie is limited by its flaky script, acting, and fight scenes. But in spite of these weaknesses, Street Fighter manages to be a fun time for the right viewer, thanks to its adventurous tone, strong villain, and a handful of jokes that hit just right.
For a fighting game adaptation that strikes a better balance, try Mortal Kombat. For another video game adaptation that goes to even stranger places with its source material, try Super Mario Bros. For a comic book adaptation with similar flaws, try Judge Dredd. For an action movie with some of the same campy appeal, try Big Trouble in Little China. For a violent martial arts movie with the tight combat Street Fighter lacks, try The Raid.
3.9 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.0 for a fair amount of charm held back by poor fundamentals; your score will vary considerably depending on taste.