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TL;DR: Paramount’s Street Fighter is the adaptation fans have waited 30 years for. It’s funny, stylish, packed with signature moves and clearly made by people who love the games. Andrew Koji’s Ryu is excellent, Noah Centineo’s Ken steals the show and the Ken vs. Balrog fight is a highlight. The weak spots are M. Bison and Akuma, who don’t get the menace or screen time they deserve, and a Chun-Li who’s hard to root for. It’s a must-watch for fans, and stay for the post-credits scene. Rated PG, 1 hr 59 min, now showing in PH cinemas.
Watching Street Fighter at the premiere screening at SM Megamall IMAX felt less like a press screening and more like a crowded arcade on a Saturday afternoon. Every Hadoken, every Shoryuken and every Spinning Bird Kick made the whole cinema erupt in cheers. Grabe ang energy. It’s been a long time since a movie crowd reacted like that, and it says a lot about what this film gets right.
Set at the height of Street Fighter fever
The movie opens with an animated sequence of Ryu and Ken that feels like a long-lost 90s cartoon, followed by the main cast and a narration of how the two friends began. The animation isn’t a one-off. It comes back throughout the film and adds drama to key moments, and it’s one of the boldest creative choices here.
The film is set in 1993, and the 90s atmosphere is everywhere: the locations, the music and the little objects, like a radio cassette player that will make tito and tita gamers smile. The year fits, too. Super Street Fighter II hit arcades that fall and added Cammy, Fei Long, T. Hawk and Dee Jay, at a time when Street Fighter II was everywhere. If you were around back then, you probably remember lining up at the arcade with a pocketful of tokens.
Ryu and Ken get it right
The heart of the movie is the two leads, and both deliver. Andrew Koji’s Ryu is great, really great. He brings the quiet intensity and discipline you’d expect from the wandering warrior, and he makes Ryu feel like a real person.
Noah Centineo’s Ken is the film’s biggest surprise and its scene-stealer. He channels the charm of Brendan Fraser in his The Mummy prime. The swagger, the line delivery, the comedic timing and even the way he moves all have that energy. He’s cocky, likable and fun to watch every time he’s on screen.
It helps that the film is genuinely funny. The jokes are inserted masterfully and never undercut the action. Abangan niyo rin ang Dan Hibiki moment where he explains to Chun-Li why he wears a pink gi. I won’t spoil it, but the crowd loved it.
Chun-Li: Hard to root for
Not every character lands as well. Callina Liang’s Chun-Li is the one who recruits Ryu and Ken for the World Warrior Tournament, but the way she goes about it is hard to like. She uses both men to serve her personal mission, and that makes her harder to cheer for than the Chun-Li many of us grew up playing. Some fans may see it differently, but this version didn’t win me over.
The fights: Made for the fans
Most of the main cast delivers in the fights, which showcase the work of Filipino-American stunt choreographer Jon Valera and his team. The Ken vs. Balrog fight is a standout. Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson’s power-hitting, Mike Tyson-inspired Balrog against Ken’s flashy style makes for one of the most fun matchups in the film.
Akuma is a terrifying presence, as he should be, and his fight with Ryu is spectacular to watch, even if the way it resolves feels a bit bitin. More on that in the spoiler section below.
Be realistic about one thing: this isn’t the best-choreographed fight movie you’ll see, and action junkies have seen better. The fights exist to bring the signature moves to life, and for fans, that’s exactly the point. Every special move gets its moment, and that’s what had the crowd erupting.
Where it misses: Bison and the under-used roster
The biggest letdown is M. Bison. As the big bad of Shadaloo, he should dominate every scene, but this version feels kulang sa angas, short on the menace and swagger that made him iconic. He also gets surprisingly little action. Fans expecting a Psycho Power showcase may walk out wanting more.
The large roster also means some fighters get short shrift. Alexander Volkanovski’s Joe has very limited action, and a few fan favorites leave the spotlight sooner than you’d hope. With this many characters, it was always going to be hard to give everyone a proper round.
Stay for the post-credits scene
Don’t rush out when the credits roll. There’s a post-credits scene, and that’s all we’ll say.
Verdict
Director Kitao Sakurai has called this “the most accurate Street Fighter adaptation ever made.” After watching it, we’re inclined to agree. Street Fighter isn’t flawless, but it’s easily the best live-action Street Fighter adaptation we’ve ever had, and it isn’t even close. It’s fun, funny and full of fan service, and it understands why we loved these characters in the first place. It’s also one of the better video game adaptations in recent memory.
If you grew up playing Street Fighter, this is your movie. Watch it in a full cinema with the barkada if you can, because the crowd’s reaction is part of the experience. If you’ve never touched the games, there are better pure action films out there, but you’ll still have a good time.
Street Fighter is rated PG and runs 1 hr 59 min. Now showing in Philippine cinemas, distributed by Paramount Pictures.
Watch the trailer: https://youtu.be/njHI5d6i7sg
⚠️ SPOILER WARNING: Stop here if you haven’t watched yet
The section below discusses specific plot points and fight outcomes.
Guile goes out first. Cody Rhodes’ Guile is the first major fighter eliminated, which is a shame given how much potential the character and the casting had.
Bison’s only fight is over too fast. M. Bison’s only real fight in the movie is against Chun-Li, and he finishes it almost immediately. For the franchise’s most iconic villain, one quick fight isn’t enough.
Joe barely gets a round. Volkanovski’s Joe is quickly taken out by Akuma, leaving little room for the UFC champ to show what he can do.
Ryu overpowers Akuma. This was the hardest part to accept. Akuma is the most feared fighter in Street Fighter lore, a master who has trained longer and fought more battles than Ryu. Yet in their fight, Ryu ends up overpowering him. The fight looks great, but the outcome makes Akuma feel less legendary than he should.
Chun-Li’s revenge plan. Chun-Li brings Ryu and Ken into the tournament as part of her plan to avenge her family, and she isn’t fully honest with them about it. Her motive is understandable, but the manipulation makes her hard to root for.
Photos: Paramount Pictures
