When people were dogging the Street Fighter movie, starring Noah Centineo among others in the ensemble cast, after seeing the early trailers, I was one of the first defenders, but after having seen the film, all I have to say is that you naysayers were kind of right. It definitely did not live up to my lofty expectations. That said, was it as terrible as I’ve heard some people making it out to be? Well, that’s debatable, but I will say this: While it wasn’t everything that I could have wanted in a Street Fighter movie, I still think it’s pretty fun, and it definitely has its moments.
So, while I don’t think I’ll have to revise my list of the best video game movies ever to slip in Street Fighter, which hit the 2026 movie schedule last weekend, I will talk about all of the things that I think actually worked. It’s more than you may think.
Oh, and some spoilers up ahead.
The Animated Sections Are So On Point, I Wish They Were The Whole Movie
I’m going to be honest with you. As a lifelong Street Fighter fan, I can tell you that there’s never been a “great” live-action Street Fighter movie. I know some people really like the 1994 flick, but come on. At best, it’s a “good” bad video game movie. The less we say about Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li, the better.
Well, you can add this recent Street Fighter to the list of “not great” movies, though I would say it’s the best of the three. While I said there hasn’t been a great “live-action” Street Fighter movie, there has been a great animated one, and that’s 1994’s Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie. It’s a flick that hits all the right notes, and it also influenced a lot of later Street Fighter titles as well (Most notably the Street Fighter Alpha series).
So, when I learned that this new movie had animated segments, I thought, sign me up! And, yes, they are arguably the best part of the entire film. The animated parts are actually super serious, and they give great backstory. The start of the film is actually the first tournament, which would be the original Street Fighter.
All of these animated segments are by far the coolest sections of the flick, and they’re not bogged down by the “humor” that the rest of the movie presents. I wish the whole film were animated.
So, Sagat IS In The Film, And The Way He's Presented Here Is So Awesome
When we initially got a list of the main cast for this movie, I was like, okay, okay, okay, everybody’s here. Nice. But then, I took a second look, and my eyes widened. “Wait. Where’s Sagat?” I asked aloud. And, for a time, I thought this was a major mistake. How could you have pretty much the entire roster of Street Fighter II: Champion Edition and NOT include the Muay Thai master?
Well, my concern was misguided, as Sagat is in fact in the movie, and, as I just mentioned earlier, he’s in the best portions of the film, those being the animated segments. This makes sense as to why he wasn’t in the main cast, since he’s not actually a part of the main story.
Even so, the two moments that he’s here (Both in the beginning and in the mid-credit scene) are two of the coolest parts of the entire flick. We see Ryu beat him in the first tournament (As Evil Ryu, which is something I KNEW they should have saved for a sequel since it could have been its own story), and then during the mid-credits, when Bison visits him.
I actually love this. Sagat is such an important character that I’m glad that they’re going to spend more time with him in the sequel (IF there’s a sequel). He deserves the spotlight.
I Can't Believe I'm Saying This, But Dan Was The Best Character In The Entire Movie
If you were to tell me that Andrew Schulz as Dan would be the best part of this movie, I genuinely would not have believed you, but lo and behold, he is really the only character I genuinely loved in this film. What’s strange, though, is that Ken seems to be the joke character in this movie, whereas Dan has always filled that role in the games.
Now, that’s not to say that Dan isn’t a figurative punching bag in this film. He is. A lot of the best jokes are about just how lame he is, but he’s also the character who feels like he has the most heart. He is, dare I say, the moral compass of this movie.
You see, Dan is Ken’s best friend in this version, and he sticks by his side no matter what. He acts as his business partner, but he’s not using him as one might expect. Instead, he formerly trained with Ryu and Ken, and he’s been Ken’s best friend when Ryu seemingly abandoned him.
He also has what I thought was the funniest line in the movie, and it concerns Taco Bell. You’ll know what I mean if you’ve seen it. But, yeah. Dan is the best character in the Street Fighter movie. Who would have thought? However, there’s actually another character I really liked, too.
This M. Bison Is Also Nothing Like The Game, But I Like This Version Anyway
Will anybody ever beat Raul Julia as M. Bison? Probably not, and unfortunately, David Dastmalchian doesn't come close. That said, given the material, Dastmalchian actually did an amazing job in this film, and like Dan, he was another one of the movie’s highlights.
Dastmalchian makes this M. Bison flamboyant, which really makes him stand out. He is obsessed with getting buff, and the only way to do that (in his mind) is through harnessing Psycho Power. The best way he thinks he can do this is through Ryu’s dark Hadou (basically his “murderous intent”), and he thinks getting him in the tournament will make this a reality.
This Bison is also pretty weird. He’s obsessed with feet, has a gladiatorial prison with Blanka…for some reason, and ostensibly gets aroused when he brands people with his insignia.
He's also so deadpan. Like Julia, Dastmalchian seems to be taking the movie much more seriously than it deserves, and when he says ridiculous lines, he fully commits to them. So, while he's not like the game's Bison, I still loved his performance.
Yes, Street Fighter Is A MAJOR Disappointment, But It Had Its Moments
In the end, there was a lot more I disliked about this movie than I liked (for example, for a movie that takes place in 1993, they sure have a lot of anachronisms when it comes to the soundtrack - like they play “Many Men (Wish Death)” when 50 Cent comes out as Balrog…though that was pretty cool. Even so, while it did have its moments, they could have been much stronger.
For example, I like that there's a tournament in this movie, but we barely see any of it. It's cool that there are special moves from the game, but they feel half-hearted at times. I also love how all of the characters are here, but some are woefully underused (like Zangeif!). It's also fun, but maybe too fun at times (as in goofy). The story is also all over the place.
So, yeah. A decent movie, but not what I hoped for.
