Release Date: October 16th, 2026
Format: DCP (Cinemark at The Pike Outlets in Long Beach, CA)
Written by: T.J. Fixman and Kitao Sakurai
Directed by: Kitao Sakurai
2 Stars
When I was in 2nd grade, I somehow got my hands on a Nintendo Power guide to playing Street Fighter II. The magazine was in full color, with glossy pages, and I kept it in my little desk cubby for silent sustained reading time for most of that school year.
Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, Guile, M. Bison…these were characters that lived vividly in my boyhood imagination, and have continued to occupy a small place in my heart for decades now. They were exotic characters, richly animated, with backgrounds and personalities that seemed to transcend the simple medium in which they existed - a 16-bit 2D fighting game.
As with many great video games, the translation of Street Fighter to the big screen has proved to be exceedingly difficult over the years, and writer/director Kitao Sakurai’s most recent attempt is no exception. Despite some excellent casting and seemingly good intentions, Sakurai can’t capture that elusive quality that makes the video game so special.
The plot is the main culprit. As Sakurai’s script played out on screen, I found myself in a position where I was simultaneously watching the movie and thinking about how it could be improved in real time.
My advice to Sakurai? You can’t serve two masters, let alone half a dozen. It’s a fool’s errand to write a script that wants to tell the story of 1. a broken friendship; 2. demonic possession; 3. a global power grab by a violent despot; 4. avenging the murder of a mentor; 5. avenging the murder of a father; 6. a dozen fighters, all with disparate stories and motivations.
It’s a recipe for a stylish slop of muscles and sweat, but not a recipe for a compelling story.
Why not instead borrow the plot from countless ‘70s Hong Kong kung fu flicks, in which a protagonist must travel far and wide to defeat enemies of different fighting styles, all leading up to a final boss that seems invincible? You could have the Japanese orphan Ryu, mourning the recent murder of his mentor, enter a global martial arts tournament hosted by the shadowy dictator M. Bison.
In the first round, Ryu must travel to India to fight the mystical zen master Dhalsim, then in the second round to the USSR to face the massive wrestler Zangief, and then finally to the USA to square off against the Air Force Captain, Guile. On the other side of the tournament bracket is Ryu’s former best friend and training partner, Ken, the cocky American. Ken, also in mourning, travels to Japan to fight the powerful sumo champion E. Honda, then to the jungles of Brazil to face the mutant monster Blanka, and then to China to square off against the beautiful and powerful Chun-Li.
Ken is devastated when he is defeated by Chun-Li. After the match, she confides in him her deep motivation for entering and winning the tournament: It’s the only way for her to get close to M. Bison, who she has learned is the murderer of her father. She also tells Ken that in her investigation into her father’s death, she found evidence that M. Bison is behind the murder of Ken’s mentor.
It’s at the championship match when Ken sneaks into the venue’s backstage, warns a weary Ryu of M. Bison’s role in their mentor’s death, and then the two of them team up with Chun-Li to exact revenge.
But it won’t be that easy. M. Bison’s entourage includes the evil masked Spaniard Vega, the heavyweight boxer Balrog, and the Thai kickboxer Sagat. Our three heroes must use every bit of their righteous anger, martial arts training, and newly formed fellowship to defeat the evil henchmen, before they finally reach the final boss, M. Bison.
Did I just crack the code for a successful Street Fighter adaptation? Or am I simply writing the same type of fan fiction that I was coming up with back in second grade?
