Nobody asked for another Street Fighter movie. The 1994 original was a beautiful disaster held together entirely by Raul Julia’s dignity and the collective delusion of everyone who bought a ticket. Then came 2009’s The Legend of Chun-Li, which somehow made a movie about a super-powered martial artist boring enough we all but forgot it existed until seeing it on the Street Fighter Wikipedia page. Hollywood’s track record with this franchise reads like a list of crimes against gamers.
And yet here we are.
The roster reads like someone opened a randomizer and just ran with it. The full lineup includes Andrew Koji as Ryu, Noah Centineo as Ken Masters, Callina Liang as Chun-Li, Roman Reigns as Akuma, David Dastmalchian as M. Bison, Cody Rhodes as Guile, 50 Cent as Balrog, and Jason Momoa as Blanka. This reminds us of that classic live-action Dragon Ball fan cast where Leonardo DiCaprio was Trunks and Cameron Diaz was Android 18. Yeah, it feels exactly like that.
Still, some of these are kind of sort of inspired. Momoa as Blanka, a giant, feral, electricity-shooting green man is the kind of casting that makes you believe in a benevolent universe. He has the size, the look, and is goofy enough to pull it off. A man of culture.
Others are harder to defend. Noah Centineo, Noah To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before Centineo, as one of gaming’s most iconic fighters has raised eyebrows across the internet. The general sentiment among skeptics is that the filmmakers picked big names instead of matching the characters, with the only universally praised casting being Andrew Koji and maybe Cody Rhodes.
Then there are the costumes…
The elephant in every comment section right now is the costuming. A vocal portion of the fanbase described the outfits as stiff, shiny, and ill-fitting, basically cheap cosplay that looks like they were ordered in bulk from a bargain-bin Halloween sale. The phrases “Party City” and “Temu cosplay” have been deployed with alarming frequency. Liang’s Chun-Li look drew particular scrutiny, with critics noting that while it pays homage to the classic costume, something looks noticeably off, like an OnlyFans model attending Comic Con. Which, if we are being honest… nevermind.
And yet, we are going opening night.
Here’s the embarrassing truth: despite all of it, this trailer works. It’s bright, over-the-top, and delightfully ridiculous, and with that approach, it’s managed to make itself look far from redundant. The movie isn’t trying to be prestige cinema so much as it’s trying to be the most fun you’ve had in a theater since you were twelve years old, and that is a completely valid artistic goal.
Perhaps the most persuasive review came from a fan online: “Ken is literally beating the shit out of the car like in the bonus round from the games.”
The car. The iconic bonus stage car. It’s in the movie. We’re going.
