Street Fighter: Hadouken Hype, Choppy Cuts, and a Fight for Its Own Identity

Kitao Sakurai’s Street Fighter is a movie that arrives with a lot to prove. Hollywood has fumbled this franchise before, most notably with the 1994 Jean-Claude Van Damme film, and the new version tries to set things right by shifting its focus to the pair who have always been the franchise’s emotional backbone: Ryu and Ken Masters. Andrew Koji plays Ryu and Noah Centineo plays Ken, and the film opens with an anime-styled 1987 prologue showing Ryu winning the first World Warrior Tournament while his master Gouken (Don Lee) and best friend Ken look on. From there, the story jumps to the franchise’s 1993 peak, when the estranged friends are reunited as Chun-Li recruits them for the next tournament.

What works is the film’s spirit. It embraces the campy, arcade-flavoured energy of 1990s action cinema rather than chasing a dark, gritty reinvention. The fight choreography, close-quarters hand-to-hand work, and set pieces draw some of the warmest praise, and the soundtrack leans hard into the throwback mood. Koji, Centineo, and Callina Liang as Chun-Li all commit fully to their roles, and a wink-and-nudge tone toward the material will charm casual viewers who just want a fun, goofy martial arts ride. There is even a Jason Momoa-powered Blanka searching for his mother in the mix, which tells you exactly how seriously the film takes itself.

The problem is that the movie can’t decide what it wants to be. Critics have pointed to a muddled script, uneven dialogue, and humour that frequently lands as juvenile rather than clever. The film also overstuffs its roster of famous fighters: beyond Ken, Ryu, and a little bit of Chun-Li, few characters get room to breathe. The editing is the most commonly cited culprit, with the plot racing from one thread to the next as though trimmed to within an inch of its life, which dampens the impact of otherwise strong action. Fans hoping for a reverent, faithful adaptation may feel let down by the irreverence, while those wanting pure camp may be satisfied.

In the end, Street Fighter is a lively, nostalgic, and often entertaining brawler that lands its best hits in the ring and loses rounds in the writing room. It is a clear improvement over its predecessors and a good time if you leave your serious hat at the door, but a sharper script and a steadier edit would have made it a true champion.

Xinemas Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3/5)

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