The review
My hand-eye coordination and lack of competitive spirit equip me for turn-based JRPGs... not fighting games. I'm a Mortal Kombat fan for the nostalgia, and because the first movie was so good (for a kid my age back then). I've seen Street Fighter content here and there, and that's where my fandom ends. I love action movies, so I went in with low expectations. Low expectations: met.
Here's the thing though. The animated sequences are the best part of the movie, a 10 in a movie that's a 6 without them, which is how it ends up a 7. They're the flashbacks, the backstories, and I wanted the whole film drawn like that. I'm craving a legit Street Fighter anime now.
What else works: the costumes and the ambiance are top tier, and the set pieces are among the best things in it. It's 1993, and that makes it look better. The action scenes are pretty good. The fanservice is unapologetic, which I mean as a compliment: strategic camera angles for Cammy and Chun-Li, and Ken is definitely eye candy.
The cast is where the fun is. Dhalsim (Vidyut Jammwal) stole the show for me. He IS Dhalsim. I didn't know a human could sway and move like that. Dan Hibiki (Andrew Schulz) is the heart of the movie: while everyone else wallows in sorrow or works through their issues, he's solid, the Samwise Gamgee of this thing. David Dastmalchian as Bison was a unique choice, considering his build (I know him from the One Piece live action), but he plays the psycho very well. Ken (Noah Centineo) has good, contagious energy. Ryu (Andrew Koji) is too sombre, and that's probably the script, not the actor... though I don't think he's really known for his range. If you disagree, enlighten me in the comments. And I'm a Jason Momoa fan, so I can't be objective about him. He plays Blanka to perfection, says the guy who knows nothing about Blanka canon beyond what he looks like. Maximilian Dood (Maximilian Christiansen when he's not on YouTube) appearing on screen with actual lines might be the most exciting thing that happened to me in that cinema. Love you, Max.
Chun-Li (Callina Liang) doesn't get much of a story worth reviewing, but my wife wanted to see her for the thighs, and the thighs deserve their credit: two hours of martial arts a day and twelve eggs a day for months, 6.5 cm per leg by the end of the shoot. That's dedication I respect.
What didn't work for me: I'm not a fan, so the drama and the references that may have impressed the Street Fighter community did nothing for me. A lot of the story doesn't make sense. The drama is overdone, and I'm allergic to melodrama. Fights get skipped off screen. The pace is all over the place: too much to tell, too little time, or just too many characters, so it rushes the cast and then gets bogged down in the moping. The funny parts hit and miss.
The cliffhanger doesn't bother me. If it makes enough money, I'd rather they make a sequel than cram everything into one movie. And I can't help comparing: I enjoyed Mortal Kombat a lot more than this. Probably biased.
Street Fighter: a good-looking movie that's at its best when it stops being live action.
