Taking a cue from various attempts to breathe cinematic life into the Mortal Kombat franchise, including one earlier this year, another oldie but goodie from the heyday and beloved universe of video game classics is taking a swing at appealing to new generations of fans who weren’t even born when the iconic game, Street Fighter, first appeared in 1987.
In addition to various animated and tv series takes, there have been a couple of big screen attempts, the most notable in 1994 with Jean-Claude Van Damme’s Street Fighter which was a box office hit. However the 2009 attempt, Street Fighter: The Legend Of Chun-Li was a miserable flop. Now with Legendary and the game’s creator Capcom teaming up we have a new, and perhaps most elaborate reboot yet. Whether anyone was asking for it is another question.
Sprinkled with supporting roles for bigger names like Jason Momoa and Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, and set for sweet nostalgia smack in the heart of Street Fighter’s golden era of the early 90’s, director and co-writer Kitao Sakurai has made sure there is a certain affectionate cheesy cartoonish quality that makes this 2026 edition look like it was made in 1993, the year it takes place. Everything is heightened here, the action, the acting, the visuals, the stunts, and even in a nod to its ‘toon cousins, the hand-drawn animation that opens the movie and reappears in flashback form to tell the origin story of its two main protagonists, Ryu and Ken Masters and their Miyagi-like mentor Master Gouken whose wise words pepper the proceedings throughout.
Growing up brothers and fighting aficionados, Ryu (Andrew Koji) and Ken (Noah Centineo) split in 1987, the year of the first World Warrior Tournament. Ryu became the quiet triumphant fighter while Ken failed to make the tournament of champions, losing most of his self worth and now six years later a shadow of his former self, prone to tacky endorsements and minor celebrity. Ryu knows the real truth about Ken but keeps it to himself and has become a loner, a man purposely hiding from his past cooking up a new identity in the food world. Neither had any expectations to ever see each other again, much less get into the ring, but the evil and manipulative boss of the Shandaloo organization, Lord M. Bison (David Dastmalchian going as far over the top as you can possibly go) has plans to revive the World Warrior Tournament and needs both Ryu and Ken to make a comeback. Of course this is all a front for more devious plans, but it is up to recruiter Chun-Li (newcomer Callina Liang) to get them on board against all odds. She is the shrewd sort of talent agent here out to sign up an all-star line up of Street Fighting legends, but she has her own secret motive and that is to kill Bison, the man responsible for the death of her father. Working for him is her ticket to do just that and so the reunion, like something out of The Sunshine Boys, brings reluctant Ryu and Ken back together. It is all ultimately about brotherly love.
The main event is World Warrior Tournament II and it is loaded with a ‘who’s who gonna kill you’, presided over by very loud M.C. Doc Sauvage (a very loud Eric Andre). We will eventually meet stoic and confident 50 Cent’s lethal boxer Balrog; Dutch Giant and one man wrecking crew Zangief (Olivier Richters); yoga-style martial artist Dhalsim (Vidyut Jammwal); platinum blonde flat topped Guile (WWE’s Cody Rhodes); the spirited Momoa’s Hulk-like electrifying fan favorite Blanka; imposing Akuma (WWE’s Joe “Roman Reigns” Anoai); and more. And then flooding the danger zone are the associates of Bison including masked terror Vega (Orville Peck); and the other female warriors Juli (martial arts star Rayna Vallandingham), and Cammy aka Killer Bee (Mel Jarnson).
Both main stars do well and are convincing fighters, especially Koji who actually manages some levels of depth for Ryu. In for some comic relief is the amusing manager of Ken, Dan Hibiki (sharp comedian Andrew Schulz) who adds a much needed dose of anti-testosterone in this guy who has a sweet sort of relationship with the insecure Ken. The real star here may just be stunt choreographer Jon Valera who gets to show his stuff, particularly in a burlesque free-for-all in which just about everyone appears – or so it seems. Impressive moves aside, if anything, this whole enterprise feels more like a comic book movie than martial arts showcase. Its PG13 rating tells us that the action and numerous fights will not be going the violent ways of John Wick so it is best to have a love for simpler times. It is all very safe and true to what core Street Fighter fans, many now knocking on eligibility for AARP, will likely appreciate more than anyone else.
Producers are Mary Parent, Cale Boyter, Momoa, Stefan Makhoul, and Takayuki Nakayama.
Title: Street Fighter
Distributor: Paramount
Release Date: October 16, 2026
Director: Kitao Sakurai
Screenwriters: Dalan Musson, Gary Duaberman, T. J. Fixman, and Kitao Sakurai
Cast: Andrew Koji, Noah Centineo, Callina Liang, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Olivier Richters, Orville Peck, Eric Andre, Andrew Schulz, Rayna Vallandingham, Cody Rhodes, Joe “Roman Reigns” Anoai, David Dastmalchian, Vidyut Jammwal, Jason Momoa, Mel Jarnson, Hirooki Goto, Alexander Volkanovski.
Rating: PG13
Running Time: 1 hr 59 mins