Street Fighter, the live-action review, between fun and homage

Let's face it, it was hard to do worse than a cult classic like the 1994 film starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and Raúl Juliá – a work that is still fondly remembered by a certain niche of fans – but expectations were still low for this new live-action adaptation of Street Fighter, also due to the first trailers that had made purists cringe. Instead, we find ourselves facing an intelligent parody of the video game, openly aware of its farcical and referential essence, which has no problem treating the source material from an extremely light and cartoonish perspective. A film certainly destined to divide, and it couldn't be otherwise given its clear stance, but one that we found very entertaining.

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Street Fighter: Live to Fight

In 1987, during the first world martial arts tournament, a young Ryu defeats the fearsome Sagat, thus attracting the attention of the dark Akuma. The death of Gouken, Ryu's master and a paternal figure also for Ken, leads the two young men to drastically separate their paths: we find them six years later, with Ryu intent on leading a solitary and marginalized existence, while Ken has transformed his martial skills into a media tool, becoming a star.

Breaking their routines is Chun-Li, an Interpol undercover agent, who urges them to participate in a new edition of the World Warrior Tournament, organized by the cruel dictator M. Bison, who intends to gather the best fighters on the planet for purposes far more mysterious than the competitive appearances suggest. The two old friends will eventually reunite and, despite some friction, will have to join forces again to stop the threat.

Round 1

An extremely pop and colorful operation, accompanied by a soundtrack that breaks conventions from the prologue and by a lightning-fast pace, with action scenes executed with all the trimmings, effective slow motion included. Street Fighter offers enjoyable themed entertainment, provided you accept the approach chosen to bring the saga closer to a casual audience, with ample doses of irony accompanying the numerous clashes that punctuate the almost two hours of viewing.

A vision densely populated with characters from the saga's imaginary, some very faithful to their respective counterparts – Callina Liang's Chun-Li is perfect – others rendered in a deliberately caricatured form, like Guile and M. Bison himself, with Blanka finding a very particular version in Jason Momoa. In the main roles, we find Andrew Koji and Noah Centineo, who, while overacting a lot, create a relatively credible fraternal bond.

The special effects are of a decent level, though inferior to those of contemporary blockbusters, and where the live-action shows its limits, animation remedies it, especially in the more elaborate flashbacks. The direction by Kitao Sakurai, whom we remember for the very incorrect mockumentary Bad Trip (2021), relies on the primal force of the franchise, but finds fertile ground in the playfulness of the premise, even if the plot gradually loses consistency in favor of unrestrained fun. Behind this exuberance, however, one can glimpse a certain love for the characters and their background, to the point that, despite its obvious naiveties – some intentional, others less so – it's hard to dislike a film that approaches Street Fighter with such a playfully anarchic spirit.