“Street Fighter: The Movie” Review Roundup: Metascore 46, “Never Boring” but Script Divides Critics

Although it has fundamental flaws in terms of narrative structure, “Street Fighter” is packed with so much style that it’s impossible to ignore. The emotional elements of the story work effectively thanks to its tone control and the cast’s acting skills, allowing the film to keep audiences engaged even when it gives in to its worst impulses.

At its best—and for a significant portion of its runtime—*Street Fighter* functions like a frenzied live-action cartoon, which is exactly what I was looking for.The soundtrack, packed with ’90s hits, is also a fun bonus. However, because of this, criticizing the film’s fundamental flaws—such as its disjointed character relationships and confusing editing—feels like a complete misjudgment that misses the essence of the film entirely.

A movie’s greatest sin is boring its audience. And I can proudly say that this *Street Fighter* is far from guilty of that sin.

This film shines brightest when it’s seriously tackling its intense action scenes and the surprisingly beautiful—yet largely overlooked—animated segments. Unfortunately, however, to get there, you have to wade through lengthy expository dialogue and tedious character drama (at least in scenes where Ryu isn’t present).While it’s not a perfect knockout victory, “Street Fighter” lands plenty of punches and ultimately pulls off a combination that can be called a win.

Most importantly, the film focuses on thrilling fight scenes, many of which are structured to highlight the distinctive personalities of the numerous fighters who appear.

Unfortunately, the film is held back by a bizarre script with a disjointed tone, preventing “Street Fighter” from reaching the perfection it could have achieved. While it is an engaging and captivating film, it unfortunately leaves a bad aftertaste.

Because it incorporates so many characters and elements from the game, non-fans will find themselves struggling to keep up. “Street Fighter” attempts to strike a difficult balance between fan service and accessibility for newcomers, but as a result, it likely won’t fully satisfy either audience.

The slight emotional maturity glimpsed in the first half is completely thrown out the window in the second half, along with the story and character arcs.

While the film is full of playful homages to the game, the story gradually becomes tedious as it drags on, and combined with the overly long runtime of two hours, it leaves you feeling as if you’re the one getting beaten to a pulp in the ring.

In short, this is a film that’s meant to be utterly ridiculous, but it lacks the courage to actually be truly ridiculous.