Why It Will Be Awesome

Fans of fighting games are gearing up for the impending arrival of Street Fighter in theaters this year. The film adaptation is set to arrive on October 16 and judging by what we’ve seen and read about it to this point, it looks like it will be absurd. With a franchise like Street Fighter, that’s actually a good thing.

The games are known for their over-the-top nature and are lighthearted. While fighting games like Tekken have deep lore and Mortal Kombat has brutal fatalities, Street Fighter is just a wacky cast of characters coming together for one-on-one fights in public. That simple setup is enough to make this movie work if they lean into it.

Street Fighter Has A Ridiculous Cast

It looks like Street Fighter is indeed going to make sure the movie is pretty wild, with the first evidence of that coming from the cast list. The filmmakers clearly understand that they aren’t setting out to make something that’s Oscar bait. They are out to make a movie that leans into what makes the games great.

That has allowed them to assemble a cast that’s pretty out there. There are established actors who have been praised in the past, like Jason Momoa (as Blanka, which is a spirited choice), David Dastmalchian, and Noah Centineo. Beyond that, it’s an unexpected yet kind of genius barrage of wild cards.

The cast includes three pro wrestlers without much acting experience. Cody Rhodes (Guile) has been in a few small roles in movies and on TV shows, while Joe “Roman Reigns” Anoa’i (Akuma) showed up in Hobbs & Shaw and is related to Dwayne Johnson. Then there’s Hirooki Goto (E. Honda), a Japanese wrestler with a few cameos to his name.

Street Fighter also features comedians like Eric André as Don Sauvage, Andrew Schulz as Dan Hibiki, and Kyle Mooney as Marvin. There’s also rapper Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson as Balrog and legitimate martial arts champion Rayna Vallandingham of Cobra Kai fame as Juli.

Since the Street Fighter game rosters feature a varied, eclectic band of characters, it makes sense to have a cast that fits that bill. It lets us know to never take things too seriously on the screen, which is just what we all want from a Street Fighter movie.

Wacky Aspects From Street Fighter Will Be In The Movie

Ryu prepares to beat up a car in Street Fighter

The 1994 Street Fighter film wasn’t well-received when it debuted. Critics had plenty of bad things to say about it and even fans of the games felt like it let them down. However, time has been kind to it and the film has become something of a cult classic over the years to the point where many enjoy it.

That said, those who have found joy in 1994’s Street Fighter still don’t consider it to be some great movie. Instead, they appreciate its level of camp, from Jean-Claude Van Damme’s attempts to nail Guile to Raul Julia chewing up the scenery at every turn as M. Bison.

This new iteration of Street Fighter on the big screen is clearly aiming for that and is bringing the campiness from the games to the film. The moves these fighters are pulling off look like they were pulled straight from the game and defy the actual laws of physics, which is what we want.

On top of that, the trailer revealed that the bonus stage from the games, where players have to use their fighting skills to destroy a car and get points for it, will be included. There’s simply no way to watch a fighter try to beat up a car with kicks and punches and take it seriously.

The Street Fighter Trailer Tells Us Why It Will Work

The decision to premiere the trailer for Street Fighter at the 2025 Game Awards was perfect. The hardcore, longtime fans of the series were guaranteed to be the people who reacted the most positively to a trailer that clearly pulls so much from the games. The film’s synopsis also lets us know a bit about it:

Estranged Street Fighters Ryu (Andrew Koji) and Ken Masters (Noah Centineo) are thrown back into combat when the mysterious Chun-Li (Callina Liang) recruits them for the next World Warrior Tournament: a brutal clash of fists, fate and fury. But behind this battle royale lies a deadly conspiracy that forces them to face off against each other and the demons of their past. And if they don’t, it’s game over.

The trailer also makes it clear that these characters will look like they do in the game. They don’t shy away from the ridiculous look of some of the characters. Guile’s hair fits in with the game, yet is hard to translate to the big screen, but they are including it in all its tall glory.

Street Fighter will clearly have a bunch of easter eggs as well for fans, which was evidenced by the trailer. The promo shots also let us know that this should look good, with Blanka, Dhalsim, and Juli all looking very good. Street Fighter is paying homage to the games and keeping things wacky, which is a good thing.