The New Street Fighter Movie Reminds Me Of The Original Film With 11% On RT, And That's A Good Thing

The new Street Fighter movie looks like it’s moving in the same direction as the critically planned 1994 adaptation. While repeating the formula of a movie that gets as much ridicule as that particular Jean-Claude Van Damme film may sound at first like a mistake, it may actually be a smart idea in this instance.

So far, there have only been two live-action movies based on the Street Fighter video game franchise, the first being the ’94 movie that cast Van Damme as Guille and placed him in the lead role ahead of the more prominent Ryu and Chun-Li. The second attempt was an unmitigated disaster, as evidenced by its abysmal box office performance and 3% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Now, another stab is being made at the concept, with a new cast bringing the world of the games to life. Thanks in large part to the new Street Fighter teaser trailer, there’s a considerable amount of hype regarding its chances of being a successful effort. And that’s in spite of the parallels drawn between the new movie and the 1994 original.

The New Street Fighter Movie Looks A Lot Like The 1994 Film

One of the things that’s made abundantly clear by the trailer is that the 2026 movie is that it’s not really concerned about telling a grounded story. Instead, it’s chosen to fully embrace the source material, seemingly in the face of the fact that many aspects of the game’s world lack any sense of realism, from the costumes, to the moves, to the super powers possessed by some of the characters.

You can see that in the looks they went with for Blanka, Chun-Li, Ryu, and even the anime-style, hair sported Guille in the trailer. Some of it may look silly, but it’s all game-accurate.

Interestingly, that’s not unlike the strategy that was employed for the original Street Fighter movie. It admittedly did not go as far with Guile’s hair, but in most cases, it was very accurate to the designs of the characters, including Ryu, Ken, Cammy, E. Honda, Zangief, Vega, and Sagat.

Even so, that didn’t lead to Street Fighter sustaining a high degree of popularity. Rather, its campiness was met with overwhelming criticism, so much that it now boasts a 11% score on Rotten Tomatoes and an unfortunate reputation as a “bad” video game movie. Because of its similar choices, the new film naturally faces that same risk, but it could work out much better this time around.

It Looks Like Street Fighter 2026 Is Going Even Further Than The 1994 Movie

Don't Be Fooled By Its 11% RT Score, Jean-Claude Van Damme's 1990s Martial Arts Video Game Movie Is Surprisingly Good — Jean-Claude Van Damme as Colonel William F. Guile in Street Fighter 1994

In addition to taking a page from the playbook of the original, the reboot looks set to surpass the original in terms of its devotion to the games. Whereas the 1994 version went with Guile as its main protagonist, the new movie is rightfully shining the spotlight on Ryu, Ken, and Chun-Li, who are more integral to the main story than Guile.

What’s more, the plot of the first film had nothing to do with a martial arts tournament, the very foundation of every Street Fighter game’s story. That will be amended in 2026, as the new version is confirmed to focus on Ryu, Chun-Li, and Ken’s admission into the World Warrior Tournament.

Street Fighter 2026 Is In A Much Better Position To Succeed Than The 1994 Version

Ming-Na Wen as Chun-Li in Street Fighter (1994)

The current state of visual effects will be one of the biggest difference-makers for the new movie. Game-accurate or not, various parts of Street Fighter simply didn’t work, one of which being its take on Blanka’s design. The 2026 film, on the other hand, has vastly superior tools at its disposal when it comes to exploring the areas of the game that will require special effects, and that’s made evident by the amazing CGI look for Jason Mamoa’s Blanka.

The current climate gives the 2026 Street Fighter movie a massive advantage over the original film. In the 2020s, there appears to be a significant interest from audiences in nostalgia and extreme accuracy to the source material whenever a beloved video game, comic book title, or animated series makes it to the big or small screen.

This decade is full of such examples across multiple mediums. Netflix’s live-action One Piece show, 2021’s Mortal Kombat, and Deadpool & Wolverine all committed to just having fun and delivering on nostalgia, even if it meant adapting something that might not translate well to live-action. And they received widespread praise for it.

The 1994 Street Fighter movie wasn’t released at a time when accuracy was valued over realism. Not only that, but the franchise was too new for nostalgia to be a factor. Now, after so many years without a proper Street Fighter movie to grace the screen, that same approach that held back the original could be what propels the 2026 movie to incredible heights.