I just had fun. I get what people are saying about the story, but with Street Fighter, Sakurai has finally given us a movie that looks like the video game. While playing the video game, I kept thinking (sarcastically), “How did they get these powers?” No one cares. Here, it’s as if they played the game and decided to write the characters with the video game’s powers. There are moves from the video game that look amazing on screen, and better yet, they’re from a different angle than you remember, since you were side-scrolling in the games. Great movies make you feel, and I felt great.
Ken Masters (Noah Centineo) launches a rising uppercut at Dhalsim (Vidyut Jammwal) in the tournament arena in Street Fighter.
“…the more I feel that had there been an actual story, it would have ruined the movie.”
Now, I have thought about the criticism of the story, and the more I think about it, the more I feel that had there been an actual story, it would have ruined the movie. It plays like an Albert Pyun movie from the late ’80s or early ’90s, and I’ve nothing but love for Alien from L.A. I remember watching the opening anime thinking, “I don’t know if I want this.” But as the anime kept popping up throughout the film, it was like, okay, I get it. I understand why that element was in it. Where does Ryu get his powers? Where would Ken ultimately get his powers? It’s all in those really good anime sequences throughout the film. The Joe (Alexander Volkanovski) subplot is not my favorite—it’s just kind of like, all right. But that’s a minor part of it, because again, I’m not here for the story. I’m here for the action.
I have to say, also, that I’m a big fan of a lot of these people. Andrew Koji as Ryu? I absolutely love him. A friend of the channel, David Dastmalchian, plays M. Bison, and I know people criticize his performance. Maybe I’m a little clouded, but I thought he was fine. I think he was great as a contrast. Every movie needs a character who acts differently than the rest of the crew; otherwise, they all blend together. Chun-Li with her rock-hard thighs? Amazing. Jason Momoa as Blanka, on the other hand? He wasn’t in the movie. It was just his face pasted on a CGI character. And look, Asians are playing Asian roles. Imagine that. I feel like we finally have a good video game movie compared to what we’ve gotten all year, from The Super Mario Galaxy Movie to Mortal Kombat II. This is by far the best of the bunch. A good story would’ve killed it unless you could find an actual writer who could somehow pull a great story out of this, and I feel like Hollywood is devoid of those writers right now.
"…“Chun-Li with her rock-hard thighs? Amazing.”"
