Video game movies did n’t have a great track record in the ’ 90s , as exemplified by1993 ’s live - action Super Mario Bros. movieandthe sick - fatedDouble Dragonfilm . Those two projects were followed in December 1994 byStreet Fighter , an adaptation of Capcom ’s run into fighting plot franchise . TheStreet Fighter 2game had revitalized arcades three years earlier , which made this film the secondly - most prominent video game adaptation to that breaker point . It was also far more successful at the box office than eitherDouble DragonorSuper Mario Bros. ,with $ 35 million domestically and $ 99.4 million worldwide .
AlthoughStreet Fighterdid well compared to its precursor , it ’s also a frightening movie that was savaged by critics upon its release . But unlike some other unspeakable movies , Street Fighteris still funnily enjoyable to see despite its shortcomings … and also because of them . ForStreet Fighter‘s 30th day of remembrance , I ’m travel to explain why I ’ve come to love this hilariously bad movie before touching upon the hereafter of the franchise .
A real American hero
author and director Steven E. de Souza was the screenwriter forDie Hard , Die operose 2,48 Hrs . ,Commando , andThe Running Man , all of which were originative activity films in the ’ eighty . De Souza was also a self - professed buff ofStreet Fighter 2 , which is why it ’s so mystifying that his melodic theme to land it to the prominent screen was to translate it into a G.I. Joe movie . Instead of featuring fighters in an hole-and-corner martial arts tourney , the story became something unrecognizable about international peacekeepers essay to overthrow a would - be dictator in a made - up rural area called Shadaloo .
Almost every character in the biz was re - imagined through the lense of this premise , and it ’s the biggest reason why some Street Fighter fan hate the motion-picture show . This is n’t a real Street Fighter flick , it just has characters that partake in epithet and superficial traits with their video game counterparts . There ’s only one literal street fight in the movie — between Ryu and Vega — and it ’s interrupt before it even gets started . De Souza may have had the best of intentions , but his instincts about how to adapt this property were way off .
Van Dammed if you do…
Jean - Claude Van Damme was still near the prime of his stardom when he was swan in the lead as Colonel William F. Guile . In fact , the bulk of the movie revolves around Guile in some way , as he was refocused from a supporting character into a leading man . Guile has a personal grudge against General M. Bison ( Raul Julia ) , and he ’s so regardless about it that he out one of his unaired friends — and Bison ’s surety — Carlos “ Charlie ” Blanka ( Robert Mammone ) … which only lead to a lot of pain in the ass and suffering for his pal .
Van Damme did bring the film some headliner baron and credibility as an action sub , but he actually makes the pic a fate funnier because of his clumsy delivery . Guile gets a lot of line that were meant as cheesy one - liners , including “ I ’m the repo man ” and “ Luckily , Bison has drive me crazy . ” The jokes do n’t demesne as signify , but it ’s almost impossible not to laugh at how the role player says them . Van Damme made the intact motion-picture show even more campy that way , and it ’s one ofStreet Fighter‘s deliverance graces .
For Raul Julia, “It was Tuesday”
This movie was Raul Julia ’s concluding role before his death in 1994 . He was combat breadbasket Crab and other health problem during filming , but you ca n’t severalize how much pain Julia was in from anything he does on - screen . Instead , Julia ’s M. Bison lights up the total film every meter he appears , and the actor looked like he was have the time of his liveliness .
Bison is gloriously out of his mind throughout the story as he explains his plans to create Bisonopolis , institute a Pax Bisonica , and nonchalantly kidnap the queen of England to establish secure exchange rate for his Bison bucks . As write , none of that material should have worked as well as it did in Julia ’s hands .
Take , for example , Bison ’s most far-famed line in the film — “ For you , the day Bison graced your village was the most important day of your animation . But for me … it was Tuesday . ” Somehow , Julia turned that into cinema gold , and it ’s been a democratic meme for a long time .
Select your fighter
Among the supporting mould , The Mandalorian‘s Ming - Na Wen amount off well as Chun - Li , even though the film nonsensically turns her into a tidings anchor or else of an Interpol officer . Edmond Honda ( Peter Tuiasosopo ) and Gerard Balrog ( Grand L. Bush ) , were slip in as her tv camera and documentation crew . Balrog was never a hero in the game , which is why he seems so out of place as a co - machinator with Chun - Li and Honda in their plot of ground to take down Bison .
However , the film ’s biggest mistake is that it takes the game ’ two precede piece — Ken Masters ( Damian Chapa ) and Ryu ( Byron Mann ) — and shifts them into patronage use at best . Instead of warriorlike arts warriors on the Street Fighter electrical circuit , Ryu and Ken were con - military personnel who pretended to be gunrunners . It ’s ludicrous that de Souza saw their prominence in the secret plan and still decided that they ’d be better used as comedic foils . Ken and Ryu can still fight in the movie , it ’s just not their narration , and they do n’t have a personal stake in the engagement against Bison .
The script is unintentionally funny
As noted above , a slew of Van Damme ’s lines are only humorous because he did n’t say them the correct way . There ’s a lot of that in this picture show , which somehow manages to combine unintended humour with some put-on that are really funny . Andrew Bryniarski get a lot of the movie ’s safe laughs as Zangief , Bison ’s dim - witted collaborator . His fight with Honda is also a really amusing callback to Nipponese monster flicks .
Miguel A. Núñez Jr. provided some honorable minute when limn Dee Jay ’s reactions to Zangief ’s tune . They were a good comic duad that style . Some of the other laugh were also effective , including the visual of Bison ’s majestic painting of himself and the antecedently mentioned Bison Buck that had his typeface all over them . But when it amount time for the rouse actor’s line near the end , Van Damme could n’t have been this peculiar if he tried .
Assuming the following address by Bison was think of to be funny , it ’s once again reliant on Julia ’s vast gift .
There ’s too much humor in this movie to ever take it badly as an action film . But for anyone who ’s uncoerced to go along with its unique blend of temper and some stupidly funny jokes , it ’s actually a blast to revisit .
The other Street Fighter 2 movie
A few months prior toStreet Fighter‘s theatrical premiere , fan in Japan were treated toStreet Fighter II : The Animated Movie , an gum anime film that did almost everything this movie did n’t . The animated flick put Ken and Ryu at the forefront , with Chun - Li and Guile in supporting roles . It also outshined the live - action film with unbelievable activity and fight down scenes , as well as a legitimately intimidating take on Bison himself .
Unlike the American live - action film , Street Fighter II : The Animated Movie , is still readily uncommitted to rain cats and dogs in this country . It ’s also the pic that was more commonly embraced by Street Fighter fans . There have been a handful of anime follow - up projects , but none have managed to recapture what this one draw off .
Street Fighter: The Movie — The Video Game
Just to bring affair full lot , Capcom released an arcade game calledStreet Fighter : The Moviethat used most of the performers from the film to re - create their characters . Because of his health issues , Julia ’s role was filled by Darko Tuscan , while stuntman Mark Stefanich did most of the heavy lifting for Van Damme ’s Guile .
Even Kylie Minogue tag out for Emma Kearney to play Cammy White in this secret plan , while Ming - Na Wen and others reprised their roles . Visually , Street Fighter : The Movielooked a portion like the originalMortal Kombat , which had become the franchise ’s chief arcade rival by 1994 . However , fan reply to this title was unenthusiastic , and it ’s been largely unavailable to legally play for virtually three ten .
The Legend of Chun Li
In 2009 , Hollywood stress again withStreet Fighter : The Legend of Chun - Li . This fourth dimension , Smallville‘s Kristin Kreuk step into the title office as Chun - Li attempted to avenge her beginner ’s expiry at the hands of M. Bison ( Neal McDonough ) . There were some other standouts in the cast as well , including Michael Clarke Duncan as Balrog , Chris Klein as Charlie Nash , andMortal Kombat‘s Robin Shou as Gen. Regardless , this movie bombed with only $ 12.8 million worldwide .
Because Hollywood never learn its moral for foresighted , there ’s another reboot on the purview . Legendary Entertainment is develop aStreet Fighterfilm , which already has a March 20 , 2026 , acquittance date . There are plenty of takeaways from the previous Street Fighter movie , but we ’d be surprised if the third picture show will finally get it good .
Rent or buyStreet FighteronPrime Video .
