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

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The latest Street Fighter movie seems to be taking a similar approach to the much-criticized 1994 version. Though copying a film that received so much negative attention might seem like a bad plan, it could actually be a clever move this time around.

Only two live-action movies have been made based on the Street Fighter video game series. The first, released in 1994, starred Jean-Claude Van Damme as a character named Guille, surprisingly putting him in the main role instead of better-known fighters like Ryu and Chun-Li. The second movie was a complete failure, performing very poorly in theaters and receiving a terrible 3% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

A new attempt is being made to adapt the popular game series, with a fresh cast of actors. A recent trailer for the new Street Fighter movie has generated a lot of excitement, and many people are hopeful it will be a success – even though it shares similarities with the 1994 film.

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

The trailer makes it clear this 2026 movie isn’t aiming for a realistic story. Instead, it’s wholeheartedly embracing the often unrealistic elements of the original game – things like the outlandish costumes, over-the-top moves, and the characters’ incredible superpowers.

The character designs for Blanka, Chun-Li, and Ryu, as well as the anime-inspired hair seen on Guille in the trailer, all stay true to the original game. While some elements might seem a bit over-the-top, they’re intentionally faithful to the source material.

That approach is similar to what they did with the first Street Fighter movie. While they didn’t go as over-the-top with Guile’s hair, the film generally stayed true to the character designs, accurately portraying Ryu, Ken, Cammy, E. Honda, Zangief, Vega, and Sagat.

Despite this, the original Street Fighter movie wasn’t a big hit. It was heavily criticized for being overly silly, and now has a very low score of 11% on Rotten Tomatoes, earning it a reputation as a poor video game adaptation. The new film is making similar creative choices, so it risks facing the same negative reaction, although it has the potential to be much more successful this time.

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

Not only is the new movie taking inspiration from the first film, it’s expected to be even more faithful to the video games. Unlike the 1994 adaptation which focused on Guile, the reboot is smartly highlighting Ryu, Ken, and Chun-Li – characters who play a much more central role in the game’s story.

Interestingly, the original movie didn’t include a martial arts tournament, which is central to the story of every Street Fighter game. The upcoming film, planned for release in 2026, will fix that by focusing on Ryu, Chun-Li, and Ken as they enter the World Warrior Tournament.

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

Visual effects will be a key factor in the success of the new movie. Previous attempts to adapt Street Fighter struggled with bringing the game’s elements to life, particularly with character designs like Blanka. However, the upcoming 2026 film benefits from much more advanced technology, and the impressive CGI used to create Jason Momoa’s version of Blanka is a clear example of this improvement.

The new Street Fighter movie coming in 2026 has a big advantage over the first film. These days, audiences really want adaptations of video games, comics, and cartoons to feel authentic and closely match the original stories – they’re all about nostalgia and getting the details right.

We’re seeing this trend everywhere in entertainment. Recent shows like Netflix’s One Piece, the 2021 Mortal Kombat movie, and the upcoming Deadpool & Wolverine all prioritized being enjoyable and tapping into fans’ fond memories, even when adapting material that wasn’t a natural fit for live-action. These choices were largely celebrated by audiences.

The 1994 Street Fighter movie came out before filmmakers really focused on staying true to the source material. Plus, the game series hadn’t been around long enough for audiences to feel nostalgic about it. Now, after a long wait for a good Street Fighter movie, that original film’s flaws – prioritizing spectacle over accuracy – might actually be the key to the 2026 movie’s success.

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2025-12-13 23:19