Video games have always struggled in their leap to the big screen. There are plenty of good examples, but most video game movies are high-profile disasters. Fighting games are particularly messy since their stories tend to be either bare-bones or needlessly complex. Capcom's Street Fighter franchise has been adapted into two live-action films, both of which have a less-than-stellar reputation.
Street Fighter is a strange case when it comes to video game movies. The live-action offerings have always left something to be desired, but the franchise also lends its name to one of the best early examples of the genre. Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie may be the first great film based on a video game, but no one has managed to make that success translate to live action.
Street Fighter (1994)
The first live-action Street Fighter film makes a lot of strange choices as an adaptation. The film is loosely based on Street Fighter II: The World Warrior, but with several significant omissions. Rather than focussing on Ryu or Ken, the traditional main characters of the franchise, the American-made feature centers its most American character, United States Air Force Major Guile. Understandably, the film plays fast and loose with the lore. Almost all supernatural elements have been removed, giving the story a strange feel. Characters seem to have been reorganized at random, leaving some familiar names attached to unrecognizable faces. This was par for the course at the time. The feature was primarily used as a star vehicle for Jean-Claude Van Damme, but the film makes enough strange choices to rise above that goal.
The film follows Guile as he gathers a team of fighters and soldiers to take down drug lord-turned-warlord M. Bison. Ryu and Ken are American con artists drawn into Guile's attack on Bison's home nation of Shadaloo. Chun-Li is a crack reporter who seeks vengeance against Bison for her father's murder. Zangief, Balrog, E. Honda, Dee Jay, and even Dhalsim serve Bison's evil empire in various roles. The plot isn't complicated, but countless strange details make the feature more memorable. The action scenes are silly, almost evoking Power Rangers more than any actual martial arts film. Most of the dialogue is bizarre or poorly phrased, but a couple of lines stick in the mind forever.
It's hard to call Street Fighter a good movie, but it's certainly a lovable one. All the ways it falls flat make it more endearing. The one unabashedly excellent element of the film is Raul Julia's performance in the role of M. Bison. Julia took on the part as a loving tribute to his kids, who were big Street Fighter fans. It's his final theatrical performance, and Julia leaves everything on the field. He's a delight to watch, perhaps the most iconic video game movie character of all time. Beyond Julia's masterful scenery destruction, the film's sense of humor is occasionally infectious. No one other than Julia seems to be taking Street Fighter seriously, which may infuriate fans, but it results in an enjoyable product. Street Fighter is a very fun film that fails at almost everything it tries to accomplish. It's a cult classic for good reason and well worth a watch today.
Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (2009)
While the first Street Fighter movie is a charming mess, the second is an unmitigated disaster. Whereas the 90s movie is fun, funny, and creative, Legend of Chun-Li is an artless dirge. The 90s film took inspiration from Star Wars and James Bond, but Legend of Chun-Li set its sights entirely on the Transformers movies. The film ostensibly follows Chun-Li's quest for vengeance against M. Bison. The film lacks any coherence in its story, the writing is atrocious, and there are no signs of the flash or charm fans enjoy in their favorite Street Fighter characters. No matter which character they're named after, they all look and act like generic background extras from cop shows. There's nothing special or enjoyable about The Legend of Chun-Li. The lesson it leaves behind is that any adaptation of a game that completely excises all the fun aspects won't be appreciated by anyone.
With a third live-action Street Fighter film heading to the big screen, the two that came before should provide a bevy of lessons. Street Fighter (1994) is widely considered a mess, but it's willing to play in the absurd realm of its source material. The Legend of Chun-Li is a generic mess that borrows from the worst imaginable sources and drains everything worthwhile from its namesake. When push comes to shove, any fan will take another Street Fighter over another Legend of Chun-Li, but it's still not ideal. The upcoming Street Fighter film should be brave enough to be absurd and knowledgeable enough to capture the spirit of the games.