I loved #StreetFighter I had an absolute blast with it. Obviously recency bias can sometimes play a role and maybe my enthusiasm will settle down a bit on subsequent viewings, but walking out of the theatre I was genuinely elated. Now, the movie is corny as hell. There are gaps in logic, plot holes galore, some questionable narrative decisions and moments where things happen simply because the screenplay needs them to happen. But none of it was particularly immersion breaking for me. The movie basically expects you to accept its absurdity and go along for the ride. For some reason, there's this idea that video game adaptations need a certain level of "prestige" attached to them to be taken seriously. Whether it's a particular filmmaker, writer, or some attempt to ground the material in a more realistic world. Almost as though the source material needs to be legitimized before audiences can accept it as cinema. But as Harrison Ford famously told Mark Hamill, "Hey kid, it ain't that kind of movie." I think Hollywood has slowly started figuring this out. Some of the better video game adaptations in recent years have been the ones that recognize the inherent absurdity of their source material and simply embrace it rather than trying to explain it away. There's no particularly grounded, dark and gritty way to have Ken Masters beat the shit out of a car like he does in the games. Nor should there be. And don't get me wrong, I love dark and gritty filmmaking. But not everything benefits from that approach and I appreciate a movie that doesn't seem remotely embarrassed by what it is. I don't need Street Fighter by way of Unforgiven. Sure it sounds awesome...but at what point is it still Street Fighter? With a roster this enormous, there's obviously going to be characters who get pushed to the sidelines. But take a look at the character selection screen the next time you boot up Street Fighter and ask yourself how exactly you're supposed to give all these characters meaningful development in a two hour movie. You can't. The movie recognizes this and concentrates much of its narrative on Ken, Ryu and Chun-Li, with Dastmalchian chewing up the sceneary as Bison who serves as an entertaining, if somewhat underwhelming, central villain. Raul Julia is still King. (though I appreciated the Tuesday reference) Despite the enormous roster, most characters still manage to get their own moments. Andrew Koji is excellent as Ryu, while Noah Centineo brings a certain likeability to Ken, even when he's being a bit of a douchebag. Their dynamic works well and gives the movie an emotional centre amid all the insanity. @CodyRhodes is a shit load of fun as Guile, essentially playing him as an overconfident, slightly obnoxious BRO. It's ridiculous, but within the context of this movie it works. There's a particular "air sucking joke" that was so stupid it was funny (and meant to be). Callina Liang is fantastic as Chun-Li, looking absolutely breathtaking in her traditional video game inspired outfit. More importantly, you never once question the physical power or fighting ability of the character, even within the movie's highly stylized action. The same can be said for the incredibly impressive and sexy Mel Jarnson as Cammy and Rayna Vallandingham as Juli, Bison's number one bodyguard. Both have an impressive physical presence, with Vallandingham's background as a 12-time martial arts world champion certainly showing in her performance. Blanka gets an entertaining fight sequence, Zangief has a fun little bar fight, and much of the comedy is deliberately corny in a way that feels appropriate for this particular world. Not every joke lands, but the movie understands its own tone well enough that the comedy rarely feels out of place. The director also establishes a surprisingly distinct visual language, particularly in the environments and production design. Some of the cityscapes have an almost Dredd like quality to them, while other locations lean into this exaggerated, almost 300'esque aesthetic. The interior of the colosseum dome is a particularly good example, with enormous shafts of light breaking through the windows and illuminating the combat grounds. It's artificial, heavily stylized and occasionally bordering on the surreal, but there's a deliberate visual identity to it that I really appreciated. And then there's the anime. I'd estimate there's somewhere around 20-25 minutes of anime sequences scattered throughout the film, generally used for flashbacks or moments exploring a character's internal conflicts. And we're talking that wonderful 1994 Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie aesthetic. It's a fantastic creative decision. Not simply because it's nostalgic, but because it allows the movie to shift between different visual approaches without feeling like it's abandoning its identity. I'd argue those sequences are an important part of establishing that identity in the first place. The VFX are also excellent. The filmmakers aren't afraid to lean into the fantastical abilities of these characters and the results are frequently impressive. As for the fights themselves, it's a bit of a mixed bag. There are several genuinely great fights, but not every confrontation reaches those heights. Some feel surprisingly brief, while a few characters are left with very little opportunity to demonstrate what they're capable of. Guile is probably the most frustrating example. For as entertaining as Cody Rhodes is in the role, his actual tournament fight happens entirely OFF SCREEN. We're essentially left with a single wire assisted reverse spin kick as his big showcase. And while I enjoyed Bison, I do think the character could have benefited from a little more development and a greater sense of menace. He's entertaining enough, but doesn't quite have the physical presence you'd expect from the primary antagonist of Street Fighter. Also, was it just me, or was there a blink and you'll miss it cameo by @BossLogic taking down prison bets? Amazing😂 Ultimately, I think this movie is going to resonate particularly strongly with a very specific kind of Street Fighter fan. And I don't mean the "Oh yeah, I used to play Street Fighter sometimes when I was a kid" crowd. I'm talking about the people who played ALL the games. Who still play them regularly, or at least semi regularly. Who watched the anime in the 90s. Who bought the games again when they were remastered, re-released and repackaged for the fifteenth time. The people who have carried their affection for this franchise throughout their lives and, despite getting older, have never completely lost touch with that inner 8-17 year old version of themselves who fell in love with it in the first place. And no, nostalgia shouldn't excuse bad filmmaking. Nor does being faithful to the source material automatically make something a good adaptation. But there's a difference between a movie simply referencing something familiar and a movie that genuinely understands the appeal of the material it's adapting. And I think Street Fighter largely understands that appeal. It's corny, bombastic, occasionally rushed, filled with questionable logic and not every creative decision works. But those elements, strangely enough, often work in unison rather than against one another. The movie is so committed to its own ridiculousness that you eventually stop questioning it and just enjoy the ride. There's a tendency, particularly in online film discourse, to treat identifying a plot hole or pointing out an absurdity as though you've somehow delivered a devastating critique of a movie. But identifying a flaw and demonstrating how that flaw meaningfully undermines the experience are two entirely different things. Sometimes a movie can be technically more accomplished, narratively tighter and considerably more sophisticated, yet still leave you feeling absolutely nothing. Street Fighter is not that movie. It's hardly perfect and I'm certainly not going to pretend otherwise. But it knows what it wants to be, embraces the absurdity of its source material and, for the most part, delivers exactly the kind of experience I wanted from it. And in an era where so much entertainment seems preoccupied with either reinventing familiar properties or apologizing for their more ridiculous elements, I appreciate that. One of the most fun movies I've seen this year. And sometimes, that's more than enough for me on a Friday night.