First Street Fighter (2026) Reactions Are Here, And Critics Have A Lot To Say
by Rafael Motamayor · /FilmAdd SlashFilm on Google:
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Video games are the new superheroes in Hollywood, as the industry is finally realizing how to properly adapt games without making them suck with horrible costumes, bad effects, and terrible screenplays that don't resemble their source materials at all (if you're morbidly curious about the worst video game movies, check out our list here). Instead, the past decade has seen movies and TV shows based on video games that know when to translate the world or even the mechanics of video games, while telling original stories best suited for the TV or film medium.
It's why some of the best video game adaptations are those of games without much of an actual plot, like "Sonic the Hedgehog" or "Arcane." We saw this recently in the excellent "Resident Evil" movie, which doesn't adapt any particular game but captures the feeling of playing a "Resident Evil" game.
Now, we're getting "Street Fighter," another attempt at capturing one of the biggest fighting game franchises of all time after two "Mortal Kombat" movies, and a bad (yet still fun) '90s adaptation. With an impressive cast of character actors, comedians, action movie legends, and even wrestlers, there are many reasons to be excited about this movie.
But now that Kitao Sakurai's "Street Fighter" has screened for the media, the first reactions from critics are here, praising the film's humor and visuals, while recognizing it has a lot of issues in not committing to a tone and direction.
/Film's own Bill Bria said on Twitter this is "one sexy looking movie, from the mixed medium elements to its color-saturated palette to its impeccably attractive cast," while also stating it "loses the plot one too many times, and its fight scenes begin to feel less like a treat and more like a distraction."
Street Fighter is a '90s throwback, for better and worse
Former ComicBook.com journalist Brandon Davis shared his thoughts on "Street Fighter" on Twitter/X, calling it a winner and "A 90s throwback with visual nostalgia but also in its humor and selling of a hot cast," and said the film is "a silly, fun, and fearless good time."
Davis is not the only one to notice the '90s style of "Street Fighter." ComicBook.com host Chris Killian went one step further and called the video game adaptation "'Bloodsport' on horse steroids,'" with over-the-top, explosive action and ridiculous humor that also pokes fun at the machismo that '80s action movies helped inspire. Flickering Myth writer Matt Rodgers tweeted that the film is "best when it doesn't take itself too seriously," while also praising the film's use of needle-drops.
Perhaps more surprisingly, some critics are singling out the animation in "Street Fighter" (yes, the film features some animation), with Killian calling it "some of the most beautiful ['Street Fighter'] animation you'll ever see." Likewise, freelance critic Mark Cassidy praised the "stunning 2D animation sequences" which he says make the movie come alive.
That being said, it's not all blind praise, with those who saw the film early calling out a lack of cohesiveness in "Street Fighter." Future Of The Force writer Phil Roberts said the film is "a chaotic mixed bag of action, anime madness, epic characters, combos, and showdowns that don't always land," while media personality Tessa Smith calls out the "(not great) dialogue" as a big problem with the film, with jokes that rarely land.
The question that remains is whether "Street Fighter" can rise where "Mortal Kombat" fell, and deliver a box office hit when it opens in theaters on October 16, 2026.