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Street Fighter reboot opens 16 October to mixed reviews

Kitao Sakurai's live-action Street Fighter, with Noah Centineo, Andrew Koji and Callina Liang, gets mostly mixed reviews. Critics praise the cast, fights and anime flashbacks but fault the script and tone.

9 outlets · 3L · 6C · 0R First reported Account updated
Image: Collider
Image: Deadline
Image: The Hollywood Reporter
Image: Den of Geek
Image: IndieWire
Image: /Film
Image: The Guardian
Image: Screen Rant

1 / 8

The story, neutrally told

Mixed · 2Critics reviewed the new live-action Street Fighter film ahead of its 16 October 2026 release in the UK and US. It was already out in Australian cinemas, according to The Guardian. Mixed · 2Kitao Sakurai directed it and co-wrote it with others including T.J. Fixman. Deadline lists Paramount as distributor, and says Legendary and Capcom teamed up on it. It runs about two hours and is rated PG-13. Mixed · 2Set in 1993, it follows old friends Ken Masters (Noah Centineo) and Ryu (Andrew Koji), who are drawn back into a World Warrior tournament run by the villain M. Bison (David Dastmalchian). Chun-Li (Callina Liang) recruits them and has a secret motive: revenge on Bison for her father's death.

Mixed · 2The supporting cast includes Jason Momoa as Blanka, Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson as Balrog, Cody Rhodes as Guile, Orville Peck as Vega, Andrew Schulz as Ken's manager, and Eric Andre as the ring announcer. Don Lee plays the mentor Gouken. Centre · 3Most reviewers fault the story and tone. The Hollywood Reporter calls it a "jumbled tonal mess", and /Film a "bizarre tonal mess of a script". Collider says the story is "a complete and total mess", and The Guardian calls the film "incoherent". Radio Times finds the plot "increasingly tiresome" and says the emotional payoff between Ryu and Ken "simply isn't there". Centre · 2Den of Geek is the most positive. It says the film "packs a surprisingly charming punch" and is a colourful, action-packed ride, though it gets less interesting in the last half hour. Deadline calls it cheesy and affectionate, and says it should please fans of the 90s.

Mixed · 2The animated, anime-style flashbacks win wide praise. Collider says they are upscaled to IMAX and "look incredible". The Hollywood Reporter and Collider both say they nearly upstage the live action. Centre · 3Reviewers disagree on the fights. Den of Geek cites "bone-crunching violence". Deadline says the PG-13 rating means the action won't match John Wick, and The Hollywood Reporter finds the fights underwhelming next to such films. Collider calls the fights we see "pretty darn good" but objects that large parts of the tournament happen off-screen. Centre · 3Performances draw frequent praise. Koji is singled out by several critics, and Liang is called commanding or a potential breakout. Rhodes and Jammwal's Dhalsim are named as highlights.

Centre · 3Several critics object to the humour around Chun-Li. /Film says the Kyle Mooney character's behaviour gets "uncomfortably close to being misogynistic", Collider cites "weirdly sexualized jokes", and The Guardian objects to a gratuitous shower scene. Left · 3Critics compare it with earlier adaptations. They cite the 1994 Jean-Claude Van Damme film and the 2009 The Legend of Chun-Li, as well as the Mortal Kombat movies and this year's Masters of the Universe. The Hollywood Reporter says the open ending all but guarantees a sequel, while /Film calls the ending "blatant sequel bait".

Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.

Left3 outlets

Framing
Both left-leaning outlets give lukewarm to negative reviews. They see fan service and nostalgia that do not fix a muddled film.
Emphasis
Incoherent plot, fan service, and the few good performances, such as Liang, Rhodes and Koji.
Leaves out or plays down
Neither discusses the film's rating or running time.
Charged language
“jumbled tonal mess”“garish and incoherent mess”“junky”
For example
“neither camp is likely to be fully satisfied” — The Hollywood Reporter
“a garish and incoherent mess that amuses in fits-and-starts” — The Guardian

Centre6 outlets

Framing
Centre outlets split. Den of Geek and Deadline are warm toward the cheesy 90s homage. /Film, Collider and Radio Times are more critical of the script, editing and pacing.
Emphasis
Cast, fight choreography, anime flashbacks, runtime and the ending.
Leaves out or plays down
Deadline and Den of Geek say little about the script problems that other reviewers stress.
Charged language
“Cheesy, Action-Packed”“bad aftertaste”“tiresome as a 12 round bout”
For example
“drop your quarters in the slot, press start, and bring your friends” — Den of Geek
“fitfully entertaining, but largely tedious” — Radio Times
“it's hard to recommend” — /Film

Right0 outlets

No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.

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