If you’ve followed the entire mythology of the Street Fighter arcade games, as I have, then you know it’s pretty goddamn insane. It wouldn’t make a lick of sense to try and make a serious movie out of any of it; the best approach is to just go nuts, build the craziest cast you can possibly assemble, and let the World Warrior freak flags fly. And that seems to be the approach taken by director Kitao Sakurai, because the new trailer revealed at CinemaCon truly looks like the iconic fighting game come to life.
Personally, I dug the chaotic teaser released a few months ago, but this full trailer is much better. Of course, the focus is on Street Fighter stalwarts Ken and Ryu, played by Andrew Koji and Noah Centineo. They’ve agree to join the World Warriors tournament at the request of Chun-Li, played by Callina Liang, to uncover a vast international conspiracy led by M. Bison, played by David Dastmalchian.
The actual fighting tourney is bright, colorful, and like a Bloodsport kumite on a sugar rush. The only thing that sucks is the presence of perpetually unfunny Eric André as announcer Don Sauvage. André was just pretty awful in Balls Up this week, and I fear he’ll drag down Street Fighter, too.
However, that should be hard to do given the stacked cast, with actors pulled heavily from the world of professional wrestling. Roman Reigns, Jason Momoa, David Dastmalchian, Cody Rhodes, Andrew Schulz, Vidyut Jammwal, Eric André, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Orville Peck, Olivier Richters, Hirooki Goto, Rayna Valladingham, Alexander Volkanovski, Kyle Mooney, and Mel Jarnson round out a huge ensemble.
SYNOPSIS: Set in 1993, estranged Street Fighters Ryu (Andrew Koji) and Ken Masters (Noah Centineo) are thrown back into combat when the mysterious Chun-Li (Callina Liang) recruits them for the next World Warrior Tournament: a brutal clash of fists, fate, and fury. But behind this battle royale lies a deadly conspiracy that forces them to face off against each other and the demons of their past. And if they don’t, it’s GAME OVER!
Still nobody to play Sakura or Guy, the two fighters I use the most. This is an oversight that will be tough to forgive.
Street Fighter hits theaters on October 16th. Check out the trailer and four new posters!
