Video games being adapted into movies is always an interesting endeavor.
The success and failure of games on the silver screen have run the gamut, but the vast majority of them have been cheesy and messy. For every good venture like Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil, we have several disasters. And now we have a new Street Fighter film, and the reviews are coming in quite mixed.
The new Street Fighter film is in theaters now, and so fan reviews are flowing in alongside the critical reception. And there’s quite a delta between the two. This morning, Rotten Tomatoes has the film at 45 percent Rotten, but the fan-centric Popcorn meter paints a different picture at 82 percent.
I haven’t had the chance to see it myself yet, and I wasn’t really planning to, but now I am very curious. I think both critics and fans can be correct. The former group approaches it by dissecting cinema as an art form. For fans, especially in the fighting game community, they likely just want to see their favorite characters doing cool shit. I’m somewhere in the middle of fan and critic (mostly a fan, to be honest), so I’m holding on to hope that there’s some joy to be found in adaptation, which by all accounts is meant to be silly fun.
From the moment the movie’s ridiculous cast was announced, I had little expectations. But then the trailers started flowing in, and I became enamored with how the film was embracing the “cheese” without trying to go for some kind of gritty, realistic take on the fighting game. But at the same time, I wasn’t expecting anything on the level of other top adaptations, either.
I think it’s possible for the movie to suck but also be kind of fun, and that’s where my head’s at going into it. I mean, it’s not exactly like the cast is full of Oscar-winners meant to evoke emotional performances. No offense meant to rapper 50 Cent, comedians Andrew Schulz and Eric Andre, or WWE’s Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes, of course.
Street Fighter is in theaters now, so let us know in the comments if you’ve seen it and what your thoughts were. Given the mixed reception, I’ll probably set aside some time this weekend to judge it for myself.
