People Give The 1994 Street Fighter Movie A Lot Of Crap, But I Still Think It's One Of The Best Video Game Adaptations EVER

With a new Street Fighter movie on the way, I’ve been thinking a lot about the iconic fighting game series as well as the first time the arcade staple was given the big screen treatment. I know a lot of people like to give the Jean-Claude Van Damme-led Street Fighter movie a lot of crap, and rightfully so, but I still think it’s one of the best video game adaptations ever made.

You could argue that the 1995 Mortal Kombat is the superior fighting game movie, thanks in part to the Street Fighter flick being a campy, odd, and overly colorful affair, but whenever given the choice between watching the two cult classics, there’s one I’m going to pick over the other. I’ve always had a soft spot for this flawed and over-the-top movie, and I don’t think anything can ever change that. Let me explain…

First Of All, The Movie Never Takes Itself Too Seriously

Unlike 2009’s notoriously bad Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li, a movie that thought way too much of itself, the 1994 adaptation never takes itself too seriously. Watching this movie 30-plus years later, it feels like everyone from the actors to the creative team behind it were all in on the joke and knew they were making a campy, relatively mild, and fun-as-hell video game movie. No one tries to reinvent the wheel or make the movie overly dramatic, and that honestly works so well.

Admittedly, I didn’t pick up on the camp the first time I saw Street Fighter, but I was also six years old at the time of its release. However, over the years, I’ve seen this movie for what it is: a fun-loving and pretty authentic take on one of the most exciting arcade fighting games of all time. M. Bison (Raul Julia) planning the food court for his Shadaloo mega city, Van Damme’s accent while portraying hero Guile, and pretty much every other performance in this movie is just balls-to-the-wall insanity.

All Those Classic Street Fighter Characters Work With The Tone

Though we don’t see all the classic characters in their signature attire until the very end of the movie, the way the actors bring those beloved fighters to life throughout is great. These larger-than-life portrayals simply work with the cartoonish tone of the movie, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Sure, franchise staples like Ken Masters (Damian Chapa) and Ryu Hoshi (Byron Mann) are pretty much the most unlikable pricks in video game movie history up until the end, but the pair being portrayed as wise-cracking, self-serving, and ass-kicking hustlers just works here. Vega (Jay Tavare), Zangief (Andrew Bryniarski), and Sagat (Wes Studi) are also amazing throughout, even if the masked caged-fighter with his deadly claws could have had more time on screen.

I Still Don't Know What Jean-Claude Van Damme Is Doing With His Guile, But It's Fantastic

There are rumors that Jean-Claude Van Damme was coked out of his mind while filming Street Fighter all those years ago. While I don’t know how much truth there is in those claims, that does kind of explain why he gave such an absurdly over-the-top portrayal of the film’s central hero. Instead of pulling off an authentic American accent (Guile is the most American video game character of all time) or just using his natural manner of speech, the ass-kicking actor gave audiences something in the middle.

Though I still don’t get what Van Damme is doing here (hopefully I can ask him one day), this performance is absolutely fantastic, and I get excited whenever Guile shows up on screen. It doesn’t matter if he’s talking smack to Bison in TV interviews, mouthing off to him in person, or kicking his tail into a wall of monitors; Van Damme is lights out at every point in this movie. By the way...

His 'The War Is Cancelled' Speech Is Absolutely Bonkers

Guile has some incredible moments, but the one that I love the most (it’s my second-favorite line in the movie) is the part where an Allied Nations official tries to get him to call off his raid on Bison’s lair, only for him to give a fiery speech about the war being cancelled. There’s something about Van Damme’s delivery here that makes the scene so damn iconic.

Raul Julia, On The Verge Of Death, Gives An Iconic Portrayal Of M. Bison

I’m really excited about the new Street Fighter movie casting, especially when it comes to David Dastmalchian playing the red-caped menace M. Bison. However, as much as I love the great character actor’s work and am excited to see what he brings to the table, it’s going to be hard to touch what Raul Julia pulled off with his take on the character back in 1994. Not only because of how much power the actor brought to the performance but also because of the fact that he was dying of stomach cancer during production. He would pass away in October 1994, per the New York Times, two months before the film’s release.

Despite his weakened state throughout production, Julia gave the performance of a lifetime, making this an even better movie. I mean, he gave us the “To me, it was Tuesday” scene, which I still think is the best villain moment in video game movie history.

All The Callbacks To Street Fighter II (And Video Games In General) Are Great

From video game-authentic attire and special moves by many of the characters, the recreation of iconic levels, and some great Easter eggs throughout the movie’s runtime, this often-ridiculed adaptation has all kinds of callbacks to Street Fighter II. I mean, there’s a scene where M. Bison fires missiles at Guile’s invading forces by using the control deck from the arcade game, another where there’s a barrel with “CAPCOM” printed across it, another with the iconic victory poses, and so on.

As someone who grew up playing Street Fighter II, both at the local arcade and at home on Sega Genesis, going back and seeing these callbacks is so much fun. Yeah, they’re silly at times, but so is the rest of the movie.

Is Street Fighter a perfect film? No, not at all. Is it a great movie? No, I don’t think so. When it comes to awesome video game movies that understand the assignment, though, it doesn’t get much better than this 1994 gem.