‘Street Fighter’ Trailer Is Gloriously Stupid — and That’s Exactly How It Should Be

Here’s a new trailer for “Street Fighter,” which looks ridiculous, campy, and faithful to the spirit of the games. It kind of gets “Street Fighter,” which is something that can’t be said for many video game movie adaptations. Nothing overly grounded or serious will be found here. This isn’t high art. Colorful visuals, exaggerated characters, and high-energy vibes will be served.

No adaptation of this video game should ever take itself seriously, and this Kitao Sakurai-directed film looks like one big, trashy, highly stylized spectacle. I read someone describe this as “a fan film with a Hollywood budget,” and I would agree with that assessment. Visually, the film seems to shift between heavy neon and candy-colored visuals, depending on the character.

The cast is as eccentric as it gets: Eric André, David Dastmalchian, Cody Rhodes, 50 Cent, Jason Momoa, Andrew Schulz, Orville Peck, Roman Reigns, Andrew Koji, Noah Centineo, Kyle Mooney, and Callina Liang.

Here’s the official 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!”

Sakurai, the man behind the hilarious Netflix comedy “Bad Trip,” is directing after the Philippou brothers decided to step down from the project in 2024 and instead helm “Bring Her Back.” Maybe that wasn’t such a bad outcome. Sakurai seems to have found the right tone here — I just can’t imagine the Philippous being a better fit. No high expectations going into this one, but maybe check your brain at the door and maybe a good time will be had by all.

“Street Fighter” is set to hit theaters on October 16, 2026, via Paramount Pictures.

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