Street Fighter (1994)
42%RT Audience Score: 37%
Awards & Nominations: 2 nominations
Though it offers mild entertainment through campy one-liners and the overacting of the late Raul Julia, Street Fighter’s nonstop action sequences are not enough to make up for a predictable, uneven storyline
Street Fighter is a movie that’s so bad, it’s almost good. Almost. The over-the-top action and cheesy dialogue make for a fun watch, but the lack of character development and choppy editing leave much to be desired. Raul Julia’s performance as Bison is a standout, bringing some much-needed camp to the film. Overall, it’s worth a watch if you’re in the mood for some mindless entertainment, but don’t expect a cinematic masterpiece.
Production Company(ies)
Nouvelles Éditions de Films,
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Vancouver Film Studios, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for non-stop martial arts and action violence
Year of Release
1994
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby SR
-
Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
-
Runtime:NA
-
Language(s):English, Japanese, Esperanto
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Streaming): Jun 7, 2001
Genre(s)
Action/Adventure
Keyword(s)
starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, Raul Julia, Ming-Na Wen, Damian Chapa, Byron Mann, Kylie Minogue, Simon Callow, Peter Navy Tuiasosopo, directed by Steven E de Souza, written by Steven E de Souza, action, adventure, box office, budget, reviewed by Sheila Johnston, Jeff Shannon, David Kronke, John Petrakis, Meagan Navarro, Emanuel Levy, James Croot, Justin Brown, Brandon Collins, Matt Brunson, Chelsea Stark, PG-13, Edward R Pressman, Kenzo Tsujimoto, General Bison, Shadaloo, Col Guile, Chun-Li, martial arts, sumo wrestler, international strike force, hostages, reporter, con men, video game adaptation, campy, one-liners, overacting, nonstop action sequences, predictable, uneven storyline
Worldwide gross: $99,431,786
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $201,162,969
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 692
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 21,937,074
US/Canada gross: $33,423,521
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $67,619,973
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 937
US/Canada opening weekend: $6,859,495
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $13,877,618
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 833
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $35,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $70,809,388
Production budget ranking: 597
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $38,130,856
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $92,222,726
ROI to date (est.): 85%
ROI ranking: 996
Raul Julia – General M. Bison
Ming-Na Wen – Chun-Li Zang
Damian Chapa – Ken Masters
Kylie Minogue – Lieutenant Cammy
Simon Callow – A.N. Official
Director(s)
Steven E. de Souza
Writer(s)
Steven E. de Souza
Producer(s)
Edward R. Pressman, Kenzo Tsujimoto
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
2 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (44) | Top Critics (11) | Fresh (5) | Rotten (39)
As for Jean-Claude, it’s a tough stretch for him to play a figurine from an arcade game but, why, he almost manages to be convincing.
April 25, 2019
Sheila Johnston
Independent (UK)
TOP CRITIC
While de Souza’s arrested development makes him a likely suspect to adapt a video game for movies, the result (like The Super Mario Brothers movie before it) is an empty exercise in hyper-stimulation. Or, to put it bluntly, a complete waste of time.
April 25, 2019 | Rating: 0.5/4
Jeff Shannon
Seattle Times
TOP CRITIC
De Souza’s wit, which gave his earlier action scripts a tart edge, has failed him here. He pitches this entire movie at the sub-literate set that, with glassy eyes, unthinkingly pumps quarter after quarter into video games.
April 25, 2019
David Kronke
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
This is [Steven E. de Souza’s] directorial debut, and while it shows promise, it is uneven. The film is way too choppy, and as a result we never get a chance to know the characters (except Bison).
April 25, 2019 | Rating: 2.5/4
John Petrakis
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
Even knowing what a mess Street Fighter is, I will defend it to the end of time all for what Raul Julia brought to the film.
March 14, 2018
Meagan Navarro
Birth.Movies.Death.
TOP CRITIC
Far less captivating than the videogame that inspired it.
July 3, 2008
Emanuel Levy
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Street Fighter doesn’t exactly scream quality entertainment. However, there is just something stylishly bad about the whole farrago.
June 27, 2022 | Rating: 3/5
James Croot
Stuff.co.nz
This is probably one of the worst things I have ever seen. Even as a kid, I thought it was bad. I never want to watch this again.
May 6, 2022 | Rating: 1/5
Justin Brown
Medium Popcorn
This was painful to watch. All of the “storylines” felt incredibly forced, the cinematography was not handled well and everyone just seemed miserable.
May 6, 2022 | Rating: 1/5
Brandon Collins
Medium Popcorn
There’s not much that’s worthwhile in this endless cacophony of gunfire, explosions, grunts, yelps, maniacal laughter, and Jean-Claude Van Damme’s tortured syntax.
December 18, 2021 | Rating: 1.5/4
Matt Brunson
Film Frenzy
For a product of its time – a decade full of video game-inspired stinkers – it’s worth looking back on, especially because it’s obvious how much fun the cast is having.
April 27, 2021
Chelsea Stark
Polygon
Raul Julia… is the reason that this is a memorable triumph of campy, kitschy, ironically lovable cinema, and not just an unlikable, boring farrago of an action movie.
August 8, 2020 | Rating: 1.5/5
Tim Brayton
Alternate Ending…
Plot
Col. William Guile leads an army of soldiers into the country of Shadaloo to find traces to lead him to General M. Bison, who has captured many people including three missing soldiers. Among them is Carlos “Charlie” Blanka, in which Bison decides to turn into a hideous mutant. On the other hand, Chun Li is a reporter who seeks revenge against Bison for the death of her father years ago. Then two small time hustlers Ryu and Ken, are arrested along with Sagat, a powerful arms dealer and Vega for dealing of illegal weapons. Guile recruits them in order to find Bison’s base. Now Guile, T. Hawk, Cammy, Ryu, Ken, Chun Li, Balrog and E. Honda have three days before Bison murders the hostages and takes over the world.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Raul Julia’s overacting is a highlight of the film, according to Fresh Kernels.
Steven-E.-de-Souza.jpg
