New Street Fighter trailer is a camp blast of '90s nostalgia

Video game movie adaptations can be difficult at the best of times. Games are about interaction and player agency. And although some have deep enough storytelling to easily carry a movie, Street Fighter isn't one of them.

Like with the 1994 adaptation, a decision had to be made: take it seriously like it's a fictional UFC with the addition of fantasy powers, or send it up with camp weirdness like the 1993 Super Mario Bros movie? The new Street Fighter trailer suggests the movie will lean towards the latter, and that might be no bad thing.

Street Fighter | Official Trailer (2026 Movie) - YouTube

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To be fair, there is a little bit of a fantasy UFC feel to some of the scenes in the Street Fighter trailer. But instead of aiming to make it gritty and earnest, director Kitao Sakurai (Twisted Metal) makes it look more like a Saturday Night Live parody.

That's going to upset some fans, but recognising that the movie's adapted from a game with an absurd premise and barely any story might make it more entertaining, and perhaps more game accurate.

There are plenty of references for long-time fans, from the countdown timer in the background during the beat up the car scene to nods to the animated movie. The trailer also leans more generally into '90s nostalgia, from the soundtrack to Ken appearing on MTV.

That said, whether the new Street Fighter movie can win over fans may depend on the characters, which are already causing some controversy. The movie stars Andrew Koji as Ryu. Noah Centineo as Ken, Jason Momoa as Blanka, Callina Liang as Chun-Li, 50 Cent as Balrog and Cody Rhodes as Guile.

The most controversial are perhaps Ken and Guile. Ken appears to be portrayed as particularly comedic, while Guile's hair looks ridiculous, and I'm struggling to believe he's in the military. Let me know what you think in the comments.

The Street Fighter movie will be released on 16 October. Also check out the Godzilla Minus Zero trailer.