The social media embargo for Street Fighter lifted on Tuesday, and critics have been sharing their thoughts on Paramount Pictures, Legendary, and Capcom's new adaptation of the classic fighting game series.
Somewhat surprisingly given the late embargo lift, a lot of the reactions are quite positive, although the consensus would have to be described as mixed overall.
It sounds like fans of the games will find a lot to enjoy, and the action sequences and 2D animated flashback scenes are said to be handled very well. When it comes to the cast, Andrew Koji (Ryu) and Noah Centineo (Ken) are singled out for the most praise, though some characters are reportedly underutilised.
Mild spoilers follow.
Several posts also mention that the ending is way too abrupt, with the rushed final action set piece described as "sequel bait."
Have a read through the reactions below, and we'll update as more come in.
Kitao Sakurai (The Eric Andre Show, Twisted Metal) signed on to direct Street Fighter after Talk to Me filmmakers Danny and Michael Philippou parted ways with the project.
“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!”
The movie stars Noah Centineo as Ken Masters, Andrew Koji as Ryu, Callina Liang as Chun-Li, Cody Rhodes as Guile, Orville Peck as Vega, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson as Balrog, Jason Momoa as Blanka, Vidyut Jammwal as Dhalsim, Olivier Richters as Zangief, Hirooki Goto as E. Honda, David Dastmalchian as M. Bison, Joe “Roman Reigns” Anoa’i as Akuma, Andrew Schulz as Dan Hibiki, Eric André as Don Sauvage, Mel Jarnson as Cammy, Rayna Vallandingham as Juli, and Alexander Volkanovski as Joe.