MOVIE REVIEW: STREET FIGHTER

 

Estranged street fighters Ryu and Ken Masters get thrown back into combat when the mysterious Chun-Li recruits them for the next World Warrior Tournament -- a brutal clash of fists, fate and fury. However, behind the battle royale lies a deadly conspiracy that forces them to face off against each other and the demons from their past.

Director: Kitao Sakurai

Cast: Noah Centineo, Andrew Koji, Callina Liang, Joe Anoa'i, David Dastmalchian, Cody Rhodes, Eric André, Andrew Schulz, Vidyut Jammwal, Curtis Jackson, Jason Momoa

Release Date: October 16, 2026

 

Genre: Action

Rated PG 13 for violence/action, bloody images, strong language, sexual references, partial nudity and brief smoking.

Runtime: 1h 59m

Review:

The newest iteration of Street Fighter hit the screen with the energy of an unsupervised child at a playground with kinetic action paired with splashy visuals which almost makes you overlook the nonsensical plot.  Kitao Sakurai brings a late 90’s/early 2000’s aesthetic to his film and his candy-colored world populated with oversized characters and performances.  He has fun with the property dropping a boatload of easter eggs for fans of the games but never taking any of it overly seriously.  In a strange contrast, the animated flashback sequences are the only portions of the film that plays the story straight which makes those moments almost feel like they belong in a different film.  The animation is incredibly well done, and the voice acting is excellent throughout which clashes with the over-the-top live action scenes.  The live action portion of the film does offer up plenty of wonderfully choregraphed fight sequences that are well staged and fun throughout.  The ensemble cast is clearly having a ball hamming it up across the board with Noah Centineo’s Ken Masters and Callina Liang’s Chun Li doing most of the heavy lifting.  Centineo and Liang both look the part, but they also bring great screen charisma that makes their performances engaging and fun.  They balance the action and comedy with relative ease even when the jokes don’t land.  The large cast all plays off each other so well that there’s an infection energy to their exchanges whether it be David Dastmalchian channeling Raul Julia’s take on M. Bison.  His henchwomen, Cammy and Juli, played by Mel Jarnson and Rayna Vallandingham, both look like they could easily walk in and out of a Lady Gaga video.  Cody Rhodes and Vidyut Jammwal turn as Guile and Dhalsim feel like it needs more time since their bromance is just begging for more screentime which the film’s two-hour time could have easily worked it in with its hefty run.  Especially since the film starts to wear out its welcome as it starts to lose momentum with the finale doing more to set up a sequel as opposed to a wrapping up the story in a satisfying manner.  Street Fighter is far from a perfect film, but it still offers up plenty of fun for both fans of the game and causal movie goers looking for some mindless entertainment.  

B-

Cindy Prascik's Reviews of Southpaw & Pixels

Dearest Blog: The weekend's bad news: The cinema schedule was impossibly awkward, forcing me to stretch my new-release double-bill over two days. The good news: The crappy timing allowed me to sneak in a second screening of Spy yesterday, and extra Statham isn't exactly a hardship.

Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.

On Friday's agenda, the Kurt Sutter-penned boxing drama Southpaw.

A former world champion boxer has to rebuild his life after his wife's murder sends him into a downward spiral.

If I had to describe Southpaw in one word, it would be "intense." I don't think Sutter is a great writer, but he is an exciting writer, and it's to his credit that I was a nervous wreck for the duration of the movie, despite being relatively certain I knew how it'd play out. (In the interest of remaining unspoilery, I won't say whether or not I was correct in that assumption.)

Southpaw's boxing scenes are extremely real, and sometimes difficult to watch. The personal drama is equally so. Performances are superb in roles large and small, and Jake Gyllenhaal is amazing in the lead. Gyllenhaal is frustrating and sympathetic, inspiring and heartbreaking, and ridiculously fit, handling all his own boxing chores in the interest of realism. (My movie popcorn and soda have never, ever made me feel more guilty!) July is hardly a hotbed of awards contenders, but hopefully folks won't forget Gyllenhaal's incredible performance when awards season rolls around.

Southpaw is marked by Sutter's characteristic violence, family angst, and anger issues. The movie is predictable and broadly drawn at times, but it moves at a good clip and has no problem holding your attention right up to the last minute. By the end I was so wound up I was talking to the screen just like I would while watching a real sporting event. (Thank goodness for almost-empty weekday theatres!)
Southpaw runs 123 minutes and is rated R for "language throughout, and some violence."

You don't have to love boxing to love Southpaw; it's a straight-up great film.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Southpaw gets eight.

On the docket for Saturday, Adam Sandler's comedy/adventure Pixels.

Aliens mistake video of an arcade competition for a threat, and attack Earth in the form of 80s video-game characters.

I make a point of not reading reviews before I write mine, but, being online as much as I am, I couldn't miss the fact that a lot of people think Pixels really stinks. I'm here to ask those folks, in the immortal words of the Slowskys, "Why don't you like fun?"

I do not like Adam Sandler, not even a little bit. On occasion I like a movie despite Adam Sandler, but never because of Adam Sandler. I continue to give Adam Sandler chances to win me over, because I felt the same way about Ben Stiller before Tropic Thunder, and I figure everyone deserves a second, tenth, or 250th chance, right?

I won't pretend Pixels should sweep the Academy Awards or anything. Much as I enjoyed it, I even understand a little bit why critics are bashing it, though I'd bet some of them didn't bother watching it before doing so. I'm pretty sure you lose your Official Critics' Card if you say anything nice about a movie starring Adam Sandler. For the rest of us, though, Pixels has more than a few things going for it.

As with many Sandler vehicles, the nostalgia is laid on thick and heavy. If you're in the 40-60 age range, you're almost guaranteed to love the movie based solely on the musical selections and pop-culture references. The first half of Pixels is consistently laugh-out-loud funny. The second half is more action heavy, and, if the laughs taper off a bit, they're replaced with truly marvelous special effects. Due to time constraints, I saw Pixels in 2D, but you can bet I'm seeing it again in 3D as soon as humanly possible, and I have no doubt it's going to be worth it.

The look of this film is TOP-NOTCH. Pixels isn't going to change your mind about its cast; you'll enjoy the actors you already like, and continue to be annoyed by the ones you don't. To Sandler's credit, he only does one (1) of his trademark stupid voices the whole time, making him at least 95% less irritating to me than he normally is.

Pixels clocks in at a quick 105 minutes and is rated PG13 for "some language and suggestive comments."

It's possible Pixels won't connect with people of a certain age, but young kids are sure to love the action and eye-popping effects as much as we older folks do the tunes and 80s jokes.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Pixels gets seven.

Until next time...

MOVIE REVIEW: SOUTHPAW

Jake Gyllenhaal stars as troubled boxer Billy Hope in this high-stakes drama from director Antoine Fuqua and Sons of Anarachy creator Kurt Sutter. At the height of his fame and success, Hope is convinced by his loving wife Maureen (Rachel McAdams) to retire from the sport in order to spend more time with the couple's daughter Leila (Oona Laurence). On the night of his retirement announcement, a rival boxer calls out Hope and an altercation breaks out, killing Maureen. Hope's self-destructive behavior worsens, and Leila is taken away by child services. In order to redeem his life and get his daughter back, Hope must return to boxing under the tutelage of hardened trainer Titus "Tick" Willis (Forest Whitaker). ~ Daniel Gelb, Rovi

Director: Antoine Fuqua

Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Forest Whitaker, Rachel McAdams, Curtis Jackson, Rita Ora

Release Date: Jul 24, 2015

Rated: R for some Violence and Language Throughout

Runtime: 2 hr. 3 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure, Drama, Suspense/Thriller

Review:

Southpaw can best be described as reverse Rocky.  Billy Hopes riches to rags to riches never really feels fresh just predictable.  Antoine Fuqua’s film mines better boxing films for material so the films plot feels inevitable instead of engaging.  Thankfully Jake Gyllenhaal delivers an engaging performance that carries the film on multiple levels.  His body is transformed into a believable junior middle weight boxer and the boxing sequences are some of the most realistic ever put on screen.  His intensity is ever present and makes the entire thing watch able.  Forest Whitaker joins the film about halfway through its runtime and it’s all the better for it.  Gyllenhaal and Whitaker make for an interesting pair even as the film rolls towards a predictable finale.  Southpaw isn’t the worse or best boxing film I’ve ever seen but it’s a solid mid range melodrama.

B-