YouTuber Omar gives Street Fighter movie a one-star rating

YouTuber Omar gave the Street Fighter film released on October 14 a one-star rating, criticizing its repetitive narrative despite praising the visual implementation of character moves like the Shoryuken.

YouTuber Omar has shared his candid thoughts regarding the film 'Street Fighter', which was released on October 14, noting a disconnect between game nostalgia and cinematic quality. Through his channel, Omar highlighted the gap between the iconic fighting game IP and the film's actual execution.

"A childish but unstoppable Taekwondo demonstration"... Fatigue caused by lack of narrative

Omar described the experience of watching the film as feeling like "attending a housewarming party for a married friend and having to watch a five-year-old's non-stop Taekwondo demonstration for two hours." He used this metaphor to describe the energy drain caused by having to watch repetitive motions within the film's narrative structure. "It holds on through nostalgia and flashy visuals, but after the first 20 to 30 minutes, you start to find your mind wandering," he said, pointing to the weak storyline.

In particular, he evaluated the handling of the relationship between Ryu and Ken, as well as the ambitions of the villain Vega, as being excessively simplistic. While the framework exists—such as Vega's plan to exploit Ryu's 'Hadouken' and the events following it—the method of unfolding these elements was insufficient to maintain cinematic tension. Although the setting includes Ryu experiencing the 'Hadouken' during a fight with Sagat in a single tournament, causing his eyes to turn red, and subsequently living in hiding for six years to guard against it, Omar noted that the execution failed to sustain tension, adding, "The story is so broken that it is difficult to even comment on certain parts."

Character implementation and visuals receive 'passing grades'

Separate from the narrative shortcomings, he offered positive evaluations regarding the visuals used to realize the original game characters in live action. "It is a great visual where you can feel that proper capital was invested," Omar remarked, noting that the characters felt as though they were coming to life. The implementation of moves like Ryu and Ken's 'Shoryuken' and 'Tatsumaki Senpukyaku' on screen was cited as an element that could provide visual satisfaction to fans of the original work.

The cast also drew attention. American rapper 50 Cent played the Black boxer character Bison, which Omar felt suited the character well. Other notable appearances include Jason Momoa as Blanka, UFC champion Alexander Volkanovski in a humorous role, and Ma Dong-seok as Gouken. Compared to past Korean 'Street Fighter' films produced under poor conditions without licenses, this work represents clear progress in character appearance, costumes, and CG quality. In particular, the charm of the character played by Callina Liang as Chun-Li and the quality of the animation used in the film were highly rated.

Changes in the fighting game fandom and box office outlook

Omar expressed a somewhat skeptical view regarding the film's box office prospects. Mentioning the dark period the 'Street Fighter' series experienced in the fighting game market, he pointed out that the fan base might differ from the current 'TEKKEN' generation. He noted the context that while 'Street Fighter II' hit the world stage and opened the arcade era, the 'TEKKEN' generation now constitutes the mainstream, suggesting the fan base for this film might not be thick enough.

Furthermore, he mentioned uncertainty regarding the box office, noting that while titles like Naruto are popular in the West, 'Street Fighter' may have been preferred by a specific older generation. He concluded, "It might be worth watching if you are a Street Fighter fan, but there is no need to specifically go to the theater for it."

"Recommend waiting for OTT rather than the theater"... Realistic advice for fans

Emphasizing that his role as a reviewer is to save viewers' time and money, he gave the film a 1-star rating, stating, "Let's just let me be the only one to watch this movie. I recommend watching it comfortably at home when it comes out on OTT later." He confessed that while watching, he found himself wondering, "Why am I sitting here watching this?"

However, for fans wanting to see the reproduction of in-game techniques, he left the ability to see the 'Hadouken' and 'Shoryuken' as a final point of interest. He added that because the film maintains a childish and serious atmosphere, one might feel their energy draining while trying to clap along, concluding his review with advice to save one's precious weekend time and money.

Source: original video (YouTube)