Fails in all the same ways as the nightmarish 1994 adaptation

During the era of comic book movies done right, it is only in a geek’s best interest to hope that someday movie studios will hit audiences with an awesome videogame adaptation. What looked like an opportunity to learn from past mistakes, Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li fails in all the same ways as the nightmarish 1994 adaptation of the hit videogame.

Focusing on the origins of one of the franchise’s most popular fighters, The Legend of Chun-Li, from director Andrzej Bartkowiak, who helmed the moderately entertaining and visually fascinating Doom adaptation, suffers due to a limited budget. The result is a straight to video experience featuring a group of promising actors.

While Kristin Kreuk has been a television darling for quite some time, landing the leading role as the titular Chun-Li, the actress seemed destined to make her cinematic mark with Street Fighter. However, a terrible script and mediocre action plague what could have otherwise been Kreuk’s one-two punch to stardom.

Losing its focus on tournament fighting, and again turning to the series’ villainous M. Bison to provide a bloated conflict, the real Legend of Chun-Li gets lost in the shuffle of a mediocre vigilante crime flick. Audiences will cringe at several of the terrible performances, including Chris Kline’s way over the top Charlie Nash. Others will find the casting of Michael Clarke Duncan as Balrog inspired.

Even with special features abound, chronicling the film’s evolution from game to film and an in-depth, “Making a Scene” featurette, Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li is more likely to help satisfy that late night, bad action movie craving

Russo Rating: 2/10