With the release of the new Street Fighter movie from Legendary Pictures, fans have been discussing the movie that came before it. Back in 1994, Universal Pictures released a movie based on the popular arcade fighting game from Capcom. Although it received tons of criticism over the years, the writer and director of that first Street Fighter movie is still willing to defend it today.
While speaking in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, writer and director Steven E. De Souza talked about the reception of Street Fighter. He feels that many people thought the movie was supposed to be a serious drama, even though it was filled with tons of comedic moments.
“At that time, we got mostly brutal reviews, and the main gist of the reviews at that time used to be, ‘This movie is so stupid, it is accidentally funny’. Now, obviously, if you watch the movie, it’s intentionally funny. There’s a lot of comedy.”
He remembers when the film came out how it was viewed as one way. However, years after its initial release, the perception on his Street Fighter film has drastically changed, with many finding charm in its over-exaggerated approach. “Two years ago, on the 30th anniversary, there were all these revisionist pieces saying, ‘Actually, it was supposed to be funny, and this picture isn’t that bad. Now we get what it’s supposed to be.’ OK, I can live with that. It’s 30 years too late, but fine.”
The 1994 movie included a stellar cast of actors that took on the roles of iconic characters from the arcade fighting game Street Fighter II: The World Warrior. Unlike the source material, the focus of the story shifted to Colonel Guile, played by actor star Jean-Claude Van Damme, undertaking a mission against Shadowloo.
Opposite of him was Raul Julia in his final on-screen role as the villain M. Bison. Other notable actors of the time also played supporting roles that stood out even decades later. Action star Ming-Na Wen played Chun-Li, while pop superstar Kylie Minogue took on the role of Cammy White.
The newer Street Fighter film in 2026 has many nods that harken back to the original 1994 version. On that, Steven finds a lot of joy in how people have grown to appreciate his film decades later. “It’s a lot of fun that it made that much of a dent for the fans that they want to see these Easter eggs.”
