Street Fighter[a] is a 1994 action film written and directed by Steven E. de Souza, based on the video game series of the same name produced by Capcom. Distributed by Universal Pictures in the United States and Columbia Pictures internationally, the film stars Jean-Claude Van Damme and Raul Julia (in his final film) along with supporting performances by Byron Mann, Damian Chapa, Kylie Minogue, Ming-Na Wen and Wes Studi. Loosely following the plot of Street Fighter II: The World Warrior, the film focuses on the efforts of Colonel Guile (Van Damme) to bring down General M. Bison (Juliá), the military dictator and drug kingpin of Shadaloo City who aspires to conquer the world with an army of genetic supersoldiers, while enlisting the aid of street fighters Ryu (Mann) and Ken (Chapa) to infiltrate Bison's empire and help destroy it from within.
The Street Fighter: The Movie
De Souza stated that he did not want to make a generic martial arts movie and described the film as a cross between Star Wars, James Bond and a war film. In addition, he indicated that he also did not want to shoehorn in elements from the games, citing the previous year's poorly received Super Mario Bros. film as an example. De Souza said that he avoided the supernatural elements and powers from the games but would hint at their use for a sequel.[13]
In 2009, Time listed the film on their list of top ten worst video games movies.[28] GameTrailers ranked the film as the eighth worst video game film of all time.[29]The film also received two nominations at the Saturn Awards: Best Science Fiction Film and Best Supporting Actor (a posthumous nomination for Raúl Juliá).[30]
Each fighter's ending sequence consists of a promotional still or two from the movie with accompanying text describing the character's fate after the events of the tournament, followed by the staff roll.
The game's cast contains most of the characters from Super Street Fighter II Turbo, with the exceptions of Fei Long (who was not used for the movie), Dee Jay, T. Hawk, Blanka (although he appears quite rarely in Dhalsim's lab by jumping into the stage and doing his electric ability) and Dhalsim. Akuma, who was a hidden character in Super Turbo and X-Men: Children of the Atom, is a regular character for the first time in any game. Two new characters were also introduced: Sawada, an original character from the film, and Blade, a member of Bison's shock troops from the film. Arkane, F7 and Khyber, who are all palette swaps of Blade, appear as secret characters. A powered-up version of Bison (called S. Bison) appears as a final computer-controlled opponent exclusive to the game's Tag-Team Mode and can be selected via codes like the other secret characters. While Blanka and Dee Jay would be added to the selectable cast of the home versions, there is leftover data in the arcade game indicating that Blanka was meant to be a playable character in this version as well, as there is an ending for him accessed by playing as S. Bison in the arcade mode.
Capcom, owner of the Street Fighter franchise and financier of the Street Fighter movie, contracted Incredible Technologies to develop Street Fighter: The Movie because it had experience with both fighting games and digitized graphics.[4] As Incredible Technologies was a small company which had only handled low budget releases before, the staff were not sure they could do justice to a high-profile project like Street Fighter: The Movie, but accepted the job so that they could keep themselves financially afloat and finance their own independent projects.[4]
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As a result, a slew of multimedia adaptations, offshoots, and tie-ins have been produced over the last 25 years. Street Fighter continues to be a popular commodity among gaming consoles, in print, and on the big and small screen. Since 1994, numerous movies and TV series based on the game have been produced.
Once the four street fighters reach the ancient city of Fujiwara, Ken gives Ryu a tour of the place while providing historical factoids about their ancestors and time travel. E. Honda attempts to show them his new sumo move, but he and Chun-Li become separated from Ken and Ryu in Fujiwara, prompting a citywide search.
When Col. Guile and Chun-Li catch wind of Bison's plot, they seek to assist Ryu any way they can. The 68-minute movie is directed by Joe Whiteaker and functions more like an animated comic adaptation than a dynamic feature film. Fans of the film are quick to note the superb artwork as one of the main reasons for its appeal.
Critics, gamers, and moviegoers alike agree that Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie is among the best cartoon adaptations of the Capcom title. Released ahead of the 1994 live-action feature film, the story concerns M Bison's attempt to locate the best fighter in the world.
A Senior List Writer covering a wide array of topics who has been with Screen Rant since September of 2019, Jake Dee has written movie news and reviews since 2008, working primarily with OMG Horror (IGN), JoBlo.com, and Arrow in the Head as a freelance reporter based in Los Angeles. A hopeless cinephile, social media Luddite, certified Nic Cage doppelganger, and a big Weekend At Bernie's fan, Jake can often be found tucked away in a dark corner watching an old horror movie.Born and raised in California, Jake has a Bachelor's Degree in Film & Digital Media from the University of California Santa Cruz with an emphasis on theory and criticism, is the author of several "WTF Happened To This Movie" and "WTF Really Happened To This Movie" videos on YouTube, and has covered everything in the entertainment industry from set visits, studio luncheons, and red carpet interviews to wrap parties, movie premieres, private screenings, talent interviews, and more.
Pressman had heard rumblings in mid-1993 about a Japanese publisher called Capcom that wanted to adapt its popular arcade game Street Fighter into an expensive American action film franchise. Similar game-to-movie adaptations, like Super Mario Bros., The Movie, had successfully attracted serious budgets from top-rank studios. Seeing an opportunity to produce the picture and make scratch, Pressman requested a chance to pitch.
At the pitch meeting, both parties agreed they had no interest in making a tournament movie, the schlocky kung-fu flick structure that would later be used to middling effect by the game-to-movie adaptation of Street Fighter's rival, Mortal Kombat.
"There's a reason there's seven dwarves," says de Souza, "There's a reason there's seven wonders of the world. There's a reason it's the Magnificent Seven, which is a remake of the Japanese movie The Seven Samurai. Seven is the number of characters an audience can keep in its head at any time." So the writer set seven as a compromise, and Capcom, persuaded by the parlor trick, agreed to the limit.
According to those interviewed for this piece, mini catastrophes and major hijinks played out like a B-movie parody of Heart of Darkness, albeit an incredibly dark one. A crew member required medical attention for skin irritation caused by contact with the water of the Chao Phraya River. The line producer suffered a heart attack, and never returned to the production. Another producer, the one in charge of the film's completion bond, unaccustomed to driving on the alternate side of the road, turned into oncoming traffic and collided with a bus, sustaining serious injuries. He too never returned. Later in production, an actor was busted at Australian customs for possession of steroids.
Many of the cast and crew struggled to adapt to the nation's scorching temperatures and culinary traditions. "In Thailand," says Byron Mann, "no one knew it would be that hot and humid. We were malnourished and not accustomed to the food. Everyone lost weight." If you watch the movie closely, you'll notice it. In one scene, an actor will sometimes look five or 10 pounds heavier than the next.
Plus, Capcom had forged a partnership with Hasbro long before production began to warp the G.I. Joe toy line into Street Fighter: The Movie licensed dolls, just in time for Black Friday. "You can look at this movie as the first G.I. Joe movie," says De Souza, "Because G.I. Joe was in a swamp at this time. It was not selling. So Hasbro wanted to reboot the G.I. Joe line by thinly disguising it as Street Fighter."
"But [de Souza] was very insecure in what he was doing. I don't say that as a matter of fact. That's the first time I ever said that about a director. But he was very insecure. He didn't know what he was doing. And that's why he hasn't ever directed a movie [since then]. That's the thing. That's what happens in this business. You want to be a director and you politick and you write a script that you want to direct, fine. Do it. But know what you're doing. He didn't."
Production wrapped in Australia with 20 pages left to shoot. The actors returned to the United States scratching their heads. "A month later," says Mann, "I got a call saying you're going to Vancouver to finish the movie."
De Souza was known for writing R-rated movies, but he'd cut his teeth on network television programs, like Knight Rider and The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, the latter of which aired at 7 p.m. (or as de Souza calls it, "wussy pussy time"). He knew how to make a PG-13 movie. He knew what violence to keep and what violence to toss.
"Street Fighter was probably the most tumultuous shoot I've ever been involved in," says Mann. The actor never landed another lead role in a big-budget American film, but found consistent work in television. In 2012, Mann voiced a character in Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, fittingly a video game that aspires to be like a movie.
Street Fighter was one of seven movies Picerni worked on in 1994, including Beverly Hills Cop 3 and True Lies. His career continued onward and upward. On IMDB.com, the 79-year-old currently has a staggering 340 stunt credits. Most recently, Picerni did a few days as a stunt driver on the game-to-movie adaptation of Need for Speed. He's still upset about Street Fighter. "I don't think de Souza was a very good director, between you and I," says Picerni, "and I don't care if you quote that. I think he stunk. Because I think Street Fighter could have been a good movie." 2ff7e9595c
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