
Directed by: Kitao Sakurai
Starring: Noah Centineo, Andrew Koji, Callina Liang
Release Date: October 16, 2026
Runtime: 1h 59m
My Rating: ![]()
Ryu and Ken Masters reunite for a new world tournament with nefarious, alternative motives. Based on the video game from the 90s.
I’m genuinely curious to see how this movie performs because there is a lot going against it. It’s only going to appeal to a certain generation of movie-goers, and I’m talking about Gen X. It’s a GenX movie. It even takes place in 1993, with the soundtrack to match. It has a great soundtrack. However, all of us from Gen X remember the 1994 film starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, and it was a disaster. Many of us might be a little gun-shy because of that film, but this one is better.
It’s also a relatively unknown cast, but I think the casting was good. There are a few well-known names in the film, including Jason Momoa, Eric André, Cody Rhodes, and Joe Anoa’i (aka Romain Reigns from WWE). However, those names are not necessarily enough to attract folks. For the record, Cody Rhodes provides some great comic relief.

Unlike Its Predecessor, It’s Worth Watching
It’s really not a bad movie. I did enjoy it, and I’d watch it again. Interestingly enough, it starts with a bit of animation, and that animation is used a few times throughout the film. That was actually my favorite part. In fact, if the entire film were in that style of animation, I’d still watch it.
As I already mentioned, it has a great soundtrack. Many of the songs were hits back in the 90s, which helps with the nostalgia many of us will feel. The comic relief is effective, and it’s not overused.
My biggest criticism is the villain, M. Bison. The campiest part of the film is nearly every scene with him in it.
The movie does leave it wide open for a sequel; however, Sakurai has said a sequel will depend on how this one performs. I think this movie might do fairly well on streaming platforms. I don’t know if that is something that will be taken into account.
Anyway, if you’re a fan of the game and a product of the 90s, go check it out. It’s a fun movie.

“The screen is a magic medium. It has such power that it can retain interest as it conveys emotions and moods that no other art form can hope to tackle.”
– Stanley Kubrick

