Now more than ever, IP adaptations are judged by the amount of immediate fidelity to the source material they show. “When will Daredevil get his Double-DS?”. “Batman’s eyes should be white,” and other similar things can influence the general discussion as everyone tries to connect it to the creators’ devotion or insecurity about whomever they are currently in charge of. This is heightened in video games, where interactivity creates an additional layer of attachment to a character. So when the first production featuring an actor playing the lead character in an adaptation is shown, everyone has ideas to share. It’s one thing to know that Sophie Turner will be playing Lara Croft, and another to actually see her in the classic outfit, shades and all.
Capcom creates iconic characters, and this is especially true Street Fighter. So when our first look at this film was a silly, hip-hop-inspired teaser, people were naturally a little disappointed to see a few things. (Seeing 50 Cent rock Balrog’s hairline is a throwback in the worst possible way.) While most of the cast did a good job, the character posters basically let it down and remind you of the importance of intentional lighting. The costumes were especially jarring when watching its cinematic rival mortal kombat ii, Whose actors all look like their characters without veering too far into supernatural territory.
but with this Street fighters In the new trailer, it’s clear that stupidity isn’t a bug, it’s a complete feature. Instead of striving for realism, director Kitao Sakurai seems to wrap the film around the franchise’s goofier elements, like the game’s vehicle-destroying bonus stages. The special energy it has going for it gives its fights and locations far more personality than one might expect, a choice that’s probably informed by everyone in these games constantly doing impossible things. Unlike other CG-heavy films, it doesn’t seem like it would be a dealbreaker for Ryu’s Hadouken or Zangief to grab Running Bear to look supernatural in live-action.
For everyone who picks up what Street fighters When put down, this would lead to another camp thinking the filmmakers were playing some kind of joke on Capcom. Given its track record with customization, the developer can’t completely beat those charges. For whatever reason, whenever Western creatives attempt to bring their IP to TV or film there is no apparent oversight on the part of the studios. Maybe it’s security in the strengths of its game or confidence in the relationship between optimization and game sales, but this approach seems incredibly rare for a major developer.
Might you realize that Nintendo or Sony’s presence on their adaptations may create an unpleasant feeling as they become more popular. Video game adaptations have spent years striving for legitimacy, so it means something that Capcom is employing a “fuck it, we’ll have a ball” strategy with the likes of resident Evil And Street Fighter. If we’re going to keep getting these movies and shows, shows based on the IP should at least try to ask audiences to meet them on their own terms. This kind of self-assurance is something Capcom has always been good at, and it seems to have served the studio’s games quite well recently – so it’s easy to imagine it working in favor of its flagship fighting franchise on the big screen.
Street Fighter In theaters October 16th.
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