Desperate for new Street Fighter media? Perhaps this dismal 2009 Street Fighter movie is just what you need.
There’s some truly classic media that’s come out of the Street Fighter franchise. Thanks to the series’ explosion in popularity following the success of Street Fighter II, films like Street Fighter (1994), helmed by Jean-Claude Van Damme and Raul Julia, and the classic Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie has delighted fans. But not all Street Fighter media was born equal.
That’s where Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li comes in. This 2009 abomination is one of the lowest-rated films on Rotten Tomatoes, as an aggregate review site, with just a three percent rating from reviewers and 18 percent from the audience. With bizarre casting, a confusing plot, and bad action scenes, it’s odd that this officially licensed by Capcom film ever saw the light of day. And you can watch the entire thing for free on YouTube, courtesy of the Studio Canal YouTube channel.
What makes it so bad?
Just what makes this movie so bad, you ask? Well, unfortunately, Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li manages to make one of the most interesting and popular characters in the entire SF franchise completely disinteresting. For a film based on a fighting game franchise, every straight-up brawl is obscured by unwatchable “shaky-cam” style shots, likely to hide just how wooden most of the action is.
The film does have some bigger names attached to it. Michael Clarke Duncan plays Balrog, in what would be a dream casting for many. Jaime “Taboo” Luis Gomez of the Black Eye Peas makes a pretty good Vega, and is clearly a fan enough of the franchise and character to make it work. Gen is played by Robin Shou, who was Liu Kang in the Mortal Kombat movies.
But even these inspired casting choices don’t make up for the weaker ones. Kristin Kreuk is wooden as Chun-Li, and Neal McDonough feels uncomfortable as M. Bison. And the script is a battle to get through, both trying to do too much and too little with a basic revenge story.
How to watch Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li for free online?
As mentioned, the movie is available for free on YouTube, but may be restricted in some countries. To get around this, you can use a VPN, or dish out the two or three dollars most streaming services are charging for this monstrosity. However, we don’t recommend paying a dime for it.
Overall, this is one for your “bad movie night.” If you’ve really exhausted every other piece of Street Fighter media, every animated show, web short, or comic, give it a try. Otherwise, maybe skip on one of the worst video game movies ever released.