Let’s face it, “Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li” doesn’t exactly have a stellar reputation. Many would rather endure bamboo shoots under their fingernails than sit through this movie. But is it really that bad? As a Street Fighter fan, I dove in, bracing myself for the worst, and emerged… surprisingly not entirely disappointed.
If you’re going in expecting a blow-for-blow, tournament-style martial arts extravaganza akin to the Van Damme “Street Fighter,” prepare for a curveball. “The Legend of Chun-Li” pivots into an adventure flick, charting Chun Li’s journey to Hong Kong to rescue her kidnapped father. Yes, fisticuffs are thrown, but they’re often tangled in gunfights and the kind of slightly awkward action sequences you’d expect from a film where not everyone is a seasoned martial artist. Forget tournaments; this is Chun Li’s origin story, her trial by fire.
The action is, admittedly, not the main draw. The acting? Let’s call it serviceable. Kristen Kreuk embodies Chun Li, and while she brings a familiar earnestness reminiscent of her Lana Lang days in “Smallville,” she doesn’t exactly reinvent the wheel here. It’s a performance that’s… there. Competent, even, but not groundbreaking. She portrays Chun Li with a certain vulnerability transitioning into strength, which aligns with the character’s early narrative arc.
Then there’s Chris Klein as Interpol agent Charlie Nash. Ah, Chris Klein. He attempts a “badass cop with a quip for every situation” persona, and it lands with the grace of a dropped Hadoken. It’s… painful. Imagine Oz from “American Pie” attempting to channel a cool, world-weary detective, but missing the mark by a mile. His scenes are, frankly, cringe-inducing and detract from any momentum the film manages to build. Klein’s portrayal feels out of sync with the tone the movie seems to be aiming for, dragging down the overall experience considerably.
The rest of the cast? Perfectly average. They deliver their lines, hit their marks, and contribute to the overall narrative without particularly standing out. They are, in essence, the background music of this cinematic experience – present, functional, but not particularly memorable.
However, here’s the thing: I went into “Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li” expecting a cinematic dumpster fire. What I got was… a watchable, cheesy action flick. Would I pay full price at the cinema? Probably not. But as a late-night, stream-it-because-you’re-bored option, it’s far from the worst way to spend 90 minutes. If you stumble upon it on a streaming service or find it for a dollar rental, and you’re in the mood for some undemanding action with a Street Fighter skin, it might just scratch that itch. Just maybe fast-forward through some of the Charlie Nash scenes.
