By | Published August 9, 2010

I continue to catch up on screen fighting happenings after several months of limited updates. Today, it’s two unrelated short film adaptations of Capcom’s STREET FIGHTER video game franchise both coincidently released in the first week of May. Both feature live-action battles in forests between video game characters Ryu and Ken. Both with polished fight choreography, camera work and post-production special effects.

In this corner, weighing in at 4 minutes 49 seconds with a budget of $400 is STREET FIGHTER: BEGINNINGS END (2010) starring Brendon Huor as Ryu and Shaun Charney as Ken. It’s directed, shot and edited by Christopher C. Cowen and features Vonzell Carter as fight coordinator with additional choreography by Huor and Charney.

In the other corner, weighing in at 3 minutes 12 seconds with an unknown budget is STREET FIGHTER: LEGACY (2010) starring John Foo (TEKKEN) as Ryu and Christian Howard as Ken. It’s co-directed and choreographed by Joey Ansah (actor, THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM), shot by Christopher Sabogal and features co-direction by TOP GEAR director Owen Trevor.

Now, how do these two low-budget short films stack up to past feature film adaptations of the STREET FIGHTER franchise? Check out the following and decide for yourself. I recommend focusing on the editing in these five clips and how the fighting movements are strung together.

Fantasy fight sequence in Wong Jing’s CITY HUNTER (1993). Jackie Chan as Edmond Honda and Chun-Li versus Gary Daniels as Ken.

Fight sequence from the 1994 live-action STREET FIGHTER movie starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and Raul Julia. Ken (Damian Chapa) and Ryu (Byron Mann) take on Sagat (Wes Studi) and Vega (Jay Tavare).
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHij_4ZYJxA

Fight sequence from STREET FIGHTER: THE LEGEND OF CHUN-LI (2009) featuring Chun-Li (Kristin Kreuk) versus Vega (Taboo).

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  • Dragonwire

    I don't understand why they can't make an authentic Street Fighter movie in the same vein as these short movies!

  • Alexsource

    Don't forget about Future Cops ;)

  • Jamiechelsea

    I don't understand either, in the space of a few minutes they both crap on the film adaption. They need to make an overstylised movie like 300 or such to capture the manga elements and flahs moves, if you haven;t seen streetfght II – the animated movie watch it – the storyline and fighting are excellent ( it plays out as a film only animated as opposed to some other manga) and if only someone adapted that as is to the big screen it would be amazing.

  • Rhythm-X

    I couldn't if I wanted to, and I definitely don't want to.

  • DevilmanEX

    …You've summed it up perfectly. I have nothing more to say then you're 100% correct

  • James Eduard

    This is a great news that there is an upcoming movie again for the street fighter. That is very exiting and most awaited movie, This will surely be a full pack action movie of the year.

  • http://twitter.com/DerekPadula DerekPadula

    The 3 minute short films were better than the 90 minute features in every possible way. Why? Because they stayed true to the characters and focused on fighting, which is exactly what the games are about.

  • This dude

    The 1994 movie is kind of unfairly maligned. It did have plenty of legitimate flaws, but at the same time it really “got” Street Fighter a lot better than people tend to give it credit for; it played the whole thing as basically a cheesy cartoon, which is exactly what the games are. I can't help but wonder if people calling for a dark and serious Street Fighter movie in the vein of Joey Ansah's fanfilm have ever actually played the game.

  • Mb Sonsconstruction

    So Mark which movie short do you prefer?