By 1994, the video games?Street Fighter(1987) andStreet Fighter II(1991) had alreadyon the Super NES and Sega Genesis game systems.Street Fighter IIin particular became?a worldwide smash hit, and Capcom, its creator and publisher, wanted to capitalize on its success by adapting it?into a film. The problem is, they wanted the movie to be written, location-scouted, cast, filmed, edited, and marketed in the span of one year (which is insane), so it could be released in time for Christmas in 1994.sold over 10 million copies

In an unconventional move, they hired prolific screenwriter(48 Hrs,Die Hard, Commando, The Running Man), a first-time feature film director?, to helm a $33-million budgeted James Bond-style action film about a Warlord threatening world destruction and the good guys who thwart him. What followed was a year of, large explosions, scorching temperatures, reshoots, production delays, and a?due to the casting ofand.Steven E. de Souzawho came up with the idea for the story during an all-night writing sessionscript rewriteslimited budgetJean-Claude Van DammeRaul Julia

It’s a miracle thatactually makes any sense, and it’s perhaps more surprising that, even after second, third, and fourth viewings, it’s still a lot of fun. Though it’s full of unremarkable street fights and stealth boats that aren’t very stealthy, it is in no way self conscious (“All I want to do is rule the world; is that so much to ask?”), and?it features a legitimately great performance by Raul Julia.?Street Fighter

Here are five reasons why we loveStreet Fighterand aren’t afraid to admit it.

Skimming?through the reviews for the 11% Tomatometer-ratedStreet Fighter, you’re likely to read things like, “,” and it’s “.” On the surface,Street Fightermay feel like an “empty exercise,” but upon closer inspection, it’s clear that de Souza, cinematographer William Frakin (Rosemary’s Baby, Tombstone, Bullitt), costume designer Deborah Kramer, and production designer William Creber (Towering Inferno, The Poseidon Adventure) did their best to create an interesting world, full of cheeky PA announcements (What do you do when a Bison trooper throws a grenade at your face? Pick it up, pull the pin and throw it right back at him), massive sets, and production design that is legitimately funny.It’s an empty exercise in hyper-stimulationa picture only an arcade junkie could cheer

In the Blu-ray commentary, de Souza mentions several times that “it’s clearly supposed to be funny,” and the evidence is plain as day, especially when you look at the private sanctum of General M. Bison (Raul Julia). Bison is a megalomaniac who plans to create?a Bisonopolis with expansive food courts, Bison swag, and towering skyscrapers with slanted roofs. In his private room, the fireplace and the swizzle sticks for his mixed drinks have Bison logos, and there’s an odd clown painting that must have been painted by Bison himself ()., and look closely at everything on display; the production design is pretty inspired, and yeah, we?wouldn’t mind owning that?massive portrait of Bison on a horse, either.and that fans wish they could ownWatch this clip

Street Fighterwasn’t the movie audiences were expecting (zero “Hadoukens”), but if you can get past that, you’ll have a blast. Go back and listen to the weird PA announcements, pay attention to the one-liners, marvel at all the Bison tchotchkes, and try not to crack a smile.

Early on in the pre-production phase in 1993, the Capcom folks and de Souza decided they didn’t want to make a simple fighting movie in the vein ofBloodsport, The Quest, orLionheart(all JCVD movies, by the way). In a bout of naiveté, de Souza originally chose to include only seven characters from the game in the script, which would allow him to put more focus on each one but meant at least 10 of the video game’s other characters would be excluded. Capcom understandably didn’t want to excludeanyof the characters, because they were running a multi-billion dollar empire capable of selling mass quantities of merchandise, and more characters = more money-making opportunities.

Throughout the writing process, as de Souza was forced to add more and more characters, the script quickly got out of hand. Each new addition comes with a new subplot, and the film does its best to bring everyone together. Ryu () and Ken () are huckster arms dealers who team up with Colonel Guile (Van Damme), Cammy (), and T-Hawk (). Sagat () and Vega () are real arms dealers who also run an underground fight club, while Dhalsim () is a doctor who creates super soldiers against his will, one of whom is Blanka (). Dee-Jay () and Zangief () are cheeky henchmen who work for Bison (Julia). Chun-Li (), Balrog (), and E. Honda () are reporters (and fighting legends) who want revenge by working their way up through various media outlets (it’s weird). During their interactions, there are staged deaths (Guile “dies” three times), Allied Nation bureaucracy subplots, $20 billion ransoms, enjoyable torture, food court discussions, a henchmen wage debate, and at least five speeches.Byron MannDamian ChapaKylie MinogueGregg RainwaterWes StudiJay TavareRoshan SethRobert MammoneMiguel A. Nú?ez Jr.Andrew BryniarskiMing-na WenGrand L. BushPeter Tuiasosoppo

Normally, including 45 subplots in a video game adaptation would be a horrible idea, but here, it makesStreet Fighterall the more endearing.

Before we get into one of the greatest lines in the history of cinema (it is, admit it), we want to point out that Raul Julia delivers it while holding two mixed drinks with orange garnishes and wearing a tailored silk robe and a nighttime hat (which means he has a daytime hat). The entire setup is silly, yet Julia nails the absurdity of the moment with a knowing confidence that only an actor of his caliber could muster. Also, his performance becomes infinitely more awesome when you consider he had recently undergone intensive treatment and surgery for stomach cancer, and he took the role because his kids loved the game.

Julia makes a meal of each syllable, and the slight smile on his face proves he’s in on the absurdity around him. After Chun Li unleashes a passionate speech about how Bison killed her father when he was an up-and-coming drug czar, he replies with one of the greatest burns in cinema history:

“For you, the day Bison graced your village was the most important day of your life. But for me, it was Tuesday.”

It?belongs on the Mount Rushmore of underappreciated lines, right alongside Skeletor’s “loneliness of evil” moment inMasters of the Universeand Andrew Scott’s “It’s like kick ass or kiss ass, and I’m busting heads” monologue inUniversal Soldier.

Prior toStreet Fighter, Jean-Claude Van Damme was known for action-heavy performances that put more emphasis on punches, splits, and training montages than dialogue. In movies?like?Kickboxer, Bloodsport, Cyborg, Lionheart, Universal Soldier, andHard Target, JCVD’s physicality anddo most of the acting. However, since the screenplay forStreet Fighter?was written by de Souza, the man who wrote the quip-heavyCommando(“Let off some steam, Bennett.”) andThe Running Man (“Killian, here’s your Subzero, now plain zero.”), Van Damme was asked to make speeches, drop one-liners, and do the best he could with de Souza’s dialogue and very little preparation time (which may or may not have been JCVD’s fault).snake punching skills

The “Muscles from Brussels”?ventured a bit outside his comfort zone, and he did an admirable job unleashing all the?ridiculous dialogue. For instance, he nailed his big “” speech in one take, but he also says “This is the collection agency, Bison. Your ass is six months overdue, and it’s mine,” with a straight face.Who wants to go with me?

Need more proof? Here are some of his best lines:

Guile: Four years of ROTC for this s–t!

Bison: You have made me a very happy man.Guile: And next, I’ll make you a dead one.

Guile: I’m okay; I’m just half dead.Cammy: And Bison?Guile: All dead.

Needless to say, de Souza didn’t win an Academy Award for his screenplay, but he gave the world an immensely quotable video game adaptation, and we’re all better for it.

After Bison has been defeated and Guile comes back from the dead (again), the remaining characters celebrate their victory byfrom the video game. It’s an easter egg moment for fans of the game, and it highlights the international cast, which nowadays feels refreshing.busting out variations of their popular poses

Shortly before they pose and break the fourth wall, though, a temple explodes in front of them. In a wonderfulStreet Fighteroral history done by, the first assistant director of the second unit, Keith Haygate, admitted that only a quarter of the temple was supposed to explode. However, the whole thing blew up and destroyed $240,000 worth of scaffolding and styrofoam that was built over four acres. The cheeky posing and the unexpectedly massive explosion define the movie, because it’s a knowingly tongue-in-cheek film that had an explosive production. The film was rushed, and it?suffered a number of setbacks, but it still pulled in $100 million worldwide on a $35 million budget.Street Fighterwill never be mistaken as quality cinema, but it’s a lot of fun, and you shouldn’t feel guilty about loving it.The Guardian

What is your favoriteStreet Fightermoment? Let us know in the comments.

?was released on December 23, 1994.Street Fighter

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