Street Fighter (2026) Vs. Mortal Kombat II: Which Video Game Movie Is Better?

The following post contains spoilers for both "Mortal Kombat II" and "Street Fighter."

There was a time when video game movies were immediate cause for skepticism at best, and ridicule at worst. The worst video game adaptations tend to have one thing in common — they regard their source material as something to be ashamed of, or something to mock. Thankfully, that's a thing of the past. Whether it's TV shows like "Fallout" and "Arcane," or movies like "Resident Evil" and "Sonic the Hedgehog," the past decade has seen the release of truly outstanding video game adaptations that understand that you have to make choices when bringing a game to a new medium. Zach Cregger's "Resident Evil," for instance, doesn't directly adapt any one game, but it understands the true appeal of the series.

In 2026 alone we got two very different but still spiritually connected video game movies: "Mortal Kombat II" and now, "Street Fighter." Their respective franchises have been rivals and competitors for decades, so it makes sense that both games would have movies coming out in the same year, giving audiences a taste of pure video game-like action. But, which one is better? Which one does a better job of capturing the game, and which one is a better movie?

Both movies take different approaches to the same thing. Where "Mortal Kombat II" tries to get a bit closer to the gameplay of the games, "Street Fighter" tries to be a better movie, both with mixed results. That being said, the movies overlap in trying to weave in a real story that happens to include a big tournament.

With that out of the way... Ready? Fight!

Out of the two movies, "Mortal Kombat II" does more to replicate the experience of playing the video game it's based on. The best part of that movie is the action; not only does "Mortal Kombat II" replicate the finisher moves and catchphrases of the game, it also captures its visual language. The environments look lifted straight from the source material. Particularly fun is the platform floating in a swirling void where Liu Kang fights Kung Lao, while the camera stays at a distance and frames the fight just like if you were playing the original game. The movie also includes the supernatural powers from the games using a good mix of practical choreography and CGI. In short, it feels like a video game.

"Street Fighter," on the other hand, treats its action more like a proper action movie. The camera moves around the fighters rather than staying static and at a distance, the choreography highlighting the physicality of the characters overall rather than just being a series of finisher moves. Not that the iconic moves aren't here, of course — seeing Ken Masters hit the Shoryuken is a thing of beauty — but the action hits regardless of the video game inspiration. The film feels more inspired by the works of Stephen Chow than the games themselves when it comes to the action, using the environment rather than just being one-on-one brawls. When Ryu fights Ken, they throw each other through walls, for instance. Other than the Hadouken, "Street Fighter" keeps its supernatural elements relatively limited, downplaying the video game-ness a bit compared to "Mortal Kombat II."

"Mortal Kombat II" at times feels closer to the experience of playing the games, but the story is too messy and takes too many breaks from the action. It feels more interested in setting up the universe than in delivering a fun time at the movies.

"Street Fighter," on the other hand, is a blast as a movie. It's a movie that is not only set in the '90s, but perfectly captures the vibe of a cheesy '90s action movie, in its look and tone. No, it doesn't pretend to be anything serious, and even the more emotional storylines are wrapped in cartoon-like shenanigans that makes it clear the story is silly, and fun. Director Kitao Sakurai brings not only an eye for action but also his experience working on comedic titles like "The Eric Andre Show." Almost every line of dialogue is delivered with a wink, without making light of the story. It's a movie that knows it's silly, with characters that live in a video game world but know to take it seriously enough to be believable — without sucking the fun out of seeing a guy who can shoot a laser ball made out of ki energy.

This is most noticeable in the casting of Cody Rhodes as Guile, a character straight out of a cartoon, who talks like a cartoon character and is damn proud and happy to be one, smiling with every line of dialogue. There's also David Dastmalchian as M. Bison, who could go toe-to-toe with Jared Leto's Skeletor for performances that understand the assignment and bring equal parts gravitas and silliness.

"Street Fighter" is not perfect, but it's a rather good way of bringing to life a silly, violent, and fun video game.