just watch it!

Dreadfully Boring

An action-packed slog

I have absolutely never seen anything like this movie before. You have to see this movie.

When Manga Video first released this, I snapped it up right away. Looking back, I remember it being good, yet I only watched it a few times before it was left to gather dust on the shelf with the rest of my impulse anime buys (the kind they snag you into buying by packing the trailer with nearly all the fast moving eye-candy the feature has to offer.) I couldn't quite remember why, though... so I popped it in the ol' VCR again. The best thing about it (to me), and what I think is better than all of the Street Fighter branded animation before it, is the consistency and quality of the artwork - it thoroughly matches the games it is based on. All you have to do is to compare (nearly) any moment of the movie with a victory screen or portrait of the same character from Alpha 3 to see the care that was put into pulling this off. The animation is quite good too, although I think the style is adhered to the fault of creating some awkward positioning and there is definitely an excess of close-ups - to the point that you are more likely to see a zoomed-in image of someone's face (or crotch, in Chun-li's case) rather than anything else going on.You could talk about the problems with the story (not that many game-movie conversions ever do too well in that regard), many of the clichés are there and are pretty obvious, and much of it is far too over-dramatic for it's own good, but as it is with any good action flick, those aren't the main things I'm concerned about...My main problems are with the fights. Aside from a few quick, entertaining brawls that are merely teases (one of which plays while the credits are rolling, making you realize how good it all could've been ), they seem to take place one move at a time, and thus feel unusually slow, even by vintage SF2 standards. In nearly all of the 'important' fights, there is almost no continuous motion to the action. And to slow it down further, we also get some of the usual "is that the best you can do?" dialogue (the kind any DBZ viewer will be familiar with) between the short bursts of action. Ugh.It's kind of sad when a video game shows more fluidity than a movie does during a fight. :(Pros: Good animation. Nice consistency in artwork. Signature moves are well represented.Cons: (some spoilers)Fight scenes feel unnaturally slow. The majority of the game's fighters are limited to 'quickie' cameos (Birdie was done pretty well, though.) No climactic battle with Akuma. Missing characters: no Charlie, no Sagat, etc. A lame villain who has nothing to do with the game (I really hate that stupid grin he always has.) General stupidity: an annoying little brat holding his own against Zangief (PUH-LEASE!), Ryu dodging bullets, etc...Despite what flaws it has, it is still worth watching if you enjoy the unique look of the Alpha series, as it has been very carefully replicated here.

Street Fighter Zero is certainly better than any other SF movie.The 1994 movie is a real joke; SF2 the animated movie is nice, indeed, but this movie is actually GOOD. First of all, unlike all others, it has a plot. A very nice one, too. There's a little mind game of "who to trust", and the end is really great.Second: The battles are somewhat more energetic, more dramatic - a little slower, and emphasized. Impressing. Well, anything else I'll tell you will just spoil the movie. Go see it! It is great, even for those who aren't Street Fighter fans.Overall - it isn't for nothing that around 19% of votes (and most) voted 10!!!

Okay, granted, this animated film is based upon an arcade game. Not just an arcade game--an arcade *fighting* game. The requirements for a good arcade fighting game (especially back when Street Fighter set the standards) did not involve having a plot. If it played well and was fun, then you had a hit. It's a given that to make a film the creators are going to have to expand on the three sentences of backstory each character has, and the equally shallow endings they all have; sometimes even substancially change them . . . so why did they feel it necessary to invent a whole new villain with artificial fighters at his disposal? No.Granted, I haven't played the original SF Alpha in ages, but I recall Bison (generally speaking) still being the villain in the Alpha/Zero series (yes, I know, not everyone fought Bison in the first one). I can understand them not wanting to introduce Bison in this film to preserve the storyline of the existing SF Anime, but you still have Sagat from SF1. Heck, this film even brings up Akuma (who would have made an excellent lead villain if given the spotlight) but he's not pursued. Instead we're stuck with a throwaway guy no one cares about who has no connection to the Street Fighter game universe. The only thing worse is they don't make much attempt to make him or his underlings as interesting as the "true" SF characters. He's just a cliche mad scientist. That's all.Then the presence of annoying existing SF characters doesn't help either. I hated Sakura in the game; I hate her in the anime. Ryu's brother issue started out all right; however, it quickly dissolved into meaningless drivel as the "plot" involving the "villain" consumed him.Much of Street Fighter Alpha/Zero's vast cast of characters is not utilized (understandably so considering the volume of faces they've developed over the years), but even the ones who are really don't do much but get beat up until Ryu overcomes his inner demons, discovers the true warrior spirit, yadda, yadda, yadda, and ultimately saves the day. Every Street Fighter player knows that Ken is just as bad as Ryu, if not he's even badder; they even fight to a standstill in this, and yet Ken can't put a dent in the android/robot/artificial guy/whatever he was supposed to be? No. If nothing else, Ken would be able to severly hurt the thing. I liked the original anime and even the V series because in the end Ryu & Ken ultimately team up. One or the other (usually Ryu) has to get the final hit, but it takes both of them for a victory. Akuma would have given them both a run for their money with his raging demon; Street Fighter fans don't want the throw-away Sadler crap, we want the real deal--bring on Akuma.

What sets this film apart from others in the fighting-game-turned-anime genre us that the plot and character setup are especially important to the actual portrayal of the character. Don't expect to be able to jump into this film and like it, because you won't. If, however, you choose to watch it from the beginning and actually empathize with the characters, you will most likely enjoy yourself.Street Fighter Alpha (the videogame) was the turning point of the street fighter universe because Ryu ceased to be the wandering, invincible (and emotionless) street fighter who is thrown into the plot by accident, and became the central character of the story, in a far more convincing fashion than Guile and Chun Li ever really managed in Street Fighter II. This movie is the expression of that story in film.The fighting scenes are spectacular and the story well-paced, but in the end, if you're looking for the kind of popcorn-action flick that guys watch during frat parties, the original Street Fighter Animated Movie is much more your cup of tea (or beer). If, however, you're looking for a sensitive film which deals with the personal side of each of the characters involved, Alpha is much better.