That's Not A Bad SNL Sketch - It's The New Street Fighter Movie Trailer

3 hours ago 1

Published Apr 16, 2026, 1:33 PM EDT

Scott Baird is a contributor with over a decade's experience writing about video games, along with board games and tabletop RPGs. Scott has previously worked for Dexerto, Cracked, Dorkly, and Gamepur.

Paramount Pictures has released a new trailer for the upcoming Street Fighter movie, and like the previous outings, it could easily be mistaken for a big-budget Saturday Night Live sketch, with an overreliance on comedy.

Street Fighter hasn't exactly had the best luck when it comes to movies, with the notorious 1994 movie starring Jean-Claude Van Damme diving headfirst into "so bad it's good" status. Somehow, things got worse in 2009, when Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li was even worse, by just being bad, but in a fun or campy way.

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After its debut showing at The Game Awards 2026, a new trailer for Street Fighter is available on the Paramount Pictures YouTube channel. This trailer offers a much more in-depth look at the movie, and its tone might not be to everyone's taste.

The Street Fighter Movie Trailer Is Leaning Way Too Much Into Comedy

The Street Fighter movie is leaning way too hard into comedy, with a ton of '90s nostalgia-bait scenes, right down to the use of "What's Up" by 4 Non Blondes, which is tonally at odds with the franchise. On the plus side, at least Linda Perry from 4 Non Blondes probably got a payday for its use in the film.

It doesn't help that some of the characters look really goofy, especially Cody Rhodes as Guile. That's where the SNL comparisons come in, as it feels like something the show would cook up if Rhodes were a guest on the show. Adapting any video game character to the screen can be tricky, but cosplayers have proven time and again that it can be done in a way that's not distracting.

Nailing the tone of Street Fighter was always going to be tricky. It can't be too serious, which is where the Chun-Li movie failed. There needs to be a balance of light-hearted and serious, and this film seems to be leaning too much into the former.

The Street Fighter movie hits cinemas on October 16, 2026, so there's still time for the filmmakers to tweak things. The marketing seems set, however, and it's up to the final product to make the fans, which a more comedic film could, potentially, do.