India, Oct. 16 -- With Mortal Kombat II and now Street Fighter, 2026 is the year of the nerds. Two films, based on iconic arcade games, made with unprecedented faithfulness and respect for the source material, while staying fun and stylish. That is no mean feat. Sure, Street Fighter is no MK-II. It lacks the heart the former had. But it more than makes up for that with some good old-fashioned fun and heaps of Easter eggs and fan service.

In 1987, Ryu won the inaugural World Warrior Tournament, with his friend Ken by his side. But then, as their master was murdered, the two brothers had a fallout. Cut to 1993, Ken is a show fighter who rakes in the money but lacks respect. Ryu sells noodle soup for a living, having given up fighting. But ...