The latest iteration of Street Fighter hits cinemas on Friday (October 16), and the early reviews suggest Cody Rhodes nails it in his portrayal of Guile.
The first reactions also indicate that while the movie itself may not exactly earn any Oscar talk based on its narrative or dialogue, Street Fighter
seems like it will deliver as a big, dumb action film.If the buzz around the movie continues to be mostly positive, it could open well at the box office on a weekend when it doesn’t face much competition
in terms of other major releases. Even if the film underperforms, though, Cody could still earn more high-profile acting gigs based on his role.
The American Nightmare has indicated that he’s hoping to carve out more of a career in Hollywood, even while he’s still a full-time competition in wrestling. ExtraTV caught up with Rhodes while he was promoting Street Fighter and asked if fans can expect to see more of him on the big screen.
“I think you will, and I think this is going to be a good year for announcements and a good year for doing more. I’d hope to stay Guile forever, but the [acting] bug, and I’ve been talking about this while I was on set, [Street Fighter co-star] Noah Centineo screened [indie drama] Union County for me, and I was blown away by the depth they were going, the questions they were asking, and I’d love to take a swing, take a challenge, because without films and things like this, I’m not going to get any good at it. So I want to flex that muscle,” he said.
Writing about Street Fighter on X (Twitter), entertainment journalist Joseph Deckelmeier said it “knows exactly what kind of movie it is, fully commits to it, & that’s exactly why it work for me! It’s loud, ridiculous, stylish, & most importantly, it’s not afraid to be fun.”
Deckelmeier added “Cody Rhodes steals every scene he’s in…”
“Cody Rhodes, your comedic future is bright,” the writer of the @hackermanjoe X account said.
Kat Hughes of The Hollywood News also enthused about the “scene-stealing” WWE star, while writing on X that all the various elements of Street Fighter make for “pure escapist joy.”
Brandon Davis, another entertainment journalist, called Cody “really funny,” while also singling out fellow WWE star Roman Reigns as “scary good” for his turn as Akuma.
Entertainment editor Phil Roberts leveled a little criticism in his first reaction to Street Fighter, writing on X that it “delivers a chaotic mixed bag of action, anime madness, epic characters, combos, and showdowns that don’t always land.”
Meanwhile, film critic Tessa Smith praised the cast while noting that the film “ultimately falls flat” with jokes that “rarely land.”
Critic Bill Bria offered a similar take, writing: “Street Fighter is one sexy looking movie, from the mixed medium elements to its color-saturated palette to its impeccably attractive cast. Sadly, it literally loses the plot one too many times, and its fight scenes begin to feel less like a treat and more like a distraction.”
Reviews from the more mainstream critics should begin trickling in over the next 24 hours, but ultimately the success of Street Fighter will be decided by how many people buy tickets to see it.
No matter what, though, Cody at least seems like he has turned in a potentially star-making performance.
What do you think, Cagesiders? Will you be lining up to see Street Fighter? And would you like to see Cody in more movies, or do you think he should focus more on winning WWE championships? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
