The games actually have story to them; which you get to read by reading the character profiles, story if you beat the game with a character, and finally watching the opening in the next installment of the game.
These are actually GOOD stories.
As comics and Japanese anime movies and tv series have shown when they actually bring to life the game's story - including all the special chi-based moves.
Problem with any Hollywood honchos, writers and directors: the idiocy that they think they can do better than the actual creators of a wildly successful franchise by making it "more real" and incidentally ripping all the Asian philosophy on chi out of it. Basically taking the franchise, take its heart... and then rip it out.