To celebrate the simultaneous worldwide release of Mortal Kombat (Midway, 1992) on home consoles, 13 September 1993 was dubbed “Mortal Monday”. Mortal Kombat’s move to home consoles impacted not only the ongoing “Console War” between SEGA and Nintendo but also videogames forever thanks to its controversial violence. Thus, it’s only fitting that we continue celebrating this influential fighting series every September 13^th…except this year that clashes with Friday the 13^th so…

Released: 23 April 2021
Director: Simon McQuoid
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Budget: $55 million
Stars: Lewis Tan, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, Joe Taslim, Mehcad Brooks, Tadanobu Asano, and Chin Han

The Plot:
Struggling fighter Cole Young (Tan) is targeted by the relentless Bi-Han/Sub-Zero (Taslim), an assassin working under orders by the malevolent sorcerer Shang Tsung (Han) to kill Earthrealm’s chosen warriors before they can compete in the ages-old martial arts tournament known as Mortal Kombat.

The Background:
Inspired by the success of Street Fighter II: The World Warrior (Capcom, 1991), developers Ed Boon and John Tobias used innovative digitised sprites to unleash Mortal Kombat upon impressionable gamers. Attracting both popularity and controversy for its bloody content and gruesome “Fatalities”, Mortal Kombat soon expanded its scope not just with additional videogames but also into mainstream media thanks, largely, to catching the eye of producer Lawrence Kasanoff. Kasanoff envisioned a multimedia venture for the franchise and initially got off to a great start with the first live-action adaptation. Mortal Kombat (Anderson, 1995) became a cult hit that’s still one of the most highly regarded videogame adaptations ever made. Unfortunately, this success didn’t pan out quite as Kasanoff originally planned. A universally panned sequel was followed by lukewarm television ventures and talks of a third film evaporated into Development Hell. After the series made a dramatic comeback following Midway’s bankruptcy, hopes for a new Mortal Kombat movie were raised through the web series helmed by Kevin Tancharoen. Although he never got to direct a big screen adaptation, Tancharoen’s efforts were picked up by producer James Wan, writer Greg Russo, and director Simon McQuoid, with the trio determined to bring the franchise’s gory violence to life in all its glory. Despite long-running rumours of the original movie’s cast returning for another film, this new Mortal Kombat featured an all-new cast and attracted early controversy for creating a new audience surrogate and its poor use of Goro, now a disappointing CGI creature rather than a traditional effect. While the film’s $84.4 million box office made it a mild success, reviews were somewhat mixed. The fights and gore were praised but the characters, acting, and plot all drew criticism. Yet, despite it not living up to the standards set by the 1995 film, Mortal Kombat delivered some stellar fight scenes between the franchise’s most popular characters and was successful enough to warrant a 2025 sequel.

The Review:
I’ve always enjoyed the original Mortal Kombat movie. Even now, it’s still my favourite live-action adaptation of a videogame, to the point where I wrote an entire chapter of my PhD thesis about the film and its infamous legacy! I waited eagerly for the follow-up, only to be met with a surreal, nonsensical bombardment of noise and mess that basically killed the franchise dead. Even the relatively enjoyable television ventures couldn’t undo the damage, and Mortal Kombat was left to fester for years as fans waited for news of a third film or an all-out reboot. Those dreams were almost answered by Kevin Tancharoen, whose online videos showed a certain promise, but Warner Bros. randomly decided to go in a different direction and sign-off on this reboot instead. From the first trailers, things looked somewhat promising by focusing on bloody combat, the franchise’s trademark Fatalities, and with much of the marketing revolving around fan favourite ninjas Hanzo Hasashi/Scorpion (Sanada) and Sub-Zero. Indeed, Mortal Kombat immediately makes up for the character assassination these icons received under the direction of Paul W.S. Anderson by opening in 17^th century Japan and depicting the wholesale slaughter of Hasahi’s ninja clan, the Shirai Ryu, at the hands of Bi-Han and his own ninja assassins, the Lin Kuei. Hasashi, an honourable family man who lives a relatively peaceful life tending to the land with his wife, Harumi (Yukiko Shinohara), and young son, Satoshi “Jubei” Hasashi (Ren Miyagawa), and infant daughter (Mia Hall). However, when his family and clan are threatened, Hasashi becomes a force to be reckoned with, making use of a digging trowel as a makeshift kunai to oppose the assassins, only to realise all-too-late that the attack was merely a distraction so the sadistic Bi-Han could leave Harumi and Jubei little more than ice sculptures for the grief-stricken Hasashi to find. 

Naturally, a fierce battle ensues between the two rivals that sees Bi-Han’s face permanently scarred and Hasashi stabbed and killed by his own weapon, condemning his soul of the hellish Netherrealm, ending his bloodline, and leaving the Lin Kuei victorious. Well…not quite, for Hasashi’s baby survived and was recovered by Raiden (Asano), God of Thunder and protector of Earthrealm, since it was foretold that the “blood of a Hasashi” would unite Earth’s champions against the realm-conquering Outworld. Honestly, Mortal Kombat might’ve fared better if the entirety of its runtime was built around the Hasashi/Bi-Han rivalry, taking place in the past and including select appearances from other prominent franchise characters. Instead, the story jumps ahead to 2021, a time when Outworld has won nine out of ten Mortal Kombat tournaments and needs just one more victory to legally invade our world. They have succeeded in this endeavour thanks to the unmatched sorcery and deceitful nature of Outworld representative Shang Tsung, an enigmatic man who uses any means at his disposal (including bending the sacred rules of the tournament) to preemptively target those destined to fight against Outworld. Thus, any Earthrealmer bearing a dragon-shaped birthmark is targeted by Shang Tsung’s lead assassin, Bi-Han, now clad in armour and taking the name Sub-Zero, who presumably retains his youth and vigour thanks to the sorcerer’s influence. Sub-Zero’s latest target is Cole Young, a down-on-his luck mixed martial artist who’s struggling with self-doubt and to make a career out of his skills to provide for his family, wife Allison (Laura Brent) and daughter Emily (Matilda Kimber). Once a champion fighter, Cole has been reduced to taking $200 fights to put food on the table and is thus incredulous when Jax shows up inquiring about his unique dragon mark. 

Cole is drawing into the crazy world of Mortal Kombat when Sub-Zero attacks him and his family at dinner, and it’s only the intervention of Jax that allows the Asano to escape. While Cole follows Jax’s instructions to meet with his partner, Sonya Blade (McNamee), Jax ends up mutilated when he battles Sub-Zero to cover Cole’s escape. Hopelessly outmatched despite his size and power, Jax has his arms frozen and shattered by the cruel cyromancer. Unlike Cole, and the other chosen warriors, Sonya does not carry a dragon mark, which is a source of great distress for her and something adversarial mercenary Kano (Lawson) and even Raiden mock her for. However, Sonya is acutely aware of Mortal Kombat, the threat against Earth, and the bizarre individuals associated with it. While Cole is sceptical, despite witnessing Sub-Zero’s abilities, his cynicism is quashed when another of Shang Tsung’s assassins, the voracious Syzoth/Reptile, who viciously attacks Sonya’s hideout. Since he’s her only chance to track down Raiden’s hidden temple, Sonya is forced to free Kano to assist in the fight. Although his face is mauled by the beast, Kano circumnavigates Reptile’s camouflage by stabbing him with a flare and proves his viciousness by tearing the Saurian’s heart out. While he’s a crude, crass, antagonistic criminal who can’t be trusted, Sonya is forced to bribe Kano with money she doesn’t have and he reluctantly joins the group, and the allies they find there, delighting in lording his superiority, verbally tearing them down, and excited at the prospect of gaining superpowers under Liu Kang’s (Lin) tutelage. Similar to Tancharoen’s previous adaptation, Mortal Kombat explains the videogames’ special moves not just in explicitly bestowing them to Shang Tsung’s demonic forces but in the concept of “Arcana”,  abilities unique to those with the dragon mark. Since she doesn’t have a mark, Sonya can’t unlock her power but is permitted to stay and help train the others, giving Kano ample opportunity to rile her up, though Cole also struggles to unlock his Arcana despite his efforts.

Protected from Shang Tsung’s assassins by Raiden’s mystical barrier, Cole, Sonya, and Kano train alongside warrior monks Liu Kang and Kung Lao (Max Huang), who also tend to Jax’s wounds and furnish him with a rudimentary set of cybernetic arms. Like Cole, Jax is frustrated by his newfound handicap, but Liu Kang and Kung Lao strive to push them all to unlock their true potential to defend Earthrealm. Staunch believers in Raiden’s cause, Liu Kang and Kung Lao have already unlocked their Arcanas, demonstrating incredible abilities such as fireballs and teleportation, and Kung Lao also utilises his iconic razor-sharp hat. Although Liu Kang is sympathetic to their confusion, time is against the would-be champions and he and his fellow Shaolin repeatedly subject the group to intense sparring sessions to push their bodies and minds to the absolute limit. Unfortunately for them, the only one who achieves this is Kano who, angered by “Kung Pow’s” dismissive attitude towards him, suddenly fires lasers from his injured eye. Far from the wise, playful mentor of previous adaptations, this version of Raiden is a blunt deity. Indeed, he’s so disappointed by the fighters and Cole’s progress that he regularly runs them down and even out-right dismissing Cole when, after revealing his lineage as Hasashi’s ancestor, he expresses displeasure that the struggling fighter didn’t live up to the expectations set by his forefather. When returned to his family, however, Cole finally unlocks his Arcana to defend them from Prince Goro (Angus Sampson), a four-armed Shokan who attempts to kill them and is instead torn to pieces when Cole spontaneously grows organic armour that allows him to absorb any attack, grow tonfas to attack with, and grants him superhuman strength. 

Galvanised by his awakened abilities and his victory over Goro, Cole reunites with his allies, now shaken following Kano’s betrayal. After a discussion with former ally Kabal (Daniel Nelson/Damon Herriman), Kano is convinced to betray Raiden, lowering the shield and allowing Shang Tsung’s assassins to attack. In the fracas, Jax unlocks his Arcana to save Sonya, upgrading his gaunt metal arms to more formidable appendages, but Kung Lao is lost when Shang Tsung steals his soul. Retreating to a void between realms to regroup, Cole shares a plan to target Shang Tsung’s warriors individually before teaming up to tackle Sub-Zero, their greatest threat, together. Like the original movie, Shang Tsung’s minions are given very little characterisation outside of two exceptions, Sub-Zero and Kabal. It’s genuinely upsetting seeing Goro reduced to an easily-dispatched underling and that more time wasn’t spent making Nitara (Mel Jarnson), Mileena (Sisi Stringer), and Reiko (Nathan Jones) more than lifeless minions for the good guys to fight. It seems the filmmakers were banking on Nitara’s and Mileena’s sex appeal (and the former’s unique, if poorly realised, vampiric abilities) and Reiko’s gargantuan stature to make up for this, but it doesn’t really work and it’s hard to care when they’re defeated, however gory it is, making me wish that Goro had taken Reiko’s place. Thankfully, Kabal somewhat makes up for this. He and Kano have the same snarky demeanour and Kabal has an awesome look, but we learn very little about their time together in the Black Dragon Clan and it’s weird that Liu Kang believed killing Kabal avenged Kung Lao’s death when Shang Tsung dealt the finishing blow. Similarly, Chin Han is as miscast as the sorcerer as Tadanobu Asano is as Raiden; neither can hold a candle to their predecessors or even their television counterparts and, while Han tries to exude an authoritative menace, both are very weak and forgettable in their roles. 

The Nitty-Gritty:
Similar to the much-maligned Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, faith in yourself and teamwork are core themes of this new Mortal Kombat. Much of Cole’s characterisation comes from his declining martial arts career; he went from a champion to a chump and he struggles with feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt, despite having a caring and supportive family behind him. It’s this, as much as his scepticism, that holds him back while training, and these issues are only compounded when Raiden literally tells him he was destined for more and has failed to accomplish even half of his potential. It’s thus telling that Cole’s Arcana awakens when he’s defending his loved ones, but it’s hard to deny that Cole’s bland and completely unnecessary character. The Mortal Kombat franchise has one of the biggest and most diverse rosters in all its genre but the filmmakers created a brand-new audience surrogate when Johnny Cage would’ve fulfilled this role just as well. Hell, it would only have taken a couple of slight tweaks to have Cage assume Cole’s role, and all the hints towards Cage’s future involvement can’t make up for his absence here. Cole’s struggles are echoed in both Jax and Sonya, who both face an uphill battle to overcome either their physical limitations or their lack of an official brand to contribute to Earthrealm’s defence, something they ultimately accomplish when forced to go beyond their limits to save their friends or avenge their losses. 

While the first Mortal Kombat unquestionably captured the spirit of the source material, smartly drawing from martial arts cinema to focus more on memorable characters and fights than the trademark gore, this Mortal Kombat clearly draws from NetherRealm’s modern titles and even explicitly recreates Kung Lao’s infamous “Razor’s Edge” Fatality by having him slice Nitara in two with his hat! Similarly, Jax crushes Reiko’s head and Liu Kang conjures a flaming dragon to take out Kabal, just like in the videogames, and of course there’s Kano’s classic heart rip Fatality, which are all suitably gruesome and give the film an entertaining edge since it’s the first time we’ve seen such explicit gore in an official live-action adaptation of the famous franchise. Similarly, the film is full of cursing, with Kano clearly channelling the late Trevor Goddard into his performance as the bombastic and outrageous Kano to steal the show like his predecessor did with his rude quips and abrasive attitude. I do enjoy these more adult aspects of the film and, in many ways, they make it a superior and more faithful adaptation than the original film, but all the blood and swearing in the world can’t make up for bland characters and uninspiring acting. Say what you will about the original’s tame content but at least the main cast was charismatic and embodied their roles. I like the performances from Liu Kang and Kung Lao here but they show up so late into the story and we learn so little about them that it’s difficult to be too attached to them. Raiden is an unlikeable jackass, most of Shang Tsung’s underlings are disposable baddies to be offed, and once again Sonya fails to impress as a bad-ass female protagonist, coming across more like a spare part since she isn’t even a chosen warrior. It’s as though the filmmakers did the opposite of the original film, focusing on gore and spectacle over character and heart, meaning it also falls short of being a definitive adaptation and can’t even rely on a memorable soundtrack to get by since the remix of “Techno Syndrome” isn’t used as prominently as in the original film. 

Mortal Kombat tries to claw back some credibility in the finale when, after dispatching Shang Tsung’s dull minions and finally granting Sonya an Arcana and a dragon mark when she kills Kano, Cole is drawn into a confrontation with Sub-Zero after he kidnaps Allison and Emily. Unfortunately, even with his organic armour, Cole is no match for the cold-blooded assassin. Luckily, however, Raiden gifted Cole his ancestor’s kunai, which returns Hasashi from the Netherrealm as the vengeful Scorpion. Thus, the film comes full circle as the two most popular characters battle once more, completely stealing the thunder from Cole and making all the time spent with the other characters largely superfluous. If Johnny Cage wasn’t going to be used in Cole’s place, Cole could’ve at least been a reincarnation of Hasashi or have been transformed into Scorpion by the Arcana or the kunai. Instead, Cole’s left freeing his family and watching from the sidelines as his ancestor avenges himself on his killer in a bloody battle that’s easily the best of the film. Again, this is why these two should’ve been the primary focus. If you’re not going to do the tournament anyway, you may as well focus on the two most interesting characters in the franchise, and Taslim and Sanada excel in their kinetic, brutal fight scenes. In this rematch, the two are far more equally matched and Scorpion takes his revenge, immolating the injured assassin alive. Strangely there’s a moment of sympathy for Sub-Zero that, like Shang Tsung’s throwaway line regarding the resurrection of his fallen forces, is potentially a hint at his return in the next instalment, possibly as Noob Saibot. In the aftermath, Hasashi charges Cole with protecting their bloodline and returns to the Netherrealm. As Shang Tsung threatened to bring an entire army to their door, the galvanised Cole readily accepts Raiden’s offer to find and train new warriors and heads out to recruit movie star Johnny Cage (Unseen) to the cause. 

The Summary:
I was pretty excited about Mortal Kombat at the time. I’d wanted to see a new adaptation for years and truly believed the original movie could be outdone if the filmmakers drew inspiration from it as much as the modern videogames. Obviously, nostalgia is a huge factor in the original’s appeal. Truthfully, it has many flaws that go beyond its tame nature, but it’s still an enjoyable action film, primarily because of the cast and execution. This Mortal Kombat stumbles somewhat in this aspect, predominantly because of its bland and unnecessary main character. Lewis Tan may have a good look and fight well, but he’s not much of an actor and it’s hard to be invested in Cole since I spent the entire time wondering why he’s even there. His Arcana wasn’t that great, either, and I’m not sure I liked this concept, while I’m on the subject. It worked as a goal for the characters to strive towards, but I honestly think it’s better to have the mortal warriors have to overcome fantastic abilities rather than giving everyone superpowers. The gore and Fatalities were great, as were many of the fight scenes and action sequences, and I enjoyed how closely these aspects mirrored the videogames. Sadly, this is juxtaposed with lacklustre version of Shang Tsung (because it’s hard to improve upon Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa), an unlikeable rendition of Raiden, and a bizarrely unimpressive Goro who not only goes out like an idiot but is an awful CGI monstrosity. Indeed, for every aspect that works here, there’s two or three things that don’t, making this enjoyable enough but far from an improvement over the original film. It’s a shame as there’s a lot of potential here, and I’m sure viewers unfamiliar with the original movie will find a lot to like in this version. However, it missed the mark in a lot of ways for me, primarily in overcomplicating and overstuffing the narrative, making it a bit of a mess at times. 

My Rating:

Pretty Good

Did you enjoy Mortal Kombat? What did you think to Cole Young; was he an interesting enough protagonist for you or did you find him a bit bland? Would you have preferred to see Johnny Cage in his role? What did you think to the blood, Fatalities, and fights? Were you also disappointed by the depiction of Raiden, Shang Tsung, and the underling villains? Would you have preferred to see Scorpion and Sub-Zero be the primary focus? Which Mortal Kombat characters would you like to see featured in a future film? How are you celebrating Mortal Kombat today? Whatever your thoughts, leave a comment below or on my social media and be sure to check out my other Mortal Kombat content across the site. 

To celebrate the simultaneous worldwide release of Mortal Kombat (Midway, 1992) on home consoles, 13 September 1993 was dubbed “Mortal Monday”. Mortal Kombat’s move to home consoles impacted not only the ongoing “Console War” between SEGA and Nintendo but also videogames forever thanks to its controversial violence and I think that it’s only fitting that we continue celebrating this influential fighting series every September 13^th.

Released: 21 September 1997
Director: John R. Leonetti
Distributor: New Line Cinema
Budget: $30 million
Stars: Robin Shou, Talisa Soto, Brian Thompson, James Remar, Sandra Hess, Lynn Red Williams, Musetta Vander, and Reiner Schöne

The Plot:
Despite Liu Kang’s (Shou) victory in the Mortal Kombat tournament, Outworld emperor Shao Kahn (Thompson) bends the Elder Gods’ sacred rules and assaults Earthrealm. With Lord Rayden (Remar) weakened, Liu Kang and his friends have seven days to recruit new allies and learn the key to stopping Kahn’s invasion before all of Earthrealm is annihilated.

The Background:
As I’ve touched on before, competitive fighting games were all the rage in the nineties thanks to the many iterations of Street Fighter II: The World Warrior (Capcom, 1991). To compete with this title, developers Ed Boon and John Tobias, inspired by movies like Enter the Dragon (Clouse, 1973), Bloodsport (Arnold, 1988), and Big Trouble in Little China (Carpenter, 1986), created a tournament fighter that changed the genre thanks to its ultra-violent content. It was producer Lawrence Kasanoff who saw Mortal Kombat’s potential as a multimedia franchise and it was thanks to him, and director Paul W. S. Anderson, that we got the cult hit Mortal Kombat (ibid, 1995), which was both surprisingly profitable, widely recognised as one of the best videogame adaptations, and a principal influence on my PhD thesis. Unfortunately, you can’t talk about Mortal Kombat without mentioning its universally derided sequel. Rather than smartly infuse the relatively simply videogame lore with filmic inspirations, Kasanoff aimed to go bigger and more spectacular, stuffing the script with as many characters and references to the source material as possible in an effort to cater exclusively to Mortal Kombat’s growing fanbase. Paul W. S. Anderson passed on the director’s chair and only two members of the original cast returned for the sequel, which was full of cringe-worthy performances and terribly rendered CGI as New Line Cinema didn’t actually release the finished version of the film. This was reflected in the film’s dismal $51.3 million box office gross and scathing critical reception; everything from the confused narrative, underwhelming fight scenes, and the laughably bad acting has been highlighted as a negative, and rightfully so. Despite the film’s universally negative reception, Kasanoff’s multimedia ventures continued with the live-action prequel, Mortal Kombat: Conquest (1998 and 1999) but, while New Line Cinema initially had plans for a third film, the teases for it were cut from Annihilation and it remained in Development Hell for decades until the franchise was finally rebooted in 2021.

The Review:
I was such a huge fan of the original Mortal Kombat movie as a kid, and even now I still regard it as probably the best live-action videogame adaptation ever made. That’s hard for me to say as I loathe what Anderson did to the Resident Evil franchise (Capcom/Various, 1996 to present) with his filmic endeavours (Anderson/Various, 2002 to 2016) but it’s true; I remember renting it as a kid, basing an entire birthday around watching it, and even the day I bought the VHS copy from a market stall. My anticipation for the sequel was so high and it seemed like we were waiting for so long for it to come out but, in reality, it was only a couple of years. When Mortal Kombat: Annihilation finally did come out, all I remember seeing of it was the poster and that was enough to get me excited as I was eager to see that cliff-hanger ending resolved, but I missed out on seeing it at the cinema as it wasn’t very easy to get to the cinema at the time, so I didn’t see it until it came out on VHS some time later. I don’t remember what I thought to the film as a kid; I was probably just super happy to see all my favourite Mortal Kombat characters brought to life and given more screen time, but I do have a vague memory of thinking it wasn’t as good as the original film and, as I’ve gotten older and rewatched and even academically studied the film, that opinion has only grown stronger.

Mortal Kombat: Annihilation opens with a quick recap of the last film; scenes of Mortal Kombat’s best fights and memorable moments (purposely cut to excise the original actors from the footage) play over Rayden’s narration as he brings us up to speed and we’re brought back to the ending of the first movie, but with some noticeable and jarring changes. You’ll spot these immediately since James Remar sounds nothing like Christopher Lambert (still the quintessential Raiden for me and it baffles me that he hasn’t done more voice work for the character, at least) and definitely doesn’t look anything like him. Sporting an entirely new outfit and a far more obvious wig, Remar fails to convey the same enigmatic presence as his predecessor but it doesn’t end there; Liu Kang is also wearing a completely different outfit and both Johnny Cage (Chris Conrad) and Lieutenant Sonya Blade (Hess) have been completely recast. Even more egregious is that Cage has his trademark sunglasses back, despite the fact they were crushed by the monstrous Goro (Tom Woodruff, Jr./Kevin Michael Richardson) in a pretty memorable sequence in the last film. Still, none of that really compares to the absolutely atrocious visual effects slashing across the sky and the arrival of Outworld Emperor Shao Kahn. Originally portrayed as a gigantic semi-translucent, monstrous figure voiced by the immortal Frank Welker and bursting from the Temple of Light, Kahn is now a far less intimidating muscular brute garbed in a Halloween costume and surrounded by a gaggle of porn stars, Gladiators, and cos-players and immediately lacks all of the subtle menace and nuance of Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa’s menacing Shang Tsung.

Still, let’s continue on. Like the last film, our main character is Liu Kang (thankfully still portrayed by the endlessly likeable and charismatic Robin Shou, whose martial arts prowess is one of Annihilation’s few highlights even if his acting ability isn’t quite enough to carry this mess of a script), whose elation at having overcome his personal demons, avenged his brother, and safeguarded Earthrealm from Outworld is immediately cut short by Shao Kahn’s arrival. Although he learned to trust in Rayden in the last film, and that all the legends he grew up hearing about were true, despite his scepticism, Liu Kang is angered that their victory, which the Elder Gods decreed would keep Earthrealm safe from invasion for at least one generation, was all for nothing thanks to Shao Kahn finding a loophole in the rules. Liu Kang’s anger only increases when Cage is unceremoniously killed right before his eyes, and his first instinct is to avenge his fallen friend, only to be told that he’s “no match for Kahn” and must embark on a perilous journey of self-discovery to find the power necessary to overcome the Emperor. Rayden splits the heroes into teams for this mission, and Liu Kang’s demeanour (but not his crotch) is softened by the presence of the beautiful Kitana (Soto), with whom he had a flirtatious romance in the last film. Here, they are ready to take the next step in their relationship, but this is suddenly ripped away from Liu Kang when the Edenian princess is kidnapped by the returning Scorpion (J. J. Perry/Ed Boon). Fraught with guilt over failing to keep her safe, Liu Kang is guided towards the elusive Nightwolf (Litefoot), a Native American mystic who endeavours to teach him to harness his “Animality” by undergoing a series of tests designed to focus his mind, body, and spirit for his inevitable fight against Shao Kahn.

Although she has a new face, wardrobe, and haircut, the first thing you’ll notice about Sonya here is that she’s reverted back to being an angry, embittered, distrustful, and overall unlikeable character. She’s absolutely devastated when Cage is murdered and desperate to make Shao Kahn pay, but blinded by her grief and rage so Rayden has her journey to some facility to reunite with her partner, Major Jackson “Jax” Briggs (Lynn red Williams). Initially, Sonya rejects this idea as she doesn’t want to lose anyone else she cares about, and she carries a chip on her shoulder throughout the film and basically has to learn the same lessons about trusting others as she did in the first movie. While Mortal Kombat: Annihilation is littered with chaotic and random fight scenes, at least Liu Kang and Rayden are focused on opposing Shao Kahn; Sonya has no chance against the Emperor but has no other clear antagonist to focus on since Kano (Trevor Goddard) is dead, meaning she’s forced to settle for “leftovers” like Cyrax (J. J. Perry) and Ermac (John Medlen). Thankfully, she’s partnered up with Jax; for a former American Football player and Gladiator, Williams does a really good job in this role and has a down-to-earth, relatable charisma to him. As an everyman character who has no idea what’s going on, he’s a natural conduit for exposition and it’s fun seeing him react to the bizarre events happening all around him. Jax’s “thing” in this movie is that he struggles with self-confidence; to that end, he underwent a surgical procedure to graft cybernetic prosthetics to his already muscular arms to give him a power boost. Jax’s arms are a valuable asset, saving his life and even allowing him to cause shockwaves by hitting the ground, but Rayden and the others teach him that they’re merely a tool and that his true power comes from within. Unlike Sonya, Jax ends up squaring off with a clear rival in the finale, the half-human centaur Motaro (Deron McBee) and, in the process, overcomes his insecurities and sheds his mechanical arms to deliver a pretty cathartic beatdown on Kahn’s monstrous minion.

While she was mostly relegated to an alluring figure and a secondary mentor in the first film, Kitana takes on a much larger role in the sequel. Although she only gets a couple of fight scenes and ends up locked in a cage for her man to come and rescue her, Kitana is right at the forefront of the plot since her mother, Queen Sindel (Vander), is the key to Shao Kahn’s illegal invasion. Stunned to find her mother alive (and in perfect physical health), Kitana is even more heartbroken to find that Sindel has been corrupted by Kahn’s influence and that her resurrection has allowed him to bring destruction to Earthrealm. Confused by this turn of events, Rayden consults with the Elder Gods who advise him that the love Kitana has for her mother can break Kahn’s spell, restore her, and undo the damage caused and he blindly follows their instructions, even sacrificing his status as a Thunder God (and debuting an absolutely dreadful new appearance in the process that is anything but Raiden) in order to reunite the two. Unfortunately, they’ve all been duped by the corrupt Elder God Shinnok (Schöne) and lured into a trap; Sindel laughs in her daughter’s face when she tries to profess her love for her and Rayden is left powerless, resulting in his death at Kahn’s hands and Kitana having to battle her mother in the finale. Unfortunately, neither Talisa Soto nor Musetta Vander have the acting ability to pull any of this off; both are obviously stunningly beautiful, but Kitana and Liu Kang have all the chemistry of a wet paper bag and Sindel is little more than a cackling pantomime villain. Remar also suffers in this regard; if he’s trying to channel Lambert’s stoic playfulness, he fails miserably and just seems bored and confused, even during his terribly shot fight against the Reptiles (Mark Caso, Paul Driver, and Sultan Uddin).

However, they’re all Oscar-winning actors compared to the absolutely dreadful Brian Thompson. I actually like Thompson; he always plays big, brutish thugs really well when he crops up in supporting roles but he has neither the size nor the charisma to impress as Annihilation’s lead antagonist. Essentially coming across as a poor man’s Kurgan (Clancy Brown; a fitting comparison, for sure), Shao Kahn is a loud, arrogant bully with an overdeveloped sense of grandeur and a taste of pomp and ceremony. Upon arriving on Earthrealm, he attempts to establish himself as a meaningful threat by surrounding himself with his generals and killing Cage, but is easily outmatched by Rayden. Indeed, Rayden is only stopped from killing Kahn right then and there because the Emperor takes Cage as a hostage, and Rayden is so stunned to see one of his chosen mortals killed that he doesn’t even make good on his promise to “take” Kahn’s generals from him. While the heroes go off on their confusing missions, Kahn returns to his throne room and is content to allow the seven-day merger of Outworld and Earthrealm to take place without his direct involvement. However, if his cheap plastic armour and rubbish skull helmet didn’t diminish Kahn’s threat enough, his contentious relationship with his father, Shinnok, certainly does. Chastised at every turn by the corrupt Elder God, Kahn quickly turns from a brutish tyrant to a meek child desperate to impress his father, and he absurdly takes his anger out on his generals at every opportunity. Even this doesn’t make sense; why kill your underlings when you’re in the middle of an invasion? And Kahn’s lashing out at Rain for failing to kill Kabal and Stryker is super weird considering Shinnok chewed him out for sparing Rayden. Imagine if Shinnok had just killed Kahn for that, as he does his general? Absolutely ridiculous! Completely devoted to his witch-like queen and confidant in his victory, Kahn allows his troops to wreak havoc across the globe (though we barely see any of this) and is fixated only on killing Rayden and conquering Earthrealm in order to earn his father’s respect. Where Shang Tsung was a scheming, charismatic sorcerer, Shao Kahn is little more than a thug with delusions of grandeur and it’s hard to picture anyone bending the knee to him since he exhibits little of the threat that Tsung did beyond his admittedly impressive physical stature.

The Nitty-Gritty:
Contrary to my usual everyday mindset, I don’t actually like to be too negative in my reviews, or when watching movies or playing videogames or whatever, and when discussing Mortal Kombat: Annihilation for my PhD thesis I tried to come at it with a positive perspective. Primarily, this involved praising it for capturing the madcap nonsense of the franchise’s latter-day releases, like Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 (Midway Games, 1995) and its successor, Mortal Kombat Trilogy (ibid, 1996). These were fighters crammed full of characters, bonkers finishing moves, and which tried to mash together all the established lore and many of the contradictory characters, which made for a pretty chaotic gaming experience but one full of variety (even if many characters were just palette swaps and many of the violent finishing moves were pretty lazy). Still, if all you cared about was seeing your favourite Mortal Kombat characters in one game, these two titles had you covered and, in that respect, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation delivers in terms of fan service. The plot is also a pretty close approximation of Mortal Kombat 3’s (Midway, 1995), which depicted Kahn resurrecting Sindel and leading an illegal invasion of Earthrealm, and the iconic theme song by The Immortals is back and has even been tweaked to include the new characters seen in this film. Unfortunately, that’s about where the praise ends for, while Mortal Kombat: Annihilation does feature a bunch of characters, hardly any of them have any personality or nuance to them. Instead, basically every character that isn’t a lead protagonist or antagonist is treated as badly as Scorpion (Chris Casamassa) and Sub-Zero (François Petit) were in the first film. Rain (Tyrone Wiggins) is here, and even gets a few lines, but is he a conflicted Edenian prince with control of water and lightning? No, he’s just another ninja who gets smashed into a fiery pit for angering his master.

An extremely poor rendition of Baraka (Dennis Keiffer) randomly shows up, looking more like a guy in a rubbery Halloween costume than a vicious mutated cannibal, and Mileena (Dana Hee) even makes a brief appearance to wrestle around in the mud with Sonya but is she depicted as Kitana’s bloodthirsty clone or stepsister? Is she bollocks. Hell, Sonya even mistakes her for Kitana at first, which makes absolutely no sense as she doesn’t look anything like Kitana; maybe if she’d also been played by Talisa Soto, and Jade (Irina Pantaeva) and Baraka had been dropped from the script, Mileena could’ve played a bigger role but, as is, she’s just some hot chick in a magenta outfit for Sonya to fumble around with. This even carries over to the finale, when Sonya takes on Ermac (who has just one line and isn’t even named), who randomly splits into two (actually this is Noob Saibot (J. J. Perry), who also isn’t named and is given no context) to double-team her but why the hell should we care when we don’t even know who these masked morons are? Still, at least these losers feature onscreen; “two of Earth’s warriors, Kabal and Stryker” aren’t even given that luxury and this absolutely ugly looking CGI monstrosity gets way more screen time than it deserves. Sadly, this continues with some of my favourite Mortal Kombat characters. Sub-Zero (Keith Cooke) makes a dramatic return, now sporting his bad-ass eye scar and actually being the younger brother of the previous one. He comes sliding in to save Liu Kang from Smoke (Ridley Tsui), who’s actually a combination of Smoke and Sektor, and deliver some clunky exposition about how the cyborg was reprogrammed by Kahn to target Liu instead of him (as in Sub-Zero). Why was Smoke going after Sub-Zero? Does he have any relation to Cyrax? Was he Sub-Zero’s former friend turned into a cyborg against his will and did Sub-Zero even care that he just killed his friend? None of these questions are answered as the film pauses for a pretty awesome battle between Sub-Zero and Scorpion which, despite being something I and many Mortal Kombat fans missed from the first film, also makes little sense as there’s no reason given in the film for the animosity between the two beyond the filmic Scorpion being evil and Sub-Zero trying to protect Kitana. Even crazier is the part where, after losing Kitana to Scorpion, Sub-Zero delivers a heartfelt plea to Liu Kang that “[he] alone [is] not ready for what’s ahead” and then disappears from the film! I just…what?! You just said that Liu Kang needs allies but you couldn’t stick around to help? What could Sub-Zero possibly have to do that’s more important?!

This does lead Liu Kang to Nightwolf, but he’s another throwaway character; sure, he looks the part but all he does is speak in riddles, knock Liu Kang out with a tomahawk, and prattle on some trite about his “Animality”. It’s assumed that Jade killed Nightwolf while Liu Kang underwent his little nightmare sequence but who the hell knows, and why the fuck where there suddenly Reptiles waiting to attack the heroes after Jade betrayed them?! Nothing makes any sense, and it’s frustrating as all they had to do was have Kahn’s minions be Motaro, Sindel, Scorpion, Mileena, and Sheeva (Marjean Holden) and things could’ve been much more streamlined. Oh, Jesus…I haven’t even talked about Sheeva, have I? Rather than portray her using animatronics like with Goro, Sheeva is simply another pantomime villain with some prosthetic arms who plays next to no role in the movie and is unceremoniously killed off without even having a proper fight scene! There’s one very brief scene where she and Motaro get into it over who should replace Rain as Kahn’s right-hand man, hinting at the rivalry between their races, but Sheeva may as well not even be in the fuckin’ movie as she does absolutely nothing before being squashed by a cage! Motaro comes off a little better, but not by much; Deron McBee at least looks to be enjoying himself in the role, which requires little more than for him to stand around with his flex on and look tough, and the filmmakers actually did a decent job of rendering his horse-like lower half using clever shots, some practical effects, and CGI. He certainly comes off a lot better than whatever the fuck that demonic monster-thing is, and absolutely should have taken that creature’s place, but unfortunately has absolutely none of the screen presence or importance of Goro since he’s hardly in the movie and only seen as a relevant factor in the finale.

So…okay….Mortal Kombat: Annihilation decides that the complex and bonkers lore of the videogame just isn’t enough for the big-screen and makes some changes. I can understand that; change is inevitable in the adaptation process, but apparently the simple concept of “good versus evil” wasn’t enough for this movie and they had to shoe-horn in this bat-shit crazy familial link between Rayden, Shao Kahn, and Shinnok that has never been seen before or since. Apparently, Rayden and Shao Kahn are brothers and, eons ago, they fought for Shinnok’s approval; Rayden won, but couldn’t kill his brother and both have held a grudge ever since. Shinnok sees both his sons as being weak; Rayden for valuing life and being compassionate and Kahn for not killing Rayden or being more forceful in his endeavours, but he favours Shao Kahn since he at least values strength and power over loyalty and empathy. This weird inclusion is treated like a big deal; Jax is especially perturbed by the revelation and the mortals are left investing their hopes in Liu Kang since Rayden’s trustworthiness is called into question. The film then asks that we give two shits when Shao Kahn murders this abomination of an adaptation of Rayden, but it all just falls completely flat and is meaningless since the entire film has been about getting Liu Kang ready to fight Kahn, not Rayden. When Liu Kang and the Emperor finally square off, it’s nowhere near the intense or engaging martial arts contest like Liu vs. Tsung; indeed, the focus on delivering high quality martial arts is noticeably lacking all throughout Mortal Kombat: Annihilation and, instead, Shao Kahn throws his weight (but not his hammer, because that would be too cool, I guess) around until Liu Kang finally taps into his Animality and transforms into, hands down, the worst CGI effect I think I have ever seen…only for Kahn to top it with his own monstrous transformation. The two butt-ugly affronts to eyesight slap each other about a bit before inexplicably transforming back and being forced to battle in Mortal Kombat (now altered to remove Kahn’s powers, something we didn’t see in the last film where powers were fair game…). The loss of his powers puts Kahn at an immediate and irreconcilable disadvantage and Liu Kang easily finishes him off; although Kahn is ripped apart when his stupid little dragon tattoo bursts to life upon his defeat, his death is a far cry from seeing Tsung impaled on those spikes. With Kahn defeated and Shinnok turned into Tetris (Alexey Pajitnov, 1984) blocks, Sindel returns to normal, Rayden is resurrected and promoted to an Elder God, and all of Earthrealm is restored. In fact, everything returns to normal…except for Johnny Cage, whose body I assume is just lying on the ground somewhere…but that’s okay because all of the heroes are some bullshit family now, I guess.

The Summary:
Mortal Kombat set the standard for videogame adaptations; by drawing from some of the best martial arts movies and focusing on the relationships between the characters and crafting a fun, action-packed fantasy adventure, it absolutely delivered as an entertaining adaptation even without the franchise’s trademark gore. All of that goodwill was obliterated in the sequel, which took everything that worked in the first film and threw it out the window. No, sorry, not out the window; they threw it right in the fuckin’ bin! The only saving graces are the soundtrack, a handful of decent fight scenes (anything involving Liu Kang, Scorpion, and Sub-Zero), and seeing pretty much every single Mortal Kombat character brought to life but the execution misses the mark on almost every level. The acting is bad, the script is bad, the line delivery is bad; the new actors are dreadful, the costumes (while technically better) look far more like cheap cos-play than a high-budget production, and the CGI is more than atrocious…it’s God-awful! As nonsensical as the Mortal Kombat videogames could get at the time (and even now…), nothing makes sense in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation; why were those spheres in those tunnels? Who built them? Why? Why didn’t they just die when riding them? When Baraka falls into those flames, why is it recycled footage of Rain’s death? Why is Baraka even there? Why didn’t Sub-Zero help Liu Kang? Why did Rayden and presumably all those other lives lost in the attempted merger come back to life but not Johnny Cage? Just….I mean, holy God it is hard to defend this movie! Yes, Robin Shou is great. Yes, seeing Scorpion and Sub-Zero fight is great. Yes, Jax is a standout character, Motaro looks pretty good, and the film does a decent job of translating the bat-shit insanity of Mortal Kombat Trilogy to the screen but there’s just no heart, no logic, no sense to anything. It’s just a mish-mash of generally poor fight scenes, rubbish visual effects, appalling acting and a mind fuck of ideas and visuals that more resembles a music video than a coherent movie. It’s got some charm, and is probably appealing to kids hyped up on sugar, but your life would probably benefit from never watching this one even if it was for free.

My Rating:

Terrible

Am I being too harsh on Mortal Kombat: Annihilation? Do you have any fond memories of this film? What did you think to the new cast and how did they compare to their predecessors? Which of the film’s fights was your favourite, and with characters would you have liked to see more from? Do you think the film juggled its many characters well or would you have preferred to see the cast cut down a little bit? Would you have liked to see a direct follow-up to this film or were you happy with the reboot we got? How are you celebrating Mortal Kombat’s release today? Whatever you think about Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, write your thoughts below.

To celebrate the simultaneous worldwide release of Mortal Kombat (Midway, 1992) on home consoles, 13 September 1993 was dubbed “Mortal Monday”. Mortal Kombat’s move to home consoles impacted not only the ongoing “Console War” between SEGA and Nintendo but also videogames forever thanks to its controversial violence and I think that it’s only fitting that we continue celebrating this influential fighting series every September 13^th.

Released: 18 August 1995
Director: Paul W. S. Anderson
Distributor: New Line Cinema
Budget: $18 million
Stars: Robin Shou, Linden Ashby, Bridgette Wilson, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Trevor Goddard, Talisa Soto, and Christopher Lambert

The Plot:
To decide the fate of Earthrealm, warriors fight in a generational life-or-death tournament called “Mortal Kombat”, hosted by Outworld sorcerer Shang Tsung (Tagawa). Lord Rayden (Lambert), God of Thunder and protector of Earthrealm, gathers his forces but his chosen champions, disillusioned former monk Liu Kang (Shou), egotistical movie star Johnny Cage (Ashby), and stubborn soldier Lieutenant Sonya Blade (Wilson) must first overcome their own demons before they can hope to save their world.

The Background:
I’ve already detailed how, during the nineties, competitive fighting games were all the rage thanks to the many iterations of Street Fighter II: The World Warrior (Capcom, 1991). To compete with this title, developers Ed Boon and John Tobias took inspiration from movies like Enter the Dragon (Clouse, 1973), Bloodsport (Arnold, 1988) and Big Trouble in Little China (Carpenter, 1986) to create an ultra-violent tournament fighter that changed the genre with its simple fighting mechanics and controversial violence. Development of a live-action adaptation began with producer Lawrence Kasanoff, who saw the potential of the videogame not just as a live-action movie but as an entire multimedia franchise. Spearheaded by Kasanoff, the project took shape with the hiring of director Paul W. S. Anderson, who substituted the videogame’s brutal violence for a focus on the game’s more fantastical elements and martial arts. Although the filmmakers failed to secure Jean-Claude Van Damme for the film, they incorporated both ambitious animatronics and early CGI effects alongside Shou’s martial arts background to make the fights as engaging as possible to help bolster the special effects. Mortal Kombat was a smash hit, making over $122 million at the box office. While videogame adaptations are often criticised for being universally bad, Mortal Kombat was notably praised at the time and has gone on to break free of its cult following to be largely regarded as one of the best videogame adaptations. The film and its depictions of these characters came to be incredibly influential on the videogames and, while the sequel was a monumental flop, the original film has always been one of my favourites, so much so that I dedicated an entire year of my life to researching and studying it as part of my PhD thesis.

The Review:
I mentioned up top that Ed Boon and John Tobias were influenced by martial arts films like Enter the Dragon and action films like Big Trouble in Little China when developing Mortal Kombat, but this is honestly just scratching the surface of the influence of kung fu and martial arts movies on not just Mortal Kombat but the entire fighting game genre as we know it today. Martial arts (or wu xia pian) films been produced overseas since 1905, with kung fu movies being around since 1949, but became incredibly popular between the early-sixties through to the 1970s once Bruce Lee was introduced to the world in Five Fingers of Death/King Boxer (Chung, 1972). Bruce Lee’s skill, charisma, and heavily kinetic energy was the perfect platform for this new style of cinematic combat that emphasised realistic action and application of martial arts. Lee famously multiple martial arts styles into his trans-cultural Jeet Kune Do style that showcased the best of Chinese martial arts, and Enter the Dragon not only reinvented him as an introspective Shaolin monk who could instantly become a lethal whirlwind but it was also engineered as a showcase of Lee’s unparalleled charisma and unique choreography. Lee became a national (and international) sensation after the film’s success, but tragically died six days before Enter the Dragon’s U.S. premiere, and has “haunted” martial arts films for decades as producers and filmmakers both perverted his legacy by awkwardly using limited footage of him and presenting it as new and attempting to substitute him with lookalikes and replacements.

The most obvious link between the fighting videogames and martial arts films is their inclination towards tournament structures, which allows fights to be staged onscreen not merely for our viewing pleasure but as necessary narrative components. These battles become a literal “game of death” based around increasingly-difficult fights between diverse characters, and related the two mediums in their ability to instill an intense excitement in the viewer (and/or player) through the gratification (or humiliation) of the fight. The film’s influence on the fighting game genre couldn’t be more explicit in the first two Street Fighter games; the plots are essentially the same (evil mastermind hosts a fighting tournament) and characters (such as Ryu, Ken, Geki, and Balrog/Vega) owe their design and personalities to those seen in the film. However, it’s in the Mortal Kombat movie that we see the most direct influences of the film, and fittingly so; there’s something poetic about Enter the Dragon influencing the Mortal Kombat videogame and the Mortal Kombat adaptation turning to Lee’s popular martial arts classic for inspiration. Indeed, I’ve long argued that Mortal Kombat is essentially a remake of Enter the Dragon: a host of martial artists (including three distinct main characters) are drawn to a mysterious island to fight in a tournament and battle an aging madman. Despite their different levels of knowledge and skill, and their conflicting personalities, they bond and are faced with tougher and tougher opponents until the righteous monk ends the antagonist’s threat in one-on-one combat skewed in the bad guy’s favour. The structure of the narrative and fight scenes are all very reminiscent of Enter the Dragon, but made all the more unique through the steady introduction of Mortal Kombat’s more fantastical elements; these are introduced to us slowly throughout the film, and explained in a way that both we and our sceptical main characters can understand them. While this means that we don’t get to see many of the superhuman and mystical special moves of the videogames, it does help to keep the focus on the characters and the film’s impressive fight scenes.

Although Mortal Kombat has three main protagonists, it’s fundamentally Liu Kang’s story; the pure-hearted hero of the franchise since game one, Liu Kang is presented as a disenchanted and doubt-ridden former Shaolin monk who rejected his upbringing at the Temple of Light in favour of the bright lights and excitement of the United States. Having been raised with full knowledge of the Mortal Kombat tournament, Liu Kang believes that the legends of Outworld are little more than nonsense fairytales designed to indoctrinate and brainwash the Order’s pupils. Indeed, while his grandfather (Lloyd Kino) fully believes in the tournament and pays reverence to Lord Rayden, Liu Kang angrily rejects the stories and questions Rayden’s legitimacy out of anger since he believes that the Order’s teachings were directly responsible for the death of his younger brother, Chan (Steven Ho). Crucially, Liu Kang enters the tournament not to defend Earthrealm but to avenge his brother’s death and is stunned to learn that not only is Rayden truly the God of Thunder but all of the legends he grew up with about Outworld are true; he quickly turns from a sceptic to a source of exposition for his new allies, but remains haunted by his doubts regarding his destiny. Rayden claims that Liu Kang fled the temple because he couldn’t handle the responsibility that comes from being the “Chosen One” and Liu Kang struggles with his heritage as he’s the descendant of the Great Kung Lao, a martial artist who secured Earthrealm’s fate generations ago. As a result, Liu Kang’s greatest enemy is not the array of fantastical and monstrous fighters placed in his path by Shang Tsung, it is himself and his character arc involves learning to overcome his doubts and embrace his destiny as the saviour of Earthrealm.

As charismatic and likeable as Liu Kang is, however, it’s the egotistical showboat Johnny Cage who steals the show at every opportunity. Played to perfection by Linden Ashby, Cage is an arrogant braggart and something of a diva when on set, but his failings as a character come from a deep-seated frustration at being labelled a fake by the press and media. In actual fact, Cage is one of the greatest martial artists in the world and the tournament gives him the opportunity to prove that on the grandest and greatest stage possible; desperate to be taken seriously as a fighter, he willingly makes the journey and remains oblivious to the tournament’s true purpose. Cage acts as the film’s comic relief and every line and character beat of his lands perfectly (his assumption that Liu Kang is a porter is hilarious, as is his struggles with his luggage upon arriving on the island, and he’s never a moment away from a witty retort); while Ashby is far from the accomplished martial artist like Shou, he holds his own in fight scenes and is presented in a way that plays into his strengths, which helps make Cage a very grounded and realistic character. Instantly taking a shine to Sonya, Cage tries and fails to win her over with his boastful character but soon forms a real bond with her, and Liu Kang, based on their shared sense of awe at the scale of the tournament. While Cage goes out of his way to protect Sonya out of a mixture of chivalry and confidence, his character arc is specifically geared towards accepting his limitations and his abilities; rather than rushing head-first into battle to prove himself a legitimate fighter, Cage must learn to use his head and plan ahead, something that he accomplishes when he’s able to outwit and outmatch the lumbering man-mountain that is Goro (Tom Woodruff Jr./Kevin Michael Richardson/Frank Welker).

Finally, there’s Sonya Blade; a strict and focused soldier, Sonya is a grim and stoic young woman whose military drive has been superseded by a bloodthirsty vendetta against Kano (Goddard), the unscrupulous criminal who murdered her partner. Sonya has become so razor-focused on pursing Kano, that she ignores the warnings of her partner, “Jaxx” (Gregory McKinney), and boards Shang Tsung’s boat to apprehend her target. Accordingly, Sonya has no clue about what’s really going on and is incredulous to the advances of Shang Tsung and the supernatural events happening around her; of the three, she’s the most cynical and dismissive of the tournament’s true purpose and she remains obsessed with bringing Kano to justice even after learning of Mortal Kombat’s true nature and the legitimacy of its mystical elements. Initially, Sonya pursues Shang Tsung to get closer to Kano and is reluctant to join forces with Liu Kang and Johnny Cage; her character arc revolves around her being afraid to trust others, which goes a long way to explain her prickly demeanour as she makes a conscious effort to push others way to avoid losing someone she cares about, like her partner. This pays off in the finale, where she’s reduced to a mere hostage and is forced to rely on her newfound friends to come for her since she’s no match for Shang Tsung.

Speaking of whom, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa makes for a truly fearsome and enigmatic villain; Shang Tsung commands the screen whenever he appears with his presentation, charisma, line delivery, and tangible magnetism. Shang Tsung is presented as a cold, sadistic threat; despite appearing to be a middle-aged man, he’s described as being “far more dangerous” than even the fearsome Goro since he can literally steal souls at will. An alluring and cruel villain, Shang Tsung delights in witnessing his forces triumph over Rayden’s chosen warriors and exudes authority and menace simply by being present in a scene or with a few ominous words. His unsettlingly sexual perversion towards Sonya and vehement hatred of Liu Kang only add to his disturbing aura and, while he bends and manipulates events to avoid fighting Liu Kang, he proves himself to be every bit the formidable opponent in the finale thanks to his centuries of experience and the power and knowledge of the souls he has absorbed. Similarly, Trevor Goddard clearly threw everything he had into making Kano an absolutely reprehensible villain who makes a distinctive impression thanks to his guttural grunts, faux Australian accent, and sadistic mean streak that forever changed Kano’s portrayal in the videogames. Both villains convey so much personality and menace whenever they’re onscreen and through their sheer demeanour and a few lines of dialogue; we get a glimpse into Kano’s background but his callous mean streak and attitude help make him a surprisingly well-rounded character and elevate Kano beyond a mere one-dimensional henchman. Both Shang Tsung and his chief champion, Goro, are seeped in mystery and menace; each one are pawns of the ominous Emperor (voiced by Frank Welker) but are significant physical threats in their own right and there’s a real sense of desperation behind them as they’ve never been so close to absolute victory before and are determined to please their Emperor by besting Rayden’s warriors.

Like Tagawa, Lambert perfectly embodies Rayden and his portrayal of Rayden forever changed the Thunder God from a destructive deity who is blasé about destroying life into a wise and benevolent mentor figure; Lambert’s distinctive, rasping voice makes for a strangely ominous character who exudes an absolute confidence thanks to his status as a God. Rayden offers both cryptic council to the protagonists and exposits information about the tournament and the plot that is necessary for them (and us, the audience) to hear but it’s never laborious to sit through thanks to Rayden having a cackling, mocking sense of humour that makes for some truly amusing moments. Johnny Cage meets a fan and makes a fast friend in bit-player Art Lean (Kenneth Edwards), an original character who mainly exists simply to fuel Cage’s animosity towards Goro, and Liu Kang becomes enamoured by the alluring and mysterious Princess Kitana (Soto). Though not really asked to do more than be beautiful and captivating, Kitana plays a pivotal role in delivering another layer of exposition to the protagonists about Outworld and helping facilitate Liu Kang’s larger character arc, and the character is an interesting shade of grey in a film of extreme black and white since she’s technically allied with Outworld but is secretly plotting to aid Earthrealm since the Emperor destroyed her realm.

The deck is definitely stacked against our heroes, though, as they are also faced with a couple of menacing ninjas, Sub-Zero (François Petit) and Scorpion (Chris Casamassa/Ed Boon), two largely mute henchmen whom Shang Tsung has made into mindless slaves with his power. As a big fan of both characters, I am understandably disappointed that their famous rivalry is entirely absent from the film and Mortal Kombat definitely set an annoying precedent for Scorpion being portrayed as a purely evil character (when, in actuality, he’s either neutral or the more virtuous of the two), but as a kid I had absolutely no complaints at all about how the two were portrayed because they stole every scene they were in. Both characters represent how dire the stakes are for our more recognisably human characters; Sub-Zero is able to summon ice and freeze opponents in an instant and Scorpion can send out a deadly, serpent-like tentacle at will and, while these effects haven’t aged too well (and it’s still really weird that Scorpion’s roped kunai was interpreted as a living extension of himself), they clearly define these characters as being otherworldly and a danger that is far beyond a simple martial arts contest. Compounding matters further is the presence of Reptile (Keith Cooke/Frank Welker), an absolutely ugly CGI monster that stalks Kitana (and our heroes) at every turn from the shadows; Reptile is constantly seen following the protagonists while cloaked but proves to be every bit as daunting an opponent as his videogame counterpart when he’s tossed into a corpse and takes physical form. Again, this is a very strange interpretation of the character, but my God does it make for an awesome fight scene between him and Liu Kang! Bolstered by Traci Lords’ incredible techno beat, “Control”, this fight represents Liu Kang’s final hurdle on the road to Shang Tsung and, when placed alongside the battles and scene-stealing, ominous presence of his similarly-attire cohorts, goes a long way to making the masked ninjas an undeniable highlight of the film even if it’s true that they were the most changed by the adaptation process.

The Nitty-Gritty:
One of the many ways Mortal Kombat has earned its reputation as one of the best videogame adaptations is in the fantastic and pulse-pounding techno-inspired soundtrack; the Immortals’ iconic title theme remains one of the best and most memorable theme songs of all time and I’m honestly disappointed that it hasn’t been evoked in the videogames more often. Many of the film’s characterisations and environments would eventually make their way into the videogames and other Mortal Kombat adaptations, with Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, especially, reprising his unforgettable role more than once, though again I can’t help but be disappointed that the film’s cast weren’t brought back to voice their polygonal counterparts sooner in the modern videogames, so iconic are their performances. I think what makes Mortal Kombat such a good videogame adaptation, though, is how perfectly it encapsulates the spirit of the source material; one of the difficulties of videogame adaptations is the fact that you’re taking an interactive medium and making it a purely passive piece of media, so the audience’s engagement with the media is very different. Players relish the opportunity to pummel their opponents and the thrill of making a comeback from a beating or executing one of the franchise’s patented Fatalities, so if you’re going to remove that element you need to replace it with an enjoyable film full of engaging characters and exciting action, and Mortal Kombat definitely delivers in that regard. This is why I continually argue that you can’t go into a videogame adaptation expecting it to be the same as the source material because, by its very nature as a different medium, it can’t be the same; instead, you have to see if it works as an enjoyable film first and foremost and then hope that it’s as faithful to the source material as the new medium allows.

I can understand why fans of the videogame may have been disappointed that characters aren’t all tossing out fireballs and energy waves, however; such abilities are specifically limited to the forces of Outworld or magical beings like Rayden, which is a conscious decision that frames the foreign “other” and otherworldly aspects of the film as being strange, different, and (most importantly) a force to be feared. Sub-Zero and Scorpion are given basically no backstory in the film, and it’s heavily implied that they’re aligned with (or even part of) the mysterious Outworld, so when we see that they wield these incredible and deadly powers, we know that the odds are heavily stacked against our more traditionally-armed protagonists far beyond more explicit threats like the monstrous Goro. Of course, one of the disappointments about Mortal Kombat is the lack of gore and the tame nature of its Fatalities compared to the source material. This can be directly attributed to producer Lawrence Kasanoff, who specifically sold and marketing the Mortal Kombat property not on the violence, but on the story: Kasanoff saw the story as “the centre of the wheel and the videogame [as] the extension of one of the spokes” (Russell, quoting Kasanoff, 2012: 148), and as being “rich in mythology, character, adventure, excitement and positive messages” regarding the sanctity of life (Derek, 1996). Kasanoff believed in Mortal Kombat so much that he sold it as a multimedia franchise rather than simply one violent movie that would appeal to a small segment of the audience, and his focus on the story permeated every aspect of Mortal Kombat’s production: both writer Kevin Droney and director Paul W. S. Anderson emphasised the diversity and realism of the characters and worked to present intense and impactful martial arts fights that would live up to Lee’s high standards.

Accordingly, much of the film’s appeal and popularity can be traced to the personalities of the three main characters and their supporting cast; each actor underwent unique and intense fight training so that they’d be able to pull off a lot of the moves seen onscreen and the rapport between Johnny Cage, Liu Kang, and Sonya Blade is one of the film’s many highlights. Ashby shines as the arrogant and snarky Cage, offering glib quips and conceited remarks about seemingly everything around him but still being brave-hearted and loyal. Robin Shou is so much more than a Bruce Lee standee, exhibiting a likeability and vulnerability as Liu Kang that makes him a compelling and enjoyable character to watch; he’s filled with doubts about his “destiny” and has been trying to hide from his true calling. He is unique among the three because he has been raised on the Mortal Kombat legend but is just as awestruck to find that it’s real and not just a myth; additionally, he has a further emotional stake in the tournament thanks to his personal animosity towards Shang Tsung, all of which tells a fantastic tale of a man learning to fulfil his true potential and safeguard the world in the process. If there’s a weak link of the three, it’s definitely Bridgette Wilson but, even then, it actually works in the context of the film: Sonya is a stoic, no-nonsense military brat who is obsessed with the mission and her vendetta against Kano. She has no time for Cage’s posturing, is highly sceptical of the supernatural and mystical events happening around her, and is focused solely on getting her hands on Kano. However, like the others, she has a lesson to learn (to trust) that comes to fruition as she bonds with her newfound allies and is forced to rely on them when she’s taken hostage in the finale.

One element I’ve always enjoyed about Mortal Kombat is how well it juggles its pacing and cast; rather than cramming every single character from the first two games into the film, Mortal Kombat primarily focuses on the nine characters featured in the first game, with Kitana included as a further source of exposition and a potential love interest for Liu Kang. Sadly, for many fans (including myself), Sub-Zero, Scorpion, and Reptile suffer a bit from the film’s construction; while it makes sense for Reptile to be depicted as a minion of Shang Tsung, the brutal and complex rivalry between Sub-Zero and Scorpion is completely swept under the carpet to make them largely mute henchmen for the enigmatic sorcerer. Still, all three more than make up for this with their impressively faithful outfits and absolutely incredible fight scenes; the battles between Cage and Scorpion, Liu Kang and Sub-Zero, and Liu Kang and Reptile are three of the best (if not arguably the best) fights in the entire film, with each one doing a wonderful job of being both an intense and exciting martial arts showcase while capturing the spirit of the source material brilliantly. Cage/Scorpion is bolstered by being visually distinct from other fights in the film, beginning in a forest of dense, thin tree trucks and ending in what appears to be the Hell-like Netherrealm; not only that, but it features Scorpion’s iconic “Toasty!” Fatality and even a fun little nod to Cage’s Friendship. Liu Kang’s fights against the masked ninjas are far more intense, however, thanks largely to Shou’s involvement in the fight choreography and the undeniable skill of his onscreen opponents; Shou flips and kicks and strikes at his foes with an incredible intensity, and both Sub-Zero and Reptile prove themselves to be formidable and incredibly aggressive opponents. Reptile especially, pushes Liu Kang to the limit (it’s fitting that this is Liu Kang’s most difficult fight considering how cheap and challenging Reptile was in the original Mortal Kombat) and sparks a killer instinct in the former monk that serves him will in his climatic battle with Shang Tsung, while Sub-Zero’s ice powers force Liu Kang to act on Kitana’s cryptic advice to turn his opponent’s deadly magical abilities against him.

We see similar tactics in other fights in the film, too; while the battle between Kano and Sonya may be one of the weaker bouts (succeeded only by the half-hearted, semi-flirtatious “fight” between Liu Kang and Kitana), it’s quite brutal in its own way as Kano has no compunction about striking a woman or kicking her when she’s down. Kano’s arrogance in his greater strength and knowledge of Sonya’s abilities proves to be his downfall, however, as he’s easily caught off-guard by Sonya’s impressive (and incredibly sexy) head scissors and finally put out of his misery with a quick (if somewhat anti-climatic) neck snap. Fittingly, there’s a great deal of effort put into building up the reveal and threat of the monstrous Goro; this titanic creature may look a little too tall and janky nowadays but that doesn’t stop Goro from being a triumph of practical effects and complex animatronics that cost Amalgamated Dynamics $1 million to bring to life. The massive suit and puppet creature makes a lasting impression thanks to being an actual, tangible, in-camera effect and easily sits alongside Jim Henson’s best work; although his fight scenes are often, understandably, a little clunky (or avoided entirely in favour of a quick montage), Goro is presented as the ultimate, unconquerable force who can easily beat an opponent to death and shrug off attacks. Enraged at having witnessed the death of his friend, Art Lean, at the creature’s hands, Cage finally puts aside his ego (…mostly) to challenge Goro in order to take him off the board. What follows is an amusing and innovative glorified chase sequence rather than a traditional fight as Cage delivers his patented split/nut punch and then lures Goro to the top of a nearby mountain, where he’s able to catch the prideful champion by surprise and send him plummeting to his death.

Of course, it all culminates with a showdown between Liu Kang and Shang Tsung; Shang Tsung does everything he can to avoid battling the descendant of his hated enemy but, when backed into a corner, accepts the challenge and relishes the opportunity to taunt and overwhelm the Shaolin monk with his impressive fighting skill. However, Liu Kang doesn’t just face one foe when fighting Shang Tsung, he faces three, both literally and figuratively; by calling upon the thousands of souls he has absorbed over his centuries of life, Shang Tsung is able to conjure a number of minions that Liu Kang must fight through and Liu Kang also has to face “himself” (as in, accept the destiny he has long avoided) and his worst fear. For Liu Kang, this is personified by his younger brother, Chan, whose form Shang Tsung assumes to lure Liu Kang into lowering his guard. However, thanks to Rayden’s teachings and the lessons he has learned throughout the film, Liu Kang finally accepts that he was powerless to help Chan, and all Shang Tsung’s deception does is give Liu Kang the motivation to pummel his foe into submission and deliver a blast (that somewhat resembles his trademark fireball) that sends the sorcerer careening down onto a bed of spikes below. Defeated, Shang Tsung instantly decays into a corpse and all of the souls he has taken are finally freed, allowing Liu Kang to have one final, emotional farewell with his brother and return to Earthrealm victorious. However, while he and his friends celebrate their victory, the Temple of Light suddenly bursts apart as the hulking, monstrous Emperor bursts onto the scene and ends the film on a massive cliffhanger that had me so excited for a follow-up…only to end up being massively disappointed (though that’s a story for another time).

The Summary:
It might be difficult for younger people to understand just how big of a deal Mortal Kombat was back in the day; videogame adaptations were still quite rare at the time and all me and my friends cared about was seeing our favourite videogame characters in a movie. It was exciting and mind-blowing, especially as we were big videogame fans and Street Fighter II and Mortal Kombat were so big and popular at the time; I remember going out of my way to rent Mortal Kombat on video to watch with my friends on my birthday, convincing my mum to let me buy a copy from a market stall, and waiting for what felt like an eternity for the sequel to come out, all while absorbing every piece of related media available that I could. It’s crazy how good this film is; yes, the plot is pretty basic, the concept is outlandish, and some of the performances and effects don’t land quite well, but the film is full of humour, character, and spectacular fight scenes that more than make up for these failings. By focusing on Mortal Kombat’s rich lore and marrying the series’ more fantastical elements with some grounded, relatable, and humorous characters, the film excels at being an entertaining fantasy/action piece. Bolstered by an iconic soundtrack and some fantastic performances from the main cast, Mortal Kombat more than makes an impression with its intense martial arts scenes and wonderfully transplants the themes and spirit of the source material into the familiar trappings of classic kung fu movies like Enter the Dragon. It’s astounding that more videogame adaptations (including those by this film’s director) weren’t able to learn from the standards set by Mortal Kombat; it’s difficult to adapt videogames into movies but I maintain that it’s not impossible, and one must strive to make an entertaining film first and foremost and then find ways for the source material to work in its new medium. Mortal Kombat does this expertly at a time when no one was expecting it and remains so much more than a cult classic; it’s honestly one of the most entertaining films I’ve ever seen and a must watch for fans of the series even with its tame depiction of the franchise’s more violent aspects.

My Rating:

Fantastic

What are your thoughts on Mortal Kombat? How do you feel it holds up today and when compared to the sequels, remake, and other adaptations of the source material (and other videogames) that have come since? Which of the three protagonists your favourite? Were you a fan of the villains in the film and what did you think to the depiction of Goro and Reptile? Were you disappointed to see Scorpion and Sub-Zero neutured into mere henchmen? Do you have any fond memories of this film or the franchise from your childhood? Whatever you think about Mortal Kombat, either leave a comment on my social media or sign up and write your thoughts below.

If you’re interested in learning more about the history of Hong Kong cinema, the impact and legacy of Bruce Lee, and how Mortal Kombat was adapted into a feature film, check out my PhD thesis or some of these resouces:

Derek, S. C. (1996) A Writer’s Guide to Mortal Kombat.

Hunt, L. (2002) ‘‘I Know Kung Fu!’: The Martial Arts in the Age of Digital Reproduction’ in King, G. and Krzywinska, T. (eds.) ScreenPlay: videogames/interfaces. London: Wallflower Press: pages 196 to 201.
________ (2003) Kung Fu Cult Masters: From Bruce Lee to Crouching Tiger. London: Wallflower Press.

Logan, B. (1995) Hong Kong Action Cinema. London: Titan Books.

Russell, J. (2012) Generation Xbox: How Video Games Invaded Hollywood. East Sussex: Yellow Ant.

West, D. (2006) Chasing Dragons: An Introduction to the Martial Arts Film. London: I.B. Tauris & Co Limited.