"Mortal Kombat" is a name that even those who don't play video games know. It was an innovation of the industry as well as pop culture during the 1990's. It not only lead to the creation of the video game rating system but also led to game designers taking more risky and mature storytelling as the industry was no longer 'Just for Kids'. Of course with such popularity, it was inevitable the series would expand into other mediums which included toys, comics, a Saturday morning cartoon, a Live-Action television series, and of course the 1995 movie.
"Mortal Kombat" is directed by Paul W.S. Anderson and is a retelling of the first game where a chosen few are taken to a mysterious island to participate in an ancient tournament to protect the realm of Earth. The fighters Lui Kang (Robin Shou), Johnny Cage (Linden Ashby), and Sonya Blade (Bridgette Wilson) have their work cut out for them as they face off against various supernatural creatures and mystical fighters such as the cryomancer Sub-Zero and the four armed half dragon giant Goro.
The story itself is quite simple as this was when the games were still mainly an arcade mainstay and had very little time to tell its tale in between gameplay. Many martial arts fans will notice the similarities to Bruce Lee's masterpiece "Enter the Dragon" and that's really the best way I can describe this first film. It's "Enter the Dragon" but with pure B-Movie cheese and that's not really a bad thing depending on your expectations going in.
Video game adaptations were very different back then and just took the basics such as gameplay and the character models and having to fill in the blanks themselves and if you look at the alternatives of the day such as the abysmal "Super Mario Brothers" & "Street Fighter" it's easy to see why "Mortal Kombat" gained such a reputation over the years as the "Best Video Game Movie". While it's certainly a fun watch and an obvious cult favorite among gamers, I wouldn't really call this a "Good" movie really, definitely entertaining and fun but let's just say that I'm glad we're getting a more mature take on the material.
The biggest issue is the one everyone knows but I still have to discuss it so I won't linger on it too long. The film is lacking in the series' signature Fatality moves and the violence in general is completely toned down and almost seems tame for the PG-13 rating it did get. No one even bleeds from the various punches or kicks thrown and while the fight scenes are well choreographed and the cast obviously worked very hard to pull off these moves, it is missing that smoothness or over the top nature not just from the games but from superior martial arts action pictures that came before.
Okay, now that I've gotten that out of the way the film's other main flaw is its budget. I can understand that New Line Cinema was very cautious when it came to the film due to its controversy at the time and didn't want to spend too much but Paul Anderson would go on to create cult favorites "Event Horizon" & the first "Resident Evil" movies for about the same budget or less and they are visually impressive and feel like big budget blockbusters whereas here a lot of it feels like they got some cosplayers from a MK convention. The movie also utilizes some really poor CG effects which were dated back in '95 when they could've used more reliable techniques that were more fitting to their low budget and would've looked a million times better.
The biggest pro this movie has going for it is the cast, which all do an awesome job and really elevate this movie. Christopher Lambert's Raiden is a bit sillier than his game counterpart but for some reason I can't help but chuckle at his silly dialog. The film's main villain, played by Cary Hiroyuki-Tagawa is a perfect fit and he is so ingrained into our head as Shang Tsung, they would use his likeness and voice talent in "Mortal Kombat 11" nearly 20 years later. Linden Ashby is another great fit as the smart mouthed Johnny Cage and it's a shame we didn't see him reprise the role (though rumor has it he has a cameo in the upcoming new film). The best quips from the movie are 99% Ashby's and next to Tagawa he's definitely the most memorable character.
Wilson's Sonya retains the character's tough persona though she sadly becomes merely a damsel for the climax which feels like a studio decision as it comes out of nowhere and goes against everything about how this character acts so it's a shame she's reduced to this as the film climaxes. The final standout is Trevor Goddard who like Tagawa would go on to influence the game studio Netherrealm to retcon and change the villainous Kano due to him being so good in the role. Sadly, the actor is no longer with us but he kills it as the character here and made a legacy for himself.
It had been a while since I last popped in "Mortal Kombat" and I gotta say it still holds up as a fun, throwaway action flick. It doesn't stand among the greats like Schwarzenegger or Stallone films of the 90's but it's a fun way to spend an afternoon. It likely won't appeal to non-fans as it does a lot of exposition dumping that will just leave people confused but if you shut your brain off you'll have fun with this silly movie.
C+
You can check out my other "Mortal Kombat" movie reviews HERE & HERE.
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