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Directed by: Paul W.S. Anderson Starring: Christopher Lambert, Robin Shou, Linden Ashby MORTAAAL KOMBAAAAAT!!!!!!! DUN DUN DUN DUN DUN DUN DUN DUN DUN DUN... FIGHT! Based on the popular video game of the same name, three fighters: movie star Johnny Cage (Linden Ashby), crime fighter Sonya Blade (Bridgette Wilson) and troubled monk Liu Kang (Robin Shou) find themselves on their way to a remote island, the home of a brutal martial arts tournament known only as "Mortal Kombat". Guided by the benevolent Rayden, The God of Thunder (Christopher Lambert) and taunted by tournament organiser Shang Tsung (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa), the three find themselves embroiled in a plot by Tsung to use Mortal Kombat to open a portal to another dimension, paving the way for an invasion of Earth. Of course, it seems that these three are the only ones who can stop him. I remember catching the theatrical run of Mortal Kombat all the way back in 1995. As a Kombat-mad 13 year old, I thought the movie was pretty awesome, and I'm sure a lot of you probably had the exact same sentiments as well. Sorry folks, it doesn't really hold up that well today, with the effects work at times looking very cartoonish (I’m looking at you Reptile) and the fights coming off very ordinary in a post-Matrix world. The film is of course missing the ultra-violence we all associate the game with, and Goro looks really awkward, but I’ve always thought that. However, Lambert and Tagawa are great as Rayden and Shang Tsung, while Ashby delivers a fun performance as Johnny Cage. With some exceptions, such as glossing over the backstories for Scorpion and Sub-Zero and making them Tsung's minions, the movie stays fairly faithful to the source material and also revels in the fact that it's nothing more than a B-grade actioner. Plus, the best fights in the film, the encounters with the two ninjas, are still quite thrilling despite the fact that I remembered them as being much longer and more intense than they actually were. Aside from the B-grade quality to the proceedings and some things in the movie appearing quite dated, Mortal Kombat is still pretty entertaining and remains one of the better video game adaptations around, something which definately can't be said for its woeful sequel Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. 3.5/5 PROS: The Scorpion and Sub-Zero fights still kick rear end. CONS: Not so good with the rose-tinted glasses off. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113855/ mrkillboy fucked around with this message at 07:44 on May 16, 2004 |
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May 16, 2004 06:24
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| # ? Apr 25, 2024 20:50 |
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A good movie that kind of goes with some of Hollywood's cliches, but entertaining none-the-less. My biggest gripe with it though, was that Sub-Zero didn't rip anyone's head off like he did in the video game. Too bad Mortal Kombat: Annihilation didn't do this one justice.
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May 16, 2004 07:26
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I wanted to do a Mortal Kombat review :O anyway i really liked it when younger and i still do like it, its dated but fun, excellent music (love the mortal kombat theme) hey it kicks the live action Street Fighters rear end! 
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May 16, 2004 07:30
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One of my favorite movies, I too saw it as a MK fanboy back when I was young. It might not hold up to time, but I can't really fault it. One of rare cases where a video game makes for a good movie.
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May 16, 2004 11:40
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I first saw this movie at the height of my Mortal Kombat mania, so this movie delivered in a big way. The chick who plays Kitana (Talisa Soto) is freaking hot, and a lot of the action sequences really deliver. I will pretend there was no sequel, because that helps to ease the pain. Voted: 4/5
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May 16, 2004 13:35
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This movie is pretty decent, but could have been a lot better. It's probably the best videogame-based movie ever made, but that's not saying much when you take a look at 'Street Fighter' and 'Super Mario Brothers'. Still, I remember seeing it in the theaters back in 1995 as a 12-year old, and I was thoroughly entertained. But as good as I thought it was, I really dislike what the movie did with Scorpion and Sub-Zero. Now, I understand it's supposed to be a 1 1/2 hour movie and they had to simplify stuff, but I really wish they had stayed true to the whole "Scorpion wants vengeance against Sub-Zero" storyline. When the heroes confront Shang Tsung on the boat, it should have been Reptile who attacked them. Oh, and speaking of Reptile: he looked retarded as gently caress. In fact, a lot of the special effects don't hold up today. I watched it last night, and man, the cgi looks lovely. Goro looks stupid as well. I've always thought that they should have used an actor for his face. I remember way back in 1995, there was a making-of documentary that came on TV, right around the time the movie came out. They talked about all the special effects and how awesome they were, but right at the end, they refused to show how Goro was done because it was apparantly just too amazing. No, seriously, I'm not kidding. I distinctly remember them saying something like "We can't show you how we did Goro because it's too amazing and we want to keep it a secret". It's hilarious looking back, because in the movie, Goro ended up being a goofy animatronic. That said, a lot of the movie was well-done. The actors all looked and played their parts very well. They all looked and acted like their respective characters, and that's all you can really ask for. The acting is silly, but hell, it's a loving videogame movie. Much of the acting and dialogue is appropriate for the material. As for the fighting and action, it falls into the same category as the special effects. They wowed me back in 1995, but they don't hold up now that I've seen 'The Matrix'. Still, some of the fights are pretty cool, such as Johnny Cage v.s. Scorpion. Oh, and the way that Johnny Cage beats Goro is loving GOLD. Absolutely perfect. I remember the entire audience was cracking up (this was before people started clapping in theaters). Probably the best thing about this movie is the music. Even if you hated the movie, you have to admit that it had one of the rear end-kickenest soundtracks ever made. Anyone who says that they weren't impressed with the title sequence and main theme is lying. "Test your might..." I should probably note that the chick who played Kitana is, indeed, amazingly hot. She is seriously one of the hottest women I've ever seen. Her face, complexion, and overall look are practically my ideal. I give 'Mortal Kombat' a 3.0. It handled the source material well (except for Scorpion and Sub-Zero) and is more or less a fun movie. When you think about it, it came out at the perfect time. In 1995, the MK craze was at its peak, and there really wasn't any movies to challenge it that year except for 'Batman Forever'. What else was there? 'Waterworld', 'Congo'? But if it had come out in 1996, it would have been crushed by 'Independance Day'. And by 1997, Mortal Kombat was yesterday's news. It's hard to believe this movie is a decade old. At any rate, when one looks at it objectively, I don't think it deserves more than a 3.
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Jun 18, 2005 02:34
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I don't think it's possible to be familiar with the game, then hear there's a movie about it made in '95, watch said movie, and feel any real letdown. This is a superb video game movie and a pretty darn good martial arts movie. Soundtrack is off the charts. Hell, I think Goro looks just fine. 3.5, I mean let's not go nuts.
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Jun 18, 2005 04:00
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