Hey guys and welcome to the start of a new series of throwback reviews! This one will be pertaining to the feature length adaptation of the popular and long lasting video game series, Mortal Kombat which just had a new live action film open this year as well as the sequel to the direct to DVD animated movie, Mortal Kombat Scorpion’s Revenge. I will be reviewing that one eventually, as well as the first two cinematic takes on the property that released in the 90s. I will admit that I’ve never actually played any of the games, but I do know enough about the mythology and characters to have some knowledge of the property in general (I really would like to play the actual games one of these days though). When it comes to the 90s flicks it was just recently that I watched them for the first time and with the first one it was not only a hit back in it’s day, but it’s also one that is fondly remembered by those who grew up during that time and played the original games with a good number of people considering it among the better video game movies. As someone watching it with fresh eyes I did have quite a bit of fun with this one even though I do acknowledge there are certain aspects that haven’t aged all that well. So with that out of the way, let’s step into the ring to fight in a tournament where only the strongest will prevail in this flawed yet fun adventure!
Once for every generation, a legendary martial arts tournament known as Mortal Kombat is held between the two realms of Earth and Outworld. This tradition was thought up by the Elder Gods and if Outworld is able to accomplish ten consecutive victories, then the Emperor, Shao Khan, will conquer the Earth with his army. Given that they have already won nine tournaments, Raiden, the god of Thunder/defender of the Earth realm chooses four fighters he believes to be worthy so that they can hopefully stop Outworld from winning a tenth time. Those fighters are Shaolin monk, Liu Kang, special forces officer, Sonya Blade, and famous action movie star, Johnny Cage, each of whom are in it for different reasons. Yet as soon as they arrive on the island, things turn out to be a lot deadlier than they bargained for and now they must fight different challengers in order to save Earth Realm before it’s too late!
The best way to sum up the story is as a fantastical take on Bruce Lee’s Enter the Dragon as the concept of skilled fighters competing in a high stakes tournament hosted by a force of evil is pretty similar except without the deep mythology, world ending stakes, and fantasy elements that this movie has. As that, it works pretty well in that regard, setting up the conflict and characters in an efficient manner and then going on to deliver plenty of the action that fans would expect from a movie like this. There is also a good amount of high stakes to the proceedings to make them mostly investing and it thankfully never overstays it’s welcome throughout it’s 101 minute running time. Plus I did find much of the mythology introduced to be cool even if it’s mostly delivered through exposition. Like I mentioned though it isn’t a perfect film as there isn’t a whole lot of interesting development for the characters, the story is mainly there to prop up the action sequences and much of the dialogue can be really cheesy. In fact the movie is full of corny stuff throughout, but I will admit that I actually found that aspect of the movie pretty fun at times. I think that’s because the movie knows what it is and is not afraid to go all out with the campiness which I think adds to the charm of it all like the insanely over the top moments and funny one liners. While there were times were I thought the camp was a little too much the film is still a fun product of it’s time that mostly succeeds at what it’s going for in being a campy martial arts adventure.
Even though I’ve never played the games I of course know that they are known for their insane violence and gruesome fatalities. Granted due to the fact that this movie is PG-13, it of course doesn’t go that far with it’s violence which may disappoint some newer hardcore fans but nonetheless I still found the actual fights themselves to be a highlight of the movie. I thought Paul W.S. Anderson was able to inject the right amount of energy into them while also shooting them in a way that’s comprehensible so that the audience can see what’s going on. There’s also a lot of cool stunts and martial arts and I like how most of the fights took place in a different setting to make each one stand out from one another with some stand outs being Johnny Cage’s battles with Scorpion and Goro (the latter also having a really ridiculous moment that I couldn’t help but laugh at), Liu Kangs fight with Reptile, and the finale where Shang Tsung summons fighters from the past to fight Liu Kang. They’re a lot of fun to watch unfold and I especially loved the use of George S. Clinton’s iconic techno rock music during certain moments as it really is a banger and gets me hyped for what’s about to come down. Now I will admit the CGI and greenscreen backgrounds that are used here really doesn’t hold up at all and they look like outdated video game graphics(I know this was 1995, but even by those standards it looks dated), but that can also add a bit to it’s charm. Plus there are some awkward editing choices like with some of the transitions that did take me out of the film at some points. On a positive note though, the actual sets, in particular when it Shang Tsung’s palace and Outworld itself are well put together, feel big, and are fun places where the characters can fight and the puppetry used for Goro (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson and physically acted by Tom Woodruff Jr.) is actually not too bad as he looks and feels like an intimidating presence and he looks like he does in the games. The technical aspects that don’t hold up really show, but what’s done well is done rather well for the most part.
Another one of the more notable elements of the games is the huge and varied roster of unique characters and this first adaptation understandably includes the more popular ones even if I do think the way they are handled is a mixed bag. First there’s Liu Kang who is the lead of the film whose motivation in entering the tournament is to avenge the death of his brother, who was killed by Shang Tsung. Unfortunately I found him to be pretty dull and among the least interesting of the cast with Robin Shou not doing much to elevate the material. I can see what they were trying to do with making his motive the driving force of his arc, but I just didn’t find it all that fleshed out for it to truly land. He also gets something of a love interest in the form of Kitana, played by former Bond girl, Talisa Soto, who is the daughter of Shao Khan who attempts to join forces with the heroic forces and despite having potential I also didn’t find much interesting about her and the romance she forms with Liu Kang felt underdeveloped. Also falling into this category is Bridgette Wilson’s Sonya Blade who is similar to Kang in that she is determined to avenge the death of her partner, but she doesn’t really have much of a personality save for being really strong willed and it was disappointing how she devolved into a damsel in distress in the climax (though Wilson does show off some impressive stunt work). Now that doesn’t mean I didn’t find some highlights as I thought Linden Ashby did a nice job as the hot headed Johnny Cage. He gets a lot of fun lines, Ashby brings a natural charisma to the role, and I liked his motivation of trying to prove to the world that he is the real deal when it comes to his fighting skills and he proves that a number of times. He just gives the movie a real shot in the arm whenever he is onscreen and contrasts nicely with the more serious members of the group. Along those same lines, ethnically incorrect casting aside, I also really enjoyed Christopher Lambert’s performance as Raiden as he plays the role of the wise mentor well and his dry wit got some laughs out of me. On the villain side of things, there is Shang Tsung, the host of the tournament, who may not be that compelling of a threat, but he is a serviceable baddie with Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa having fun hamming it up in the role while Trevor Goddard does likewise as Kano, a crimeboss who serves as a henchman to Tsung and is the one responsible for Sonya’s partner’s death. I did find it weird however, that arguably the two most popular characters in the series, Scorpion (here played by Chris Casamassa) and Sub-Zero (Francois Petit) aren’t really actual characters here as they merely serve as goons to Shang Tsung and are essentially obstacles that our heroes have to face. Just thought it was a strange choice for them to be used like this. Other than, on the whole there were characters that I found to be really enjoyable and those who I sadly did not care much for, though I wouldn’t be surprised if they had more depth in the newer games.
It may not be among my favorite video game movies, but I enjoyed Mortal Kombat (1995) despite it’s issues. I know there is a quite a bit that hasn’t aged all that well, much of the dialogue is corny as well heck, and there are a characters I just didn’t find myself caring all that much for, but for what it’s going for it mostly succeeds thanks to it’s efficient way of telling it’s story, a cool mythology, some well done fight scenes, a great soundtrack, a couple of fun characters, plenty of over the top performances, and most importantly it knows what it is and is at it’s best when it really embraces the goofiness of it all. I tend to enjoy fantastical martial arts features like this and I thought this did it’s job and made me curious in checking out the games eventually, which is always good of an adaptation to do. There are definitely those who may find this a bit too much and it’s admittedly probably not as good as a Mortal Kombat movie could be, but for those in the mood for some ridiculous martial arts fun, you might get a bit of a kick out of it. Plus it very much ends on a cliff hanger setting up the sequel, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation which I will be reviewing soon and all I’ll say is that it has quite the infamous reputation and for very good reasons…
Rating: B-
Please leave your thoughts down below in the comments and see you guys later!
Review Time 