Mortal Kombat (1995)

User Rating:

5.4/10   

Director:

Paul W.S. Anderson

Writers (WGA):

Ed Boon (video games) &
John Tobias (video games) ...

Release Date:

18 August 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Fantasy | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Choose Your Destiny...

Plot:

Three unknowing martial artists are summoned to a mysterious island to compete in a tournament whose outcome will decide the fate of the world.

Plot Keywords:

Tournament | Mortal Kombat | Sorcerer | Fighting | Martial Arts

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Christopher Lambert	...	Lord Rayden
Robin Shou	...	Liu Kang
Linden Ashby	...	Johnny Cage
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa	...	Shang Tsung
Bridgette Wilson	...	Sonya Blade
Talisa Soto	...	Princess Kitana
Trevor Goddard	...	Kano
Chris Casamassa	...	Scorpion
François Petit	...	Sub-Zero
Keith Cooke	...	Reptile (as Keith H. Cooke)
Hakim Alston	...	Fighting Monk
Kenneth Edwards	...	Art Lean
John Fujioka	...	Chief Priest
Daniel Haggard	...	Assistant Director
Sandy Helberg	...	Director

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for non-stop martial arts action and some violence.

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS (8 channels)

Certification:

Iceland:14 | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Japan:R-15 | Japan:PG-12 (uncut version) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:M | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (British Columbia) (1999) | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Mexico:B | Netherlands:12 (re-rated) | New Zealand:M | Norway:18 (1995) | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:15 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | Taiwan:R-12 | UK:15 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Austin, Texas, USA

Company:

New Line Cinema

Trivia:

In real life, Christopher Lambert is an enthusiastic gamer himself.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: During the fight between Johnny Cage and Scorpion in the plantation, a car can be seen in the background.

Quotes:

Shang Tsung: From this moment on, my island will be your battle ground.
[points to Liu Kang]
Shang Tsung: Liu Kang, you will be first. Let Mortal Kombat begin.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Cable Guy (1996)

Soundtrack:

Twist The Knife (Slowly)

Best video game movie to date

And that really says a lot about how the not-so-current trend of games-to-movies are received among critics. But this one was easily the best of all of them. This is easily in a league higher than the likes of Super Mario Brothers, Double Dragon, Street Fighter, Wing Commander, the Tomb Raider movies, Resident Evils 1 and 2, House of the Dead and Alone in the Dark, not to mention that this was one of the few that actually stayed true to the game, from the costumes to the tourney fights, from the characters to the plot lines, everything was done right, and it makes for one hell of a fight-'em-to-the-finish type movie.

But heed my warning: AVOID THE SEQUEL AT ALL COST! Just stick with the original. You won't be disappointed (well, maybe you will, just maybe).