Average Rating: 4.5/10
Reviews Counted: 29
Fresh: 10 | Rotten: 19
Despite an effective otherwordly atmosphere and appropriately cheesy visuals, Mortal Kombat suffers from its poorly constructed plot, laughable dialogue, and subpar acting.
Average Rating: 4.1/10
Critic Reviews: 7
Fresh: 2 | Rotten: 5
Despite an effective otherwordly atmosphere and appropriately cheesy visuals, Mortal Kombat suffers from its poorly constructed plot, laughable dialogue, and subpar acting.
liked it
Average Rating: 2.8/5
User Ratings: 227,667
Three reluctant fighters are drafted for an intergalactic martial-arts tournament that will determine the fate of the human race in this special-effects-driven adventure. Inspired by the popular and notoriously bloody video game, Mortal Kombat provides a semblance of a plot as an excuse for rampant mayhem, with the evil alien forces challenging humanity to a kung fu battle to decide the Earth's fate. Following the failure of several previous human defenders, mankind's last chance lies with
PG-13, 1 hr. 41 min.
Action & Adventure, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Aug 18, 1995 Wide
Aug 26, 1997
New Line Home Entertainment
All Critics (29) | Top Critics (7) | Fresh (10) | Rotten (20) | DVD (8)
Where others have sunk in the mire of imitation, director Paul Anderson and writer Kevin Droney effect a viable balance between exquisitely choreographed action and ironic visual and verbal counterpoint.
The most intriguing is a glassy-eyed follower whose right hand shoots out a hissing reptile that can extend itself for miles. Exotic creatures like these make watching Mortal Kombat feel like being in a high-tech fun house.
Likely to satisfy only the core audience already hooked on video and arcade games, and even that's not a sure thing.
The movie has everything a teenage boy could want... Everything, that is, but an interesting plot, decent dialogue and compelling acting.
The movie that most nearly approximates a video game: lots of action, no plot, eye-catching computer effects and a dollop of violence.
Just looks and plays a lot like Johnny Mnemonic, Double Dragon and other video-game-inspired, mayhem-filled messes.
Hardly award-worthy entertainment, and pretty visually dated, but probably one of the better video game movies ever made comparatively.
...never lets you forget for a minute that it's essentially a video game. (Blu-ray Edition)
...a one-note gimmick that comes with everything but a joystick for the viewer to control the robotic characters.
We'll concede that four-armed Prince Goro is a hoot, Christopher Lambert looks fabulous in a flowing white wig, and Talisa Soto, who plays some kind of princess, can lord it over us anytime.
All the head-crushing and thigh-flexing doesn't compensate for the monotony of a story that simply traipses from one combat (sorry, kombat) to the next.
cheesy but still, kick ass
British director Anderson does a fair job with what he was given: four good-looking leads, some very impressive sfx, Babylonian sets, a bone-crunching soundtrack, and a battery of well-choreographed fights.
Like watching a lot of sweaty fist fights while trapped in the world's loudest night club.
This one's a howler that's so bad it's almost good -- almost.
If the movie Mortal Kombat were a character in a Mortal Kombat video game, its special maneuver would be to climb on its opponent's shoulders and defecate on his head.
Hopeless? Oh yes. It's hopeless alright. Mondo hopeless.
Cheesy with no nutrients. But hey, anything's better than Street Fighter.
[A] surprisingly good movie.
I've played 4 MK games, MKII, MKIII, MK Deadly Alliance, and MKI, and though I don't think the games are incredibly good like everyone else says, I will say, it was good for a movie idea. Aaaaaannnnddddd...... The movie was just okay. The acting is cheesily entertaining, and some of the action scenes are good. The only
January 29, 2012Super Reviewer
I just get the feeling that this movie was completely rushed. It seemed cool as a little kid, but looking back now it just seems all too cheesy.
August 7, 2011Super Reviewer
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