Mortal Kombat (1995)
TOMATOMETER
AUDIENCE SCORE
Critic Consensus: Despite an effective otherwordly atmosphere and appropriately cheesy visuals, Mortal Kombat suffers from its poorly constructed plot, laughable dialogue, and subpar acting.
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Cast
as Rayden
as Johnny Cage
as Shang Tsung
as Liu Kang
as Sonya Blade
as Kitana
as Kano
as Scorpion
as Sub-Zero
as Fighting Monk
as Art Lean
as Chief Priest
as Assistant Director
as Director
as Jaxx
as Chan
as Prince Goro
as Master Boyd
as Grandfather
as Jaxx
as Singer at Techno Club
as Singer at Techno Club
as Reptile
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Critic Reviews for Mortal Kombat
All Critics (32) | Top Critics (8) | Fresh (11) | Rotten (21) | DVD (3)
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.
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.
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.
The movie has everything a teenage boy could want... Everything, that is, but an interesting plot, decent dialogue and compelling acting.
Just looks and plays a lot like Johnny Mnemonic, Double Dragon and other video-game-inspired, mayhem-filled messes.
The movie that most nearly approximates a video game: lots of action, no plot, eye-catching computer effects and a dollop of violence.
Audience Reviews for Mortal Kombat
The first and best of the 'MK' movies. I saw this on cinematic release and thought it was slightly OK, upon watching it again I still feel its slightly OK, extremely hokey and tacky but it holds its own to a degree. At the time it was either this or 'Street Fighter' with JCVD and MK won hands down. Its basically a continuous setup for various fights between popular characters, unfortunately the fights are very basic and don't even look too good but they were fine for the time and the characters do look good, Scorpion being the best. The look is dark n gloomy in a PG kinda way, kinda goth with some glorious location backdrops and it does match well against the game. It is very gentle stuff but it does the job well, which is rare for a computer game film, it just about gives you what you expected...after seeing the trailer and realising it wasn't an adult film that is. Tagawa and Lambert make the film stand out with some nice hammy ass performances but they do inject some laughs and a reasonable hint of realism or a sense of danger into the fun. They both give the film much needed bite with the lack of spine removals and acid pools. Rest of the cast are pretty much your bargain basement D-list personnel which may have been hired off the street I dunno. I guess you have Robin Shou who looks the part and can actually do the moves. The film is a lost chance for something really nasty lets be honest but we all knew this would happen right, at least it betters the 'Double Dragon' film. One also has to remember this is in the days of early CGI and by gum its bad here!. Not only do they use a lot of it (naturally) but it looks awful, really basic stuff that doesn't even look like its been done correctly. What on earth they did to 'Reptile' I'll never know, looked like something off an old Amiga videogame. Best to forget about the 'Goro' puppet creation, not bad though...in a PG 'TMNT' kinda way that is, good dated 90's techno soundtrack too. Its all 90's...'FIGHT!!'
Super Reviewer
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 nitpicks I have for the film is that, while some of the effects look really good like Goro, Scorpions eyes and skull face, and the soul stealing thing that Shang Tsung does, most of the other effects look really bad or look really dated, like Reptiles CG form, the spear that comes out of Scorpions hand, or the electricity effects on Raiden. Another Nitpick is that a lot of the action scenes go on a little too long, like 5 minutes too long. Most fighting movies have fights up to about 4 to 5 minutes, most of the fights in this movie, go on for about 9 minutes to 11, and it gets really boring after a while. But its a decent movie overall and its entertaining to watch with friends, even if it is just to make fun of it.
Super 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.
Super Reviewer
Mortal Kombat Quotes
| Shang Tsung: | One last chance, Sonya. Fight me in Mortal Kombat. |
| Sonya Blade: | Go to hell. |
| Shang Tsung: | (Laughs) Take her away, the emperor will be overjoyed. |
| Shang Tsung: | Take her away, the emperor will be overjoyed. |
| Sonya Blade: | My friends will come. |
| Johnny Cage: | They're already here. |
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