90's Throwback Month - Mortal Kombat (1995)
Hey guys, Chuck here, and welcome back to 90's Throwback Month. Let's face it, movies based on video games tend to, well, suck. Super Mario Bros, Double Dragon, Wing Commander, the list goes on. However, among the movies based on video games to actually be successful, the most memorable one of them is the 1995 film, Mortal Kombat.
Directed by Paul W. S. Anderson, who at the time was credited as just Paul Anderson, Mortal Kombat focuses on three individuals brought together to fight against the forces of Outworld in an ancient tournament called Mortal Kombat. The reason for this is due to the Elder Gods making a decree that before they can invade the realm of Earth, the forces of Outworld must defeat fighters from Earth in ten straight victories in Mortal Kombat. By the time the movie starts, Outworld has won nine times so far. The three Earthrealm fighters are Liu Kang, who enters the tournament to get revenge against the demonic sorcerer Shang Tsung for killing Liu's younger brother; Johnny Cage, who enters at the promise of being able to prove that, despite what the press believes, he is the real deal; Sonya Blade, a Special Forces operative who is tricked onto the boat heading for the tournament by following Kano, a criminal who killed her partner. The three fighters fall under the guidance of Raiden, the god of thunder, who gives them advice throughout the tournament. Among their adversaries are Earthrealm criminal Kano, the spectral ninja Scorpion, the cryomancer ninja Sub-Zero, the four-armed champion of the tournament Goro, and the creature Reptile. Shang Tsung also inserts himself in the tournament after the defeat of Goro, and fights Liu Kang in the tower of the Emperor in Outworld. Also part of the tournament is the princess Kitana, who is working with the Earthrealm fighters to defeat Shang Tsung, so that Earthrealm won't suffer the same fate as what happened to Outworld when the realm lost to the Emperor's forces ten times in Mortal Kombat. Liu Kang defeats Shang Tsung, and the Earthrealm fighters, along with Kitana, return to Earthrealm. The movie ends with the four, along with Raiden, getting ready to face off against the Emperor himself.
Mortal Kombat is among the few movies based on video games that actually follows the plot of the video game it's adapting. At the time, movies based on video games such as Super Mario Bros. and Street Fighter told stories that had nothing to do with the game it was adapting, so Mortal Kombat doing so was a real breath of fresh air in that regard. Actors Robin Shou, Linden Ashby, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, and Bridgette Wilson were all fantastic as Liu Kang, Johnny Cage, Shang Tsung, and Sonya Blade. Christopher Lambert was a bit of an odd choice for Raiden, but he did a terrific job, nonetheless. The main focus on the casting was making sure to cast actors that were skilled martial artists, as well as casting skilled martial artists. The reason for this, and this is something that everyone needs to remember (I'm looking at you, Nostalgia Critic), is because Mortal Kombat is a martial arts movie, which means the acting and story come second in comparison to the martial arts scenes. However, the acting and story are both just as good as the martial arts scenes, and the martial arts scenes, with maybe one exception, are fantastic. The music in this movie was also terrific, and the theme song, Techno Syndrome, is still popular to this day. Now, I am aware that the movie lacks the gory fatalities due to its PG-13 rating, and many find that to be the one downside of the movie. While I agree for the most part, I also look at it from a different perspective; had the movie ben R rated, the movie would have lost a large chunk of the game's fans, most of whom were teenagers. Luckily, next January, we'll be getting an R rated reboot of Mortal Kombat, so keep an eye out for that. As for the PG-13 rated Mortal Kombat from 1995, I still think it holds up when compared to other movies based on video games, and I give it a rating of 4.75/5. This is Chuck signing off. See you guys next time when 90's Throwback Month continues.
Directed by Paul W. S. Anderson, who at the time was credited as just Paul Anderson, Mortal Kombat focuses on three individuals brought together to fight against the forces of Outworld in an ancient tournament called Mortal Kombat. The reason for this is due to the Elder Gods making a decree that before they can invade the realm of Earth, the forces of Outworld must defeat fighters from Earth in ten straight victories in Mortal Kombat. By the time the movie starts, Outworld has won nine times so far. The three Earthrealm fighters are Liu Kang, who enters the tournament to get revenge against the demonic sorcerer Shang Tsung for killing Liu's younger brother; Johnny Cage, who enters at the promise of being able to prove that, despite what the press believes, he is the real deal; Sonya Blade, a Special Forces operative who is tricked onto the boat heading for the tournament by following Kano, a criminal who killed her partner. The three fighters fall under the guidance of Raiden, the god of thunder, who gives them advice throughout the tournament. Among their adversaries are Earthrealm criminal Kano, the spectral ninja Scorpion, the cryomancer ninja Sub-Zero, the four-armed champion of the tournament Goro, and the creature Reptile. Shang Tsung also inserts himself in the tournament after the defeat of Goro, and fights Liu Kang in the tower of the Emperor in Outworld. Also part of the tournament is the princess Kitana, who is working with the Earthrealm fighters to defeat Shang Tsung, so that Earthrealm won't suffer the same fate as what happened to Outworld when the realm lost to the Emperor's forces ten times in Mortal Kombat. Liu Kang defeats Shang Tsung, and the Earthrealm fighters, along with Kitana, return to Earthrealm. The movie ends with the four, along with Raiden, getting ready to face off against the Emperor himself.
Mortal Kombat is among the few movies based on video games that actually follows the plot of the video game it's adapting. At the time, movies based on video games such as Super Mario Bros. and Street Fighter told stories that had nothing to do with the game it was adapting, so Mortal Kombat doing so was a real breath of fresh air in that regard. Actors Robin Shou, Linden Ashby, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, and Bridgette Wilson were all fantastic as Liu Kang, Johnny Cage, Shang Tsung, and Sonya Blade. Christopher Lambert was a bit of an odd choice for Raiden, but he did a terrific job, nonetheless. The main focus on the casting was making sure to cast actors that were skilled martial artists, as well as casting skilled martial artists. The reason for this, and this is something that everyone needs to remember (I'm looking at you, Nostalgia Critic), is because Mortal Kombat is a martial arts movie, which means the acting and story come second in comparison to the martial arts scenes. However, the acting and story are both just as good as the martial arts scenes, and the martial arts scenes, with maybe one exception, are fantastic. The music in this movie was also terrific, and the theme song, Techno Syndrome, is still popular to this day. Now, I am aware that the movie lacks the gory fatalities due to its PG-13 rating, and many find that to be the one downside of the movie. While I agree for the most part, I also look at it from a different perspective; had the movie ben R rated, the movie would have lost a large chunk of the game's fans, most of whom were teenagers. Luckily, next January, we'll be getting an R rated reboot of Mortal Kombat, so keep an eye out for that. As for the PG-13 rated Mortal Kombat from 1995, I still think it holds up when compared to other movies based on video games, and I give it a rating of 4.75/5. This is Chuck signing off. See you guys next time when 90's Throwback Month continues.
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