Mortal Kombat (1995)
62%RT Audience Score: 57%
Awards & Nominations: 4 wins & 6 nominations
Despite an effective otherwordly atmosphere and appropriately cheesy visuals, Mortal Kombat suffers from its poorly constructed plot, laughable dialogue, and subpar acting
Mortal Kombat is the perfect movie for those who love a good laugh with friends. Sure, the special effects are incredibly poor and the fight choreography is sometimes lacking, but that just adds to the charm of this classic film. And let’s not forget the iconic ooofff! augghhhh! sounds made by the guys in the recording studio – they clearly had all the fun. So grab some popcorn, gather your friends, and get ready for a hilariously bad movie night with Mortal Kombat.
Production Company(ies)
Large Lab
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Streaming, Streaming (HBO Max), Theatrical, Theatrical (Wide)
Filming Location(s)
Adelaide Studios, 226 Fullarton Road, Glenside, South Australia, Australia
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for strong bloody violence and language throughout, and some crude references
Year of Release
1995
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Atmos Dolby Digital IMAX 6-Track Auro 11.1 Dolby Surround 7.1
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:NA
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Language(s):English, Japanese, Chinese
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Streaming): May 22, 2007
Genre(s)
Action
Keyword(s)
starring Robin Shou, Linden Ashby, Bridgette Wilson-Sampras, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Talisa Soto, Christopher Lambert, directed by Paul W.S Anderson, written by Kevin Droney, action, PG-13, Lawrence Kasanoff, $70.5M box office, reviewed by Nigel Andrews, Geoff Brown, Gene Siskel, Kevin Thomas, Lisa Schwarzbaum, Kim Newman, Don Shanahan, Shaun Munro, Alan Ng, Mike Massie, David Hogan, Mortal Kombat, Lord Rayden, martial artists, federal agent, Shaolin monk, action movie sensation, Outworld, inter-dimensional fighting tournament, demonic warriors, evil Shang Sung, Princess Kitana, sound mix, surround, stereo
Worldwide gross: $84,426,031
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $91,060,994
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,064
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 9,930,316
US/Canada gross: $42,326,031
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $46,034,076
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,112
US/Canada opening weekend: $23,302,503
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $25,343,959
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 539
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $55,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $59,818,370
Production budget ranking: 679
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $32,212,192
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$969,568
ROI to date (est.): -1%
ROI ranking: 1,401
Linden Ashby – Johnny Cage
Bridgette Wilson-Sampras – Sonya Blade
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa – Shang Tsung
Talisa Soto – Princess Kitana
Christopher Lambert – Lord Rayden
Director(s)
Paul W.S. Anderson
Writer(s)
Kevin Droney
Producer(s)
Lawrence Kasanoff
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
4 wins & 6 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (44) | Top Critics (14) | Fresh (20) | Rotten (24)
It is too violent for children and too silly for anyone else.
March 17, 2021
Nigel Andrews
Financial Times
TOP CRITIC
Novices may find the ground rules difficult to follow, though if you cut away the baroque detail you are left with a blunt, noisy, violent fight between good and evil.
March 17, 2021
Geoff Brown
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
The only decent video game turned into a movie. Why? Obviously because the filmmakers have really tried to offer some eye-popping visuals that can provide the same stimuli as the video game itself.
September 14, 2020 | Rating: 3/4
Gene Siskel
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
A martial arts action-adventure with wondrous special effects and witty production design, it effectively combines supernatural terror, a mythical slay-the-dragon, save-the-princess odyssey and even a spiritual quest for self-knowledge.
April 18, 2019
Kevin Thomas
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
The guys in the recording studio who made the ooofff! augghhhh! sounds are the ones who really had all the fun.
September 7, 2011 | Rating: C+
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
Anderson does a good job of edging humour into dumbness – Lambert gets a few witty looks – and the art direction and effects are okay.
April 7, 2010 | Rating: 3/5
Kim Newman
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
The wonderful (and practical) use of a limited budget, the film’s phenomenal production design, and exquisite cinematography, and the admittedly terrible application of CGI.
October 2, 2021
Don Shanahan
Cinephile Hissy Fit Podcast
Time hasn’t been kind to every facet of Anderson’s Mortal Kombat, but its well-crafted atmospherics, heightened action, and enthusiastic cast ensure it remains one of the more spirited video game adaptations to date.
April 24, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/5
Shaun Munro
Flickering Myth
I’ll say it over and over again. Just because you own the rights to a franchise…any franchise, if you can’t tap into the emotional reasons why we love these characters and their stories, save your money.
April 13, 2021 | Rating: 3/10
Alan Ng
Film Threat
The special effects are incredibly poor, even by 1995’s standards.
September 16, 2020 | Rating: 2/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
Bad actors in lead roles, sometimes poor fight choreography and extremely dated special effects, MK isn’t a good film, but it does make for a good laugh with friends!
September 19, 2019 | Rating: 3/5
David Hogan
hoganreviews.co.uk
Unlike other games-inspired turkeys (Super Mario Bros, Street Fighter), this one actually works, thanks mainly to director Paul Anderson’s single-minded dedication to nonstop, expertly choreographed martial arts action, all set to a thumping techno beat.
April 18, 2019 | Rating: 3/5
John Ferguson
Radio Times…
Plot
MMA fighter Cole Young (Lewis Tan), accustomed to taking a beating for money, is unaware of his heritage-or why Outworld’s Emperor Shang Tsung (Chin Han) has sent his best warrior, Sub-Zero (Joe Taslim), an otherworldly Cryomancer, to hunt Cole down. Fearing for his family’s safety, Cole goes in search of Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee) at the direction of Jax (Mehcad Brooks), a Special Forces Major who bears the same strange dragon marking Cole was born with. Soon, he finds himself at the temple of Lord Raiden (Tadanobu Asano), an Elder God and the protector of Earthrealm, who grants sanctuary to those who bear the mark. Here, Cole trains with experienced warriors Liu Kang (Ludi Lin), Kung Lao (Max Huang) and rogue mercenary Kano (Josh Lawson), as he prepares to stand with Earth’s greatest champions against the enemies of Outworld in a high stakes battle for the universe. But will Cole be pushed hard enough to unlock his arcana-the immense power from within his soul-in time to save not only his family but to stop Outworld once and for all?
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The film features Christopher Lambert, known for his role as Connor MacLeod in the Highlander franchise.
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