A martial arts tournament held once every generation pits the warriors of Earth against those of Outworld, a supernatural realm. If Outworld wins ten tournaments in a row, it can conquer Earth, and it has already won nine. To stop it, the thunder god Raiden gathers a mismatched group of fighters: Liu Kang, a former Shaolin monk seeking revenge for his brother's death; Sonya Blade, a Special Forces officer hunting a criminal; and Johnny Cage, a Hollywood star whose fighting credentials are openly doubted. They travel to a remote island where the contest takes place, under the watchful eye of a powerful sorcerer and against formidable rivals. The story mixes tournament action with a rescue plot and revelations about Outworld's past.

How it was made

The project took shape shortly after Mortal Kombat II came out, when independent producer Lawrence Kasanoff acquired the rights from Midway Games. Kevin Droney wrote the screenplay, and the job went to Paul W. S. Anderson, a first-time feature director who had caught attention with his debut, Shopping. The story draws mainly on the 1992 original game, with some elements from Mortal Kombat II (1993). Filming took place largely in Thailand, and the fight choreography was supervised by Robin Shou and Pat E. Johnson. Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa was the filmmakers' first and only choice for Shang Tsung; he won the part after arriving at his audition in costume. John R. Leonetti shot the film, George S. Clinton composed the score, and Martin Hunter edited it. Some accounts note that the violence was toned down compared with the games, partly to ease the film's rating.

Reception and legacy

Mortal Kombat was released in the United States on August 18, 1995, by New Line Cinema. Critics were divided: they praised the martial arts sequences, the atmosphere and the production values, but faulted the screenplay and the softened violence compared with the games. Fans of the series were more receptive. It was a commercial success, grossing $122.2 million on a $20 million budget, and it became the highest-grossing film based on a video game at the time. It was followed by Mortal Kombat: Annihilation in 1997 and two television series, the animated Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm (1996) and the live-action Mortal Kombat: Conquest (1998-1999). The sequels failed to match the original's success, and the franchise was rebooted with a 2021 film. Today it is remembered largely as an early video game adaptation that achieved notable box-office success.

Stills

Trailer

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Trivia

An actor without the costume

Tagawa was picked for Shang Tsung after arriving at his audition in costume and reading his lines standing on a chair. He was allowed to play a younger version of the character to avoid the heavy aging makeup of the game.

A stunt-performing actress

Bridgette Wilson, nicknamed "RoboBabe" on set by director Paul W. S. Anderson, performed all of her own stunts, including the fight scenes.

More films by Paul W. S. Anderson

Resident Evil2002

Resident Evil: Afterlife2010

AVP: Alien vs. Predator2004

Resident Evil: Retribution2012

Death Race2008

Event Horizon1997

Original Cinematopedia text based on Wikipedia (es) and Wikipedia (en) and Wikidata.