[[Category:Script error: No such module "pagetype".s with short description]]Expression error: Unexpected < operator. Mortal Kombat is a 1995 American fantasy martial arts action film[2] directed by Paul W. S. Anderson, produced by Lawrence Kasanoff, written by Kevin Droney, and starring Robin Shou, Linden Ashby, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Bridgette Wilson, Talisa Soto and Christopher Lambert. It is a loose adaptation of the early entries in the fighting game series Mortal Kombat and is the first installment in the Mortal Kombat film series. The plot of the film follows the warrior monk Liu Kang, the actor Johnny Cage, and the soldier Sonya Blade, all three guided by the god Raiden (spelled Rayden in the movie), on their journey to combat the evil sorcerer Shang Tsung and his forces in a tournament to save Earth. The film's primary source material was 1992's original game of the same title, but it was also inspired by and incorporates elements of 1993's follow-up game Mortal Kombat II. Mortal Kombat, a Lawrence Kasanoff/Threshold Entertainment production in association with Midway Games, was filmed primarily in Los Angeles, as well as on location in Thailand, and premiered on August 18, 1995 in the United States. It was well-received by the fans of the videogame and it received mixed reviews from critics who praised the martial art sequences, atmosphere, exotic locations and production values whereas the performances, the script and the PG-13 rating were criticized. Mortal Kombat spent three weeks as the number-one film at the box office, earning over $Script error: No such module "String". worldwide. Threshold Entertainment followed with a 1997 sequel film, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, and created two television series, Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm and Mortal Kombat: Conquest. A reboot of the series, also titled Mortal Kombat, was released in April 2021. Plot[] Mortal Kombat is a fighting tournament between the representatives of the realms of Earth and Outworld conceived by the Elder Gods amid looming invasion of the Earth by Outworld. If the realm of Outworld wins Mortal Kombat ten consecutive times, its Emperor will be able to invade and conquer the Earthrealm. Shaolin monk Liu Kang and his comrades, movie star Johnny Cage, and military officer Sonya Blade are chosen by Raiden, the god of thunder and defender of Earthrealm, to overcome their powerful adversaries in order to prevent Outworld from winning their tenth straight Mortal Kombat tournament. Each of the three has his or her own reason for competing: Liu seeks revenge against the tournament host Shang Tsung for killing his brother Chan; Sonya seeks revenge on an Australian crime lord Kano for murdering a fellow officer; and Cage seeks to prove that his martial-arts skills are real. At Shang Tsung's island, Liu is attracted to Princess Kitana, the emperor's adopted daughter. Aware that Kitana is a dangerous adversary because she is the rightful heir to Outworld and that she will attempt to ally herself with the Earth warriors, Tsung orders the creature Reptile to spy on her. Liu defeats his first opponent and Sonya gets her revenge on Kano by snapping his neck. Cage encounters and barely beats Scorpion. Liu engages in a brief duel with Kitana, who secretly offers him cryptic advice for his next battle. Liu's next opponent is Sub-Zero, whose defense seems untouched because of his freezing abilities until Liu recalls Kitana's advice and uses it to kill Sub-Zero. Prince Goro enters the tournament and mercilessly crushes every opponent he faces. One of Cage's peers, Art Lean, is defeated by Goro as well and has his soul taken by Shang Tsung. Sonya worries that they may not win against Goro, but Raiden disagrees. He reveals their own fears and egos are preventing them from winning the tournament. Despite Sonya's warning, Cage comes to Tsung to request a fight with Goro. The sorcerer accepts on the condition that he be allowed to challenge any opponent of his choosing, anytime and anywhere he chooses. Raiden tries to intervene, but the conditions are agreed upon before he can do so. After Shang Tsung leaves, Raiden confronts Cage for what he has done in challenging Goro but is impressed when Cage shows his awareness of the gravity of the tournament. Cage faces Goro and uses guile and the element of surprise to defeat the defending champion. Now desperate, Tsung takes Sonya hostage and takes her to Outworld, intending to fight her as his opponent. Knowing that his powers are ineffective there and that Sonya cannot defeat Tsung by herself, Raiden sends Liu and Cage into Outworld in order to rescue Sonya and challenge Tsung. In Outworld, Liu is attacked by Reptile (under orders from Shang Tsung to prevent him and Cage from rescuing Sonya), but eventually gains the upper hand and defeats him. Afterward, Kitana meets up with Cage and Liu. She reveals to the pair the origins of both herself and Outworld. Kitana allies with them and helps them to infiltrate Tsung's castle while advising Liu Kang about three challenges in the castle: To face his enemy, himself and his worst fear. Inside the castle tower, Shang Tsung challenges Sonya to fight him under the false claim that her refusal will result in Earthrealm forfeiting the tournament. All seems lost for Earth realm until Kitana, Liu, and Cage appear. As Sonya is secretly freed, Kitana berates Tsung for his treachery to the Emperor, claiming that his arrogance and greed will cost him the tournament if he doesn't honor his deal. Tsung challenges Cage but is counter-challenged by Liu. During the lengthy battle, Liu faces not only Tsung but the souls that Tsung had forcibly taken in past tournaments. In a last-ditch attempt to take advantage, Tsung morphs into Chan. Seeing through the charade, Liu renews his determination and ultimately fires an energy bolt at the sorcerer, knocking him down and impaling him on a bed of spikes. Tsung's death releases all of the captive souls, including Chan's. Before ascending to the afterlife, Chan tells Liu that he will remain with him in spirit until they are once again reunited. The Earth warriors return to Earthrealm, where a victory celebration is taking place at Liu's Shaolin temple, but the jubilation abruptly stops when the giant figure of the Outworld Emperor suddenly appears in the sky and declares he has come for everyone's souls. Raiden replies, "I don't think so," and the warriors take up fighting stances. Cast[] Christopher Lambert as Lord Raiden, god of thunder and protector of Earthrealm who guides the warriors on their journey. He desires to aid the heroes in defending Earthrealm, but as he himself is not mortal, he is not permitted to participate in the tournament and may only advise them and act to prevent cheating. Robin Shou as Liu Kang, a former Shaolin monk, who enters the tournament to avenge his brother's death. He is also Kitana's love interest and among the first who notice her sympathy towards Earthrealm. As in most of the games in the Mortal Kombat series, Liu Kang is the main protagonist. This was Shou's second American film, as his first American role was in 1990, the made-for-television film Forbidden Nights. Linden Ashby as Johnny Cage, a Hollywood superstar who enters the tournament to prove to the world that his martial arts skills are legitimate. Ashby trained in karate, tae kwon do, and kung fu especially for this film. Despite the intensity of the fight scenes coupled with the actors performing most of their own stunts, on-set injuries were minimal; the only notable occurrence was a bruised kidney Ashby suffered while shooting Cage's fight scene with Scorpion.[3] Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as Shang Tsung, a powerful, sadistic and treacherous demon sorcerer, he is the film's main antagonist who kills Liu Kang's brother Chan. Tagawa was the filmmakers' first and only choice for the role; he was instantly selected after he came to his audition in costume, and read his lines while standing on a chair.[3] Tagawa was allowed to play a younger version of Shang Tsung in order to avoid the excessive makeup that would have been required to duplicate the character's aged appearance in the first game.[4] Bridgette Wilson as Sonya Blade, an American Special Forces officer pursuing Kano after he kills her partner. Wilson, who was jokingly nicknamed "RoboBabe" during production by director Paul W. S. Anderson,[3] performed all her own stunts, including fight scenes. Talisa Soto as Kitana, the Outworld emperor's adopted daughter who decides to help the Earth warriors. She is attracted to Liu Kang, who reciprocates and takes her advice to go further. Soto had previously appeared alongside Tagawa in Licence to Kill. Trevor Goddard as Kano, an Australian underworld crime boss who joins forces with Shang Tsung. Chris Casamassa as Scorpion, an undead warrior under Shang Tsung's control. Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon voiced the character. François Petit as Sub-Zero, a cryomancer warrior under Shang Tsung's control. The rivalry between Scorpion and Sub-Zero is briefly mentioned by Shang Tsung at the beginning of the movie. Keith Cooke as Reptile, a creature who serves Shang Tsung. Cooke portrayed the character's human form, while his lizard form was computer generated.[3] Reptile's vocal effects were provided by Frank Welker. Tom Woodruff, Jr. as Goro, prince of the subterranean realm of Shokan and general of the armies of Outworld. Goro is the reigning champion of Mortal Kombat. Kevin Michael Richardson provides the speaking voice of Goro, while his vocal effects are provided by Frank Welker. Gregory McKinney as Jax, Sonya's Special Forces partner. Steve James was originally cast, but died from pancreatic cancer prior to filming. Frank Welker provides the voice of the Shao Kahn. Kenneth Edwards as Art Lean, a martial artist and friend of Johnny Cage who competes in the tournament Steven Ho as Chan, Liu Kang's younger brother. Peter Jason as Master Boyd, Johnny Cage's sensei. Sandy Helberg as the Director of Cage's latest film. This part was originally intended as a cameo by Steven Spielberg, but scheduling conflicts forced him to back out.[5] Production[] Though the film is based on the original Mortal Kombat game, characters and gameplay elements from its sequel, Mortal Kombat II, were incorporated. Following the series’ success, producer Lawrence Kasanoff grew interested in a film of the series and negotiated with Midway’s parent company WMS Industries if he can produce it. WMS agreed and he gained the rights to the series. The otherworldly dimension of Outworld was not formally mentioned until the second game, in which Jax, Kitana, and Shao Kahn, the game's final boss, also make their official debuts; Kahn briefly appears in the film's closing scene and is identified only as "the Emperor" throughout. Shang Tsung's soul-stealing power was first visualized in MKII as one of his Fatality finishing moves, while Liu Kang uses his "Bicycle Kick" special move from the game. After he kills Scorpion in his fight, Cage then drops an autographed picture of himself near his remains, in a reference to his Friendship finishing move. Shang Tsung's robed Shadow Priests, seen before the final battle, were first seen in the second game as background characters. File: Wat Phra Si Sanphet was used in the film's opening for a fight between Shang Tsung and Liu Kang's brother Cameron Diaz was originally cast as Sonya Blade, but dropped out due to a wrist injury and was replaced by Bridgette Wilson.[6] Steve James was originally cast to play Jax, but he died from pancreatic cancer a year before production on the film began.[7] File:WatChaiwatthanaram 2292 (cropped).jpg Wat Chaiwatthanaram was used as the backdrop for the Order of Light, the temple that Liu Kang was trained Filming began in August 1994 and ended in December 1994. The Outworld exterior scenes were filmed at the abandoned Kaiser steel mill (now the Auto Club Speedway) in Fontana, California, while all of Goro's scenes were filmed in Los Angeles. Shooting locations in Thailand were accessible only by boat, so cast, crew and equipment had to be transported on long canoe-style vessels. Location manager Gerrit Folsom constructed an outhouse in a secluded area near the set in order to alleviate the problem of repeated trips to and from the mainland. Filming locations in Thailand include the Wat Phra Si Sanphet, Wat Chaiwatthanaram and Wat Ratchaburana temples. The arrival of Earth's contestants via boats, Liu Kang's meditation scene and the fight between Liu Kang and Kitana were filmed at the Railay Beach and the Phra Nang Beach, respectively. The bows of the boats were fitted with ornamental dragon-head carvings and used in the movie as the fighters' secondary transport to Shang Tsung's island from his personal junk.[3] File:Phra Nang beach panorama Railay beach was used as the backdrop for Earth's combatants when they arrived for the first time in Shang Tsung's island Shou said that in the original script he "was supposed to fall in love with Talisa Soto [Kitana]. I was looking forward to it, but they thought we have so much action, we don't want to add romance to it. They cut it out."[8] Also scripted but not filmed were a short battle between Sonya and Jade, another of Shang Tsung's servants, and a scene where Shang Tsung allowed the heroes a night to mourn the loss of Art Lean and bury him in the Garden of Statues, underneath the statue of Kung Lao. The character of Reptile was originally omitted from the script but later added in response to focus groups being unimpressed with the film's early fight sequences.[9] Shou and Anderson noted that neither knew what Reptile's lizard form would look like until after filming, making the pre-fight sequence difficult to shoot.[10] The film was originally scheduled for a May 1995 release, but was pushed back to August. According to Kasanoff, this was because New Line Cinema's executives felt the film had the potential to be a summer hit.[11] It was released on October 20 in the United Kingdom, and on December 26 in Australia. Music[] Main article: Mortal Kombat (1995 soundtrack) The film's score album was composed by George S. Clinton, released by Rykodisc on October 11, 1995. The film's soundtrack album was released by TVT Records on August 15, 1995. The soundtrack album went platinum[12] in less than a year reaching No. 10 on the Billboard 200.[13] Reception[] Box office[] Mortal Kombat opened on August 18, 1995, and was #1 at the box office for the weekend with $ million, nearly eight times the opening amount of the only other new release that weekend, The Baby-Sitters Club. At the time, it was the second-highest August opening after 1993's The Fugitive. The film enjoyed a three-week stint at number one,[1] grossing $Script error: No such module "String". domestically in the United States.[14][15] It also earned $ million overseas, for a worldwide total of $ million. The film became the highest-grossing adaptation of a video game, before being surpassed by Pokémon: The First Movie in 1998. Critical response[] According to Rotten Tomatoes, 43% of 42 critics gave the film a positive review, with an average rating of The site's critics consensus reads: "Despite an effective otherworldly atmosphere and appropriately cheesy visuals, Mortal Kombat suffers from its poorly constructed plot, laughable dialogue, and subpar acting."[16] Metacritic gave the film a weighted average score of 60 out 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[17] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A–" on an A+ to F scale.[18] Reviewers praised its atmosphere, fighting sequences, production values and visuals. However, its PG-13 rating and to a lesser extent, the performances and writing were criticized. Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly called Mortal Kombat "a contentedly empty-headed extended advertisement for the joy of joypads (filmed in cheesily ornate cinema de Hong Kong style)" and too noted how it "is notably free of blood and gore."[19] According to Stephen Holden of The New York Times, "Mortal Kombat might be described as mythological junk food. Although there is talk of the three kombatants' having to face their deepest fears to prevail, the action is so frenetic and the dialogue so minimal that the allegory is weightless."[20] Roger Ebert said he was "right in the middle" and noted that the fans might be disappointed by the film's killings being much less brutal than the notoriously violent Mortal Kombat video games.[21] Similar to Ebert, Marc Savlov from The Austin Chronicle mentioned that " It's the cinematic equivalent of cotton candy and Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots, but you may recall, you loved that stuff as a kid. I know I did" giving it a star rating.[22] Laura Evenson from San Francisco Chronicle mentioned "Mortal Kombat the movie has everything a teenage boy could want: snakes that jut out of a villain's palms, acrobatic kung- fu fighting and a couple of battling babes. Everything, that is, but an interesting plot, decent dialogue and compelling acting" commenting however that it will likely become a cult classic.[23] Kevin Thomas of Los Angeles Times gave the film a glowing review, writing that "as impressive as the special effects are at every turn, even more crucial is Jonathan Carlson's superb, imaginative production design, which combines Thailand exteriors with vast sets that recall the barbaric grandeur of exotic old movie palaces and campy Maria Montez epics. John R. Leonetti's glorious, shadowy camera work and George S. Clinton's driving, hard-edged score complete the task of bringing alive the perilous Outworld".[24] Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune gave it a "thumbs up" rating on Siskel & Ebert, calling it "the only half-way decent video game movie [he] has ever seen" and "a lot of fun," saying he was positively surprised by its various high quality production values, including the "often sensational" special effects, exotic locations and the cast of characters being "clearly drawn out of appealing types". Leonard Klady from Variety awarded the film a stars stating that "But 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".[25] Kim Newman from Empire magazine said "By the time the big, world-saving bout comes around, it's hard not to wish that Shung Tsu [sic] would settle the fate of mankind by asking Liu Kang what the capital of Venezuela is... rather than engaging him in yet another round of supernaturally assisted dirty fighting" with a final rating of 3 stars out of 5.[26] Legacy and re-evaluation[] Since its release, Mortal Kombat has undergone a critical re-evaluation. Many critics feel that it is one of the best videogame adaptations due to its respect towards the source material, the well-crafted action sequences and the now iconic roles. The film now is considered a cult classic.[27][28][29][30][31] In 2015 on the film's 20th anniversary, the Hollywood Reporter published an article containing interviews with various cast and crew members including actor Robin Shou, producer Larry Kasanoff, director Paul W. S. Anderson and composer George S. Clinton that described the troubled production.[32] Although the Matrix has been credited as the first Hollywood film to employ the wire-fu (a tradition that hails from Hong Kong cinema) during the fight sequences, this is an incorrect statement. Paul WS Anderson stated in the interview that "If you look back at Mortal Kombat, it was the first time those big, Chinese wire gags were used in a Western movie. Obviously The Matrix did that to the nth degree several years later. But at the time, Mortal Kombat was very cutting-edge".[32] In addition, the film's fight sequences have been critically praised due to their Hong Kong influence. An editorial that discusses the work of Paul WS Anderson on Rotten Tomatoes labeled some of the fights as iconic[33] while Bloody Disgusting commented that "thanks to the kinetic speed in which the actors are moving, the high-octane music, and ironically, the movement of the camera, each fight is given ample feeling and aggression", particularly praising the Scorpion/Johnny Cage and Liu Kang/Reptile fights.[34] Also, Mortal Kombat has been one of the few mainstream releases that dared to have an Asian lead back in the day.[32][33] In 2020, during its 25th anniversary, Rotten Tomatoes released a podcast titled "Rotten Tomatoes score is wrong about Mortal Kombat" that attempted to justify why "Mortal Kombat" should have received a higher (and fresh) score calling it a "cult favourite videogame adaptation".[28] This sentiment was echoed by Arrow in the Head that also called Mortal Kombat "colorful, ambitious, and surprisingly funny" with "Anderson tied everything around a perfect cast lead by the great Robin Shou" calling its IMBD score "upsettingly low" and calling fans to "give Mortal Kombat and the legend himself Christopher Lambert, the love and admiration it deserves".[30] Screen Rant also revised Mortal Kombat labeling it a "classic, especially for fans of the videogame" referring to the choreography as top notch, the locations as amazing, the soundtrack as pure perfection, and the cast as dedicated and outstanding.[29] CBR mentioned that Mortal Kombat is "an above-average martial arts classic that was high on fun and easily one of the most rewatchable video game movies, 25 years later".[27] Bloody Disgusting released an editorial that described Mortal Kombat as "a film that pays excellent homage to its source material"[34] while Collider stated that "The film knows how to walk the line between reverence and goofiness".[31] Cary Hiroyuki Tagawa's take on Shang Tsung is now regarded as the ideal portrayal of the sorcerer with his line "Your soul is mine" being officially now the trademark of the character. Screen Rant reported that Tagawa was "the best casting of the movie" considering the performance iconic.[27] Christopher Lambert as Lord Rayden has also received positive coverage with Arrow in the Head commenting that "(he) lent the production maturity and star power to help the new director implement his vision with confidence"[30] while CBR mentioned that he "steals every scene he appears, delivering ridiculous lines like, "The fate of billions depends upon you," before laughing and apologizing".[27] Mortal Kombat 11 has paid tribute to the first movie with numerous Easter eggs as well as bringing back Cary Hiroyuki Tagawa to play Shang Tsung in the DLC storyline "Aftermath". Other media[] Sequel[] Script error: No such module "main". The sequel Mortal Kombat: Annihilation was released in 1997, directed by John R. Leonetti (cinematographer of the first Mortal Kombat). Only Robin Shou and Talisa Soto reprised their roles, with the others being recast. The film also stars Brian Thompson, Sandra Hess, Lynn "Red" Williams, Irina Pantaeva, Marjean Holden and James Remar. Its storyline is largely an adaptation of Mortal Kombat 3, following a band of warriors as they attempt to save Earth from Shao Kahn himself. Although the story picks up where the last film left off, most of the lead roles were recast. In contrast to its predecessor, which was a box office success and marginally well-received, Annihilation was critically panned and failed at the box office. As a result, development of the planned third installment halted and never progressed beyond pre-production. In July 2009, actors Chris Casamassa (Scorpion) and Linden Ashby (Johnny Cage) separately announced that they would be reprising their respective roles from the original film, with Casamassa additionally claiming that filming would begin in September of that year,[35][36] but the project did not commence production. Animated film[] On April 11, 1995,[37] New Line Home Video, Turner Home Entertainment and Threshold Entertainment released a tie-in animated film on VHS and Laserdisc, titled Mortal Kombat: The Journey Begins. Serving as a prequel to the feature film, it follows the protagonists Liu Kang, Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade as they travel on a mysterious boat to the Mortal Kombat tournament. On the way they meet Raiden, who provides them with some hints about how to survive the tournament and defeat Shang Tsung and his army of Tarkatan minions. Upon arriving at the island where the battles takes place, Raiden retells the origins of Shang Tsung, Goro, Scorpion, Sub-Zero and the Great Kung Lao in between fight scenes. The film featured a combination of traditional animation, motion capture, and CGI to explain the origins behind some of the movie's main characters, as well as a fifteen-minute behind-the-scenes documentary of the theatrical release. Trailers of the film were seen on the promotional screener VHS copy, and on other VHS releases from Turner Home Entertainment and New Line Home Video. The film was included on the Mortal Kombat Blu-ray released in April 2011. Novelization[] A novelization of the movie by "Martin Delrio" (James D. Macdonald and Debra Doyle) was released through Tor Books. It is based on an early version of the film's script, and as such it includes several deleted or unfilmed scenes, such as a fight between Sonya Blade and Jade. Television[] Two television series, the animated series Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm and the live-action series Mortal Kombat: Conquest, were produced by Threshold Entertainment between 1996 and 1999. Reboot[] Script error: No such module "main". It was announced that a reboot film is currently under development and scheduled for release by Warner Bros. Pictures. References[] ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". ↑ Mortal Kombat Official Movie Magazine. Starlog Group, Inc., 1995 ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1". ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1". ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1". ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1". ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1". ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1". External links[] Official website Expression error: Unrecognized punctuation character "[". Script error: No such module "String". on IMDbScript error: No such module "EditAtWikidata".Expression error: Unrecognized punctuation character "[". Script error: No such module "String". at AllMovieScript error: No such module "EditAtWikidata".Script error: No such module "Error". Script error: No such module "String". at Rotten Tomatoes Template:Mortal Kombat series Template:Paul W. S. Anderson Script error: No such module "Authority control".