I grew up during the Mortal Kombat hype and to say that my friends and I were excited for Mortal Kombat to come out in 1995 is a massive understatement. This is still one of the best video game movies ever made and I feel that it holds up really well and is just a ton of fun to watch. I watched this with my cynical teenage son and even he thought that it was a good movie.
How to Download Mortal Kombat (1995)
Mortal Kombat was released on August 18, 1995. You can download or stream the film from a digital platform. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice. If you like the franchise check out also the reviews of the 2021 film and of the games Mortal Kombat X and Mortal Kombat 11.
The Movie Review
The Mortal Kombat Movie Experience
1995 was a massive year for Mortal Kombat, the series had just exploded over the last couple of years. 1994 saw Mortal Kombat II be released for home systems and that hype carried into 1995 with the Mortal Kombat movie the game, Mortal Kombat 3. There were toys, comic books, and more, Mortal Kombat was everywhere in 1995.
In the UK, this was rated 15 and at the time, I was 14 and small so I was terrified I was not going to be able to go and see it. I stuffed my shoes with kitchen roll to make me “taller” and in my deepest voice, I said “Mortal Kombat” to the ticket guy and prayed that they would let me in. Thankfully they did and it was one of the most awesome movie theatre experiences of my teenage years. My backup plan if I did not get in was to buy a ticket for Pocahontas and then sneak into Mortal Kombat.
Mortal Kombat (1995) Story and Characters
The story of the Mortal Kombat movie takes elements of the first two Mortal Kombat games. Earthrealm is at war with Outworld and they engage in Mortal Kombat, if Outworld wins 10 consecutive Mortal Kombat’s they can invade Earthrealm. I am a huge fan of Street Fighter, but man, I have always preferred the lore of Mortal Kombat.
Thankfully, Earthrealm has heroes who can fight in the tournament. Lord Raiden, the God of Thunder brings together Lui Kang, Johnny Cage, and Sonya Blade to take on the forces of Shang Tsung, the evil sorcerer. Most of the action in the movie takes place in Outworld and it is just so awesome to see.
Mortal Kombat’s Epic Fights and Special Effects
The movie has the entire cast from the first game. They do change things a tad, Sub-Zero and Scorpion being under Shang Tsung’s control for example, but I think for the movie, it works. The portrayal of Kano in this movie is awesome and it would actually influence the character of Kano in the games that would follow.
We also have Goro who is done in a strange stop-motion style. Hey, I think that Goro looks awesome, but he does look a bit dated. Still, it is awesome that he is a practical effect rather than being CGI as he would these days. We also have characters from Mortal Kombat II, most notably Kitana who I had a major crush on when this movie came out. Reptile and Jax also show up.
The movie has a stacked roster and we get so many amazing and fun battles. Lui Kang vs Sub-Zero, Johnny Cage vs Scorpion, Kano vs Sonya Blade, and more! The action in Mortal Kombat is just so much fun, but they do also do a great job of fleshing out the characters more than we got in the games. Robin Shou as Lui Kang in particular is fantastic and this is probably still my favorite version of Lui Kang.
Mortal Kombat is a great looking movie, it does have some dated CGI, but the set design and all the practical effects look incredible. The movie also moves at a great pace and I vividly remember being blown away by the ending. I thought it was all wrapped up with a bow and our heroes had won the day, only to be left with one of the most epic cliffhangers I had ever seen up to that point. Granted this cliffhanger was sure as hell not delivered on in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, but at the time, it was incredible.
Mortal Kombat (1995) Soundtrack – A Legendary Score
Before, I bring this to a close, we have to talk about the soundtrack! I am not even into techno music, but the Mortal Kombat theme song and the way it mixes in the voice samples of the game is amazing. I have it on my workout playlist and to this day, if I have it on shuffle and it comes on, it pumps me up!
Why Mortal Kombat (1995) is Still One of the Best Video Game Movies
Mortal Kombat is still one of the best video game movies ever made. This is a great adaptation and the people behind this honestly could not have done it any better. Sure, it may look a bit dated by today’s standards. However, I think this holds up incredibly well and it very much still has the heart, soul, and of course blood of Mortal Kombat. They just need to stop screwing around and get this out on 4K, Mortal Kombat 2021 is on 4K so there is no reason this isn’t!
