It is starting to really feel just like the late ’90s once more, what with how Mortal Kombat is all the trend. 2024 noticed the discharge of Mortal Kombat 1, the newest entry within the uber-popular combating recreation collection. And now MK is returning to the massive display, as Warner Bros. gears up for the discharge of Mortal Kombat 2, a sequel to 2021’s surprisingly stable reboot.
In mild of all these massive developments within the MK world, we thought now can be the right time to look again on the franchise’s lengthy, colourful and infrequently baffling historical past in movie and TV. Take a look at our slideshow beneath or scroll down for a more in-depth have a look at all of the Mortal Kombat variations and the way intently (or not) they adopted the supply materials.
Mortal Kombat (1995)
The unique Mortal Kombat film is broadly considered top-of-the-line online game variations to this point. Which, granted, is a really doubtful honor. Even so, the film nonetheless stands as a stable instance of the way to deliver the collection to life in live-action. It presents a fairly trustworthy retelling of the unique recreation’s extraordinarily barebones storyline, whereas drawing in components of Mortal Kombat II and among the backstory from the tie-in comics. Like many variations, it positions Liu Kang (Robin Chou) because the central hero destined to defeat the soul-stealing Shang Tsung (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa). For purists, the film’s largest sin is solely that it would not replicate the violence of the video games, opting as an alternative for a extra pedestrian PG-13 strategy.
What the film does seize, nevertheless, is that important undercurrent of camp and zaniness that goes hand-in-hand with the gratuitous violence. Mortal Kombat the film undoubtedly is not responsible of taking itself too severely. It is also the film that launched the world to The Immortals’ “Techno Syndrome,” probably the most iconic online game music this aspect of the Tremendous Mario Bros. theme.
Mortal Kombat: The Journey Begins (1995)
There’s some fairly stiff competitors in relation to deciding the worst Mortal Kombat adaptation ever made, however this direct-to-video launch could take the highest honor. Launched forward of the live-action movie and ostensibly a prequel to mentioned movie, The Journey Begins units about fleshing out the origin tales of varied MK icons. However the connective tissue is doubtful at finest. And as dated because the CGI within the live-action film could also be, it is state-of-the-art in comparison with the archaic, sub-Ps high quality 3D battle scenes in The Journey Begins. Hardcore followers could need to watch this one out of sheer, morbid curiosity (particularly because it’s included as a bonus characteristic on the Mortal Kombat Blu-ray), however do not anticipate it to truly improve your enjoyment of the video games or the films.
Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm (1996)
The ’80s and ’90s TV panorama was affected by makes an attempt to translate adults-only popular culture properties into kid-friendly cartoons. Working example – RoboCop: The Animated Sequence, Rambo: The Power of Freedom and Poisonous Crusaders. We truthfully must respect Kenner’s moxie for deciding to chop out the intermediary and immediately market Terminator 2 and Aliens toys to youngsters with out even ready for cartoons.
With Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm, USA Community threw its razor-edged hat into the ring. This short-lived collection aired on the community’s Motion Excessive Group block in 1996. Considerably bafflingly, it makes an attempt to function a continuation of each the 1995 film and the Final Mortal Kombat 3 online game, although the all-ages strategy principally renders that moot. Defenders of the Realm simplifies the advanced collection of alliances and rivalries that outline the MK mythos, as an alternative that includes a crew of heroes led by Raiden and Nighthawk tasked with defending Earthrealm from Shao Kahn’s interdimensional invaders.
Defenders of the Realm does make one notable addition to the franchise, nevertheless. The collection was truly the primary to introduce Quan Chi earlier than his roles in Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero and Mortal Kombat 4.
Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997)
If the primary Mortal Kombat film is among the many finest makes an attempt at adapting a online game to movie, its sequel is well among the many worst. It is not essentially that Annihilation performs quick and free with the supply materials. It introduces plenty of common characters like Shao Kahn (Brian Thompson), Jax (Lynn Williams) and Sindel (Musetta Vandel), together with acquainted MK components like Animalities, the demise of Johnny Cage and Kuai Liang taking over his brother’s mantle as Sub-Zero. The issue is that the film fails to string any of that collectively right into a coherent and fascinating story. There’s not a lot inside logic to what occurs or which characters seem.
However even when the plot lived as much as the primary film, Annihilation is plagued with awful results, underwhelming battle scenes, and actors who would seemingly relatively be wherever else. It is telling that, aside from Chou’s Liu Kang, practically all of the returning characters had been recast for the sequel. But when nothing else, at the least the soundtrack is fairly good.
Mortal Kombat: Conquest (1998)
Whereas Annihilation principally destroyed Mortal Kombat’s big-screen prospects for the following 20 years, that did not cease TNT from airing a live-action TV collection in 1998. Mortal Kombat: Conquest serves as a prequel to the films, happening 500 years earlier than the period of Liu Kang. As an alternative, Conquest revolves round Liu’s ancestor Kung Lao (Paolo Montalbán), a warrior monk tasked with coaching a brand new technology of fighters to defend Earthrealm. Whereas most of the collection’ supporting characters are new creations, many MK fan-favorites present up over the course of Conquest’s one and solely season.
The most effective that may be mentioned for Conquest is that it was forward of its time. The prequel premise is robust, and it is actually a greater offshoot of the 1995 movie than Annihilation. However even on the time, it was tough to disregard the awful wire-fu battle scenes and customarily dangerous particular results. It is arduous to not marvel what may need been if Conquest had come alongside a decade or two later.
Mortal Kombat: Rebirth (2010)
Outdoors of the video games themselves, the MK franchise largely went dormant within the ’00s. It wasn’t till filmmaker Kevin Tancharoen took the initiative and put collectively a brief, unauthorized Mortal Kombat film that the ball began rolling once more.
Although produced on a really low finances and never sanctioned by Warner Bros. or Mortal Kombat’s creators, Tancharoen’s quick movie Mortal Kombat: Rebirth is a surprisingly skilled adaptation. Rebirth is exclusive in that it downplays the franchise’s supernatural trappings, as an alternative casting Scorpion (Ian Anthony Dale) as an murderer working with Captain Jackson Briggs (Michael Jai White) and Sonya Blade (Jeri Ryan) to deliver down Shang Tsung’s felony empire and get revenge on his nemesis, Sub-Zero.
Tancharoen supposed for Rebirth to function a proof-of-concept for a potential film reboot. He kind of received his want as he was given the reins of the live-action internet collection Mortal Kombat: Legacy.
Mortal Kombat: Legacy (2011)
Tancharoen returned to the MK franchise the next 12 months, this time with the precise approval of Warner Bros. and a greenlight for a full season of live-action webisodes unique to Machinima. Legacy would not comply with the brand new continuity established in Rebirth, although Dale, White and Ryan all returned to reprise their roles for Season 1. As an alternative, Legacy acts as a prequel to the unique recreation, with every Season 1 episode fleshing out the backstory for a special Kombatant.
Season 2 proved to be a reasonably steep departure, with Legacy shifting to a extra narrative-driven strategy whereas bringing in plenty of new characters and recasting many present roles. One bonus of that revamp is that Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa was in a position to reprise the function of Shang Tsung (paving the best way for him to make the leap over to the video games within the type of Mortal Kombat 11 DLC).
As inconsistent as it’s when it comes to tone and plot, Legacy exhibits the potential in a extra earnest tackle the MK mythology. It additionally seems to be surprisingly sturdy for a free-to-watch internet collection.
Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge (2020)
Mortal Kombat returned to the animated realm in 2020, in what proved to be a vastly higher adaptation than both The Journey Begins or Defenders of the Realm. It helps that Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge is aimed squarely at adults. In actual fact, this direct-to-video launch is definitely the primary R-rated Mortal Kombat film.
Scorpion’s Revenge is an adaptation of the unique recreation’s storyline, however with a twist. Relatively than framing the film across the heroic Liu Kang, we’ll see the fateful event from Scorpion’s standpoint. The film explores the character’s tragic origin story and the beginnings of his feud with Sub-Zero. You’ll be able to study extra in IGN’s Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge evaluate.
The primary movie has confirmed common sufficient to spawn three extra direct-to-video sequels, 2021’s Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms, 2022’s Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind, and 2023’s Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match.
Mortal Kombat Reboot (2021)
After years of rumors about one other live-action Mortal Kombat film, the franchise lastly returned to the massive display in 2021. The brand new film is not linked to earlier initiatives, however as an alternative serves as a whole reboot. Star Mehcad Brooks (who performs Jax) describes it as having “grounded realism” regardless of retaining the Fatalities and different violent trappings of the video games. This is a full breakdown of the Mortal Kombat reboot’s solid.
The reboot hit theaters and HBO Max concurrently in April 2021. You’ll be able to take a look at IGN’s Mortal Kombat evaluate for extra. Although the pandemic clearly affected the movie’s field workplace haul, it proved critically and commercially profitable sufficient that Warners greenlit a sequel.
Mortal Kombat 2 (2025)
The rebooted Mortal Kombat collection will return to theaters in 2025 within the type of a sequel presently titled merely Mortal Kombat 2. Along with returning favorites like Hiroyuki Sanada as Scorpion, Ludi Lin as Liu Kang, Mehcad Brooks as Jax, and Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade, the movie may even introduce Karl City’s Johnny Cage, Martyn Ford’s Shao Kahn, Damoin Herriman’s Quan Chi, and Adeline Rudolph’s Kitana. We just lately received a more in-depth have a look at a number of of the solid members.
At this level, there appears little doubt that Mortal Kombat 2 might be a greater sequel than Mortal Kombat: Annihilation was, however that is not precisely a excessive bar to cross. The query is whether or not the sequel can proceed the momentum generated by the unique and pave the best way for much more of the proposed sequels. There’s loads of battle left on this franchise but.
Word: this text was initially printed on 04/09/2020 and up to date on 03/17/2025 with the newest information concerning the Mortal Kombat franchise.
Jesse is a mild-mannered workers author for IGN. Enable him to lend a machete to your mental thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.
