Mortal Kombat (1995)
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A group of heroes must compete in a deadly tournament to prevent an otherworldly empire from conquering Earth.
The story
Mortal Kombat is a martial arts tournament held every generation between the realms of Earth and the otherworldly dimension of Outworld. If Outworld wins ten consecutive victories, the Emperor will invade and conquer Earth. Having already won nine, the god of thunder, Raiden, selects three warriors—Shaolin monk Liu Kang, movie star Johnny Cage, and Special Forces officer Sonya Blade—to prevent a tenth victory. Each hero has a personal motivation for joining: Kang seeks revenge for his brother's death, Sonya pursues a criminal who murdered her partner, and Cage seeks to prove his martial arts skills are not a fraud.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
The tournament features several rounds where the heroes face various opponents. Shang Tsung uses a creature named Reptile to stop Princess Kitana from allying with the Earth warriors. During the tournament, Sonya kills the crime boss Kano, while Johnny defeats the champion Goro and the warrior Scorpion. Liu Kang defeats Kitana and Sub-Zero. After a desperate move by Shang Tsung to take Sonya hostage, Raiden sends Kang and Johnny into Outworld to rescue her. They are joined by Kitana, who reveals that Outworld was once peaceful until a new Emperor conquered it. The trio infiltrates Shang Tsung's fortress. During a final confrontation, Kang faces Shang Tsung and the souls of those he captured. Shang Tsung attempts to trick Kang by morphing into his brother, Chan, but Kang sees through the ruse and defeats him, releasing all captured souls. The heroes return to Earth to find the Emperor has arrived to claim their souls, leading to a final stand.
- First release year
- 1995
- Runtime (minutes)
- 101
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Paul Anderson
- Writers
- Kevin Droney · writer
- Cast and characters
- Linden Ashby · Johnny Cage; Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa · Shang Tsung; Robin Shou · Liu Kang; Bridgette Wilson · Sonya Blade; Talisa Soto · Kitana; Christopher Lambert · Lord Rayden
- Genres
- martial arts; fantasy
- Themes
- Sacrifice; Revenge; Heroism
- Tone and mood
- Action-packed; Atmospheric
- Setting
- A mystical tournament held between Earthrealm and the otherworldly dimension of Outworld.
- Premise and plot tags
- Martial Arts; Fantasy; Tournament; Video Game Adaptation
- Source material / true-story basis
- Mortal Kombat video game franchise
- Franchise connections
- Mortal Kombat
- Content notes
- Violence
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics but was well received by fans and was a commercial success, becoming the highest-grossing film based on a video game at the time.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 60 · scale: 100 · review count: 13
- Production trivia
- The film's score was composed by George S. Clinton.; The Goro character was portrayed by an elaborate $1 million animatronic.; The film was the highest-grossing video game adaptation until 1998.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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