Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997)
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Earthrealm warriors must unite to stop the malevolent Shao Kahn from conquering their world.
The story
Mortal Kombat Annihilation follows Liu Kang and his allies as they attempt to prevent the malevolent Shao Kahn from conquering Earthrealm. After Shao Kahn opens a portal to Earthrealm and resurrects Queen Sindel to facilitate his invasion, the Earthrealm warriors—including Liu Kang, Sonya Blade, and others—must defend their world. Following the death of their ally Johnny Cage, the remaining warriors retreat to seek allies and prepare for the coming threat. The film follows their journey to find allies and gather the strength necessary to stop Kahn's conquest of their realm.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
The Outworld emperor Shao Kahn opens a portal to Earthrealm and resurrects Queen Sindel to facilitate his invasion. While the Earthrealm warriors Liu Kang, Sonya Blade, and Johnny Cage attempt to defend themselves, Kahn kills Cage, forcing the others to retreat and seek allies. Shao Kahn sends his senior warriors to hunt the remaining heroes. Sonya Blade enlists Jax to help her, while Kitana and Liu search for the shaman Nightwolf. During their journey, they encounter various warriors like Sub Zero and Scorpion. Rayden consults the Elder Gods, learning that reuniting Kitana with Sindel is key to breaking Kahn's hold. Liu Kang undergoes trials to master the 'Animality' power. The warriors eventually infiltrate Outworld to rescue Kitana and reunite her with Sindel. Although the ritual initially fails due to Sindel's betrayal, the warriors eventually confront Kahn. Liu Kang uses his Animality to reveal Kahn's mortality, leading to his defeat. Shinnok, a corrupt Elder God and brother to Rayden, is banished. The Earthrealm is restored, Sindel is freed, and Rayden is rewarded by the Elder Gods.
- Runtime (minutes)
- 95
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- John R. Leonetti
- Writers
- Brent V. Friedman · screenplay; Bryce Zabel · screenplay; Lawrence Kasanoff · story; Joshua Wexler · story; John Tobias · story
- Cast and characters
- Robin Shou · Liu Kang; Talisa Soto · Kitana; James Remar · Rayden; Sandra Hess · Sonya Blade; Lynn "Red" Williams · Jax; Brian Thompson · Shao Kahn
- Genres
- martial arts; fantasy
- Themes
- sacrifice; brotherhood
- Tone and mood
- action; fantasy
- Premise and plot tags
- martial arts; fantasy; video game adaptation
- Source material / true-story basis
- Mortal Kombat video game franchise
- Franchise connections
- Mortal Kombat
- Reception
- The film received negative reviews and was described as 'abysmal' and 'incoherent' by some critics, though it has since gained a cult following as an unintentional comedy.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 11 · scale: 100 · review count: 12
- Production trivia
- The film was released unfinished by the studio.; The film was shot in multiple locations including Jordan and Thailand.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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