Movie #127 - Mortal Kombat

"Choose your destiny..."

One of the more popular movies of my youth, at 15 years old, this movie was a must-see. Especially since everyone was either playing this game at the elite level at the arcades or at least had a copy of the game either on Super Nintendo or Sega Genesis.

Unfortunately, similar to all of the video game movie adaptations that you see nowadays, Mortal Kombat was a poor rendition of the very popular game. Although the film itself had some strong special effects for 1995 and was well-cast in terms of martial artists who could act, the storyline and plot behind the game was somewhat silly.

Characters portrayed by Christopher Lambert (Rayden), Robin Shou (Liu Kang), Linden Ashby (Johnny Cage), and Bridgette Wilson (Sonya Blade) were the good guys of the story while Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa (Shang Tsung) was the leader of the bad guys. The plot behind this film - a battle between good and evil, the final battle to decide who will rule the world.

Beyond the video game plot, I enjoyed the action sequences in this film. The martial arts is top notch, however, this film would've been more enjoyable had the scenes been shot in full speed and not riddled with slow-motion sequences. Shou and Ashby are solid martial artists and this is also enhanced by the stunt work and choreography utilized in the film. Mixed in with a soundtrack that everyone remembers from 1995, and you definitely have a high octane film on your hands.

Lambert is still a creepy dude in this film and every warm-blooded male probably had a thing for Sonya Blade, either on screen or in the video game. Wilson was a perfect casting for Blade as she had the build and look, and was quite a popular female actress during the middle part of the 90's as she is known for her role in Billy Madison and for marrying tennis superstar Pete Sampras.

If watched today, this film is quite silly, even in comparison to some of the recent video game adaptations. Back when I was 15, I probably thought this was one of the best movies of the year, watching it with a bunch of friends in high school and probably sneaking in candy and snacks into the theatre. Back when kids used to go to movie theatres instead of downloading them or buying bootlegs at flea markets, of course.