Running Time: 101 Minutes & 94 Minutes
Certification: 15
Starring: Linden Ashby, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Robin Shou, Bridgette Wilson, Talisa Soto, Christopher Lambert, James Remar, Sandra Hess, Brian Thompson, Lynn "Red" Williams, Musetta Vander
Ever since the first game's release in 1992, Mortal Kombat has lingered within pop-culture. Whether it is the character of Scorpion, the graphically brutal kills, or terms such as "Finish Him" and "Get Over Here", it has entered the the wider consciousness while maintaining a successful franchise. This includes the two '90s films, with fans often holding a soft spot for at least one of them. These can now be experienced in 4K, as Arrow Video have collected these live-action works for the Mortal Kombat Kollection.
Considering Paul W.S. Anderson's career would include video-game adaptations such as Monster Hunter and the Milla Jovovich starring Resident Evil films, it makes sense that his sophomore feature was 1995's Mortal Kombat. As The Immortals' iconic techno tune plays over the opening credits, viewers are given a fist-pumping introduction for the film before meeting the protagonists.
To protect the Earth (known as Earthrealm) from an invasion by the Outworld dimension, Raiden (Christopher Lambert) the god of thunder has chosen three warriors to help defend Earthrealm in the titular tournament. Taking part are Shaolin monk Liu Kang (Robin Shou), intending to avenge his brother's murder, secret forces officer Sonya Blade (Bridgette Wilson), in pursuit of the crime boss who murdered her partner, and action movie star Johnny Cage (Linden Ashby), who wishes to prove his detractors wrong.
As the fitting techno score plays while hokey visual effects struggle to realise the imagination, this film feels aggressively representative of the '90s. Yet, that helps it feel all the more endearing, particularly when the animatronics used for Goro holds up remarkably well. There is also an effectiveness in depicting how vast the location feels, while Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa is a highlight as the soul-stealing sorcerer Shang Tsung.
There is genuine fun to be had, especially with the fights, although the slow-motion can feel overused, yet it cannot soften the disappointing lack of the franchise's most known trait - gory kills. But, when the film ends with its sequel set-up, you'll be ready to pop in the next disc and continue on the kombat.
Two-years later, Mortal Kombat Annihilation arrived into theatres. With Paul W.S. Anderson moving onto Event Horizon, the directorial duties are taken over by the previous film's cinematographer, John R. Leonetti (2014's Annabelle). His directorial debut loosely adapts the Mortal Kombat 3 video-game, where the brief period of peace is broken by Emperor Shao Khan (Brian Thompson) attempting to conquer Earthrealm.
With the previous film's success, this sequel tries recreating what audiences enjoyed while also offering a larger-scale threat. Yet, despite the larger budget, this ends up looking more cheap than its predecessor. A key example is how, despite the promise of large-scale destruction due to the merging worlds, one never feels this scale on-screen. It's difficult to translate this repeatedly mentioned danger when the world feels so small and unpopulated.
Funnily enough, that does not change with the influx of brand-new characters. Admittedly, "characters" may be too strong a word when these figures quickly appear and disappear with little consequence. No matter how many years pass by, Scorpion yelling out "suckers" at the end of his cameo appearance still makes me cringe. Rarely have recognisable figures from the source material felt less important than the set design, and that's saying something when this film is so ugly to look at. The worst offender are the visual effects, with the "animality" battle being a particular low-point. It has since been revealed by producer Lawrence Kasanoff that the film was released with unfinished effects, and that makes sense when they make the first film's effects look groundbreaking.
As for the protagonists, it becomes difficult to care when there is little weight to the circumstances. Between their tiresome infighting, how easily they fall into traps, and Raiden's battle prowess amounting to getting hit square in the chest, it's a wonder that these characters make any progress. When Jax suggests putting aside petty stuff to worry about bigger things, you will want to shout at the screen in agreement. The biggest impact left is by Musetta Vander, delivering such over-the-top acting that leaves her line deliveries lingering in the memory. If anything, this film would be more fun if everyone operated at her level.
For any Mortal Kombat fans, this review will ultimately mean very little as a decision will have already been made on whether to purchase this. I will say that Arrow have done a wonderful transfer, ensuring that the highlights and imperfections of these films can be see in tremendous quality. So, why not sit back, order in a pizza, and enjoy a preferable option amongst '90s video game adaptations?
Mortal Kombat Kollection is now available on 4K and Blu-Ray from Arrow Video
Mortal Kombat (1995)
Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997)
Comments