Summary
It’s not uncommon for video game movies to be a bit lackluster, and that’s even more true for many of the efforts that came out during the nineties. Making a movie adaptation for something likeMortal Kombatshould have been an easy task, and many agree that the 1995Mortal Kombatwas a fun if simplistic movie. Unfortunately, the 1997 follow-upMortal Kombat: Annihilationwas anything but simple or fun. Trying to fit portions of the plot from the thirdMortal Kombatgame into a comprehensive movie, all while adding in some unique twists,Mortal Kombat: Annihilationis a rough experience for many fans of the series.
The originalMortal Kombatisn’t a darling film for critics or general audiences, but its sequel makes it look like an Oscar contender for many people. Plagued with a variety of issues that saw many actors from the original decide not to return,Mortal Kombat: Annihilationis an interesting film to learn about. There won’t beany brutal fatalitiesanytime soon in the PG-13 outing for the series, but there are plenty of recognizable characters in relatively confusing combat set pieces.
Brent V. Friedman, Bryce Zabel
Cast
Robin Shou, Talisa Soto, Brian Thompson, Sandra Hess, Lynn Red Williams, Irina Pantaeva, James Remar
$30 million
95 minutes
Box Office
$51.3 million
After Liu Kang and the other heroes ofEarthrealm’s victory in Shang Tsung’s Mortal Kombat tournament, Shao Kahn decides to invade to conquer the realm. With a variety of recognizableMortal Kombatcharacters as his generals, most notably Kitana’s mother Sindel, Shao Kahn makes his intent to rule over the realm clear. The heroes aren’t interested in allowing someone to take over the world, so Johnny Cage takes the fight to Kahn, though his Shadow Kick means nothing to the powerful foe. In a matter of seconds, Kahn has Cage at his mercy before snapping the iconic character’s neck, killing him instantly.
The team of heroes, featuring Liu Kang, Kitana, Sonya Blade, and Raiden retreat, knowing that if they want to stand against Kahn’s power, they’ll need some help. Traveling through the core of the Earth itself, the group splits up, with Sonya heading to find and recruit her partner Jax, and Liu Kang and Kitana heading to find Night Wolf. All of this goes on while Raiden goes to find answersfrom the Elder Gods. As one might expect from aMortal Kombatmovie, there is a lot of fighting that takes place along the hero’s various adventures.
Liu Kang and Kitana battle with a section of Kahn’s forces led by the cyborg Smoke. Luckily, the new Sub-Zero appears to assist Liu Kang against the foe before Scorpion launches a surprise attack against the heroes,leading to Sub-Zero vs. Scorpion. After a battle complete with a collapsing ice bridge, Scorpion manages to kidnap Kitana, taking her back to Kahn and completely disappearing from the rest of the movie along with Sub-Zero. At the same time, Sonya Blade rescues Jax, explains the situation, and the two defeat the cyborg Cyrax.
The Elder Gods offer about as much help as fans of the series have grown accustomed to, giving a variety of potential solutions to the struggle including the rekindling of the relationship between Kitana and Sindel, and the direct defeat of Shao Kahn. It’s at this time that Raiden willingly gives up his immortality in order to help Earthrealm in their fight. As all of this is going on,Liu Kang meets Night Wolf, battles and befriends Jade, and Sonya Blade fights Mileena. The heroes eventually regroup, though the villains aren’t far behind. After some deliberation and basic character interactions, the group takes the fight to Shao Kahn in Outworld, setting up the final phase of the film.
Why Is Mortal Kombat: Annihilation So Hated?
When taking into account the fact thatMortal Kombat: Annihilationhas 4% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes and 24% from the general audience, it’s fair to say that the movie isn’t exactly beloved by many. The number one reason that the movie is so hated is the fact that theMortal Kombatgames, while seeming to be relatively simplistic, actually had some fascinating stories all the way to the nineties. While the original movie didn’t strive to tell a massive story, it did tell the tale of a majorMortal Kombattournament. The sequel told a mess of a story that will have most people who watch it struggling to remember why characters were doing things or going places. Even Micheal Saunders,a film critic for the Boston Globe had this to say in his review:
“Mortal Kombat: Annihilation” is scrupulously bloodless, both in its cartoonish depictions of martial arts violence and its pallid plot.
The entire plot boils down toLiu Kang needing to stop Shao Kahn with his wicked moves, but his adventure around Earthrealm doesn’t make a ton of sense. It may always be hilarious to see Scorpion call Liu Kang a sucker before teleporting away, but that doesn’t make up for the pitiful plot and confusing scenes that just serve to get characters from fight to fight. Sadly, it’s these criticisms that are most shared by critics and fans alike, resulting in the movie being hated – and that’s without getting into the terrible special effects that the movie tried to make use of.
How Does Mortal Kombat: Annihilation End?
Heading to Outworld, Liu Kang battlesclassic henchman Barakato rescue Kitana, Raiden fights a group of Reptiles, and the other battle Sindel completely off-screen. The plan to reunite Sindel and Kitana fails, and Jade reveals that she’s been working for Kahn the entire time, though she soon finds herself killed for displeasing Shao Kahn. With the bizarre revelation that Shao Kahn and Raiden are brothers, with Shinnok as their father, he takes on Shao Kahn and is easily killed, leaving Liu Kang as the leader of the last remaining resistance.
As Liu Kang steps up to challenge Kahn, Jax takes on Motaro and eventually realizes that his strength is within and not conferred by his cybernetic arm enhancements, leading to his victory. At the same time, Sonya Blade defeats what might be the weakest appearance of Ermac to date, all while Kitana beats her own mother.Liu Kang unlocks his animalityand takes the fight to Kahn, though Shinnok tries to step in.
Luckily, the Elder Gods manage to make themselves useful, halting Shinnok’s interference and stating that the fate of the realms will be left up to the victor of Mortal Kombat. After a brief back and forth, Liu Kang manages to defeat Kahn, resulting in Shinnok being sent to Netherealm. With Kahn defeated, Earthrealm returns to its former glory, Raiden is brought back to life, Sindel reunites with her daughter for real, and then the heroes head home to prepare should another threat arise to challenge Earthrealm.
Mortal Kombat
Mortal Kombat is a fighting game franchise originally created by Ed Boon and John Tobias for Midway Games in 1992. The franchise has a reputation for its over the top violence and finishing moves called fatalities which result in comically gruesome kills. The series immense popularity has helped it evolve into other mediums like comic books, spin-off games, television shows, and multiple film adaptations, both live action and animated.OVERRIDE
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