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Mortal Kombat

  • 1995
  • PG-13
  • 1h 41m
IMDb RATING
5.8/10
129K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,265
2
Mortal Kombat (1995)
Three unknowing martial artists are summoned to a mysterious island to compete in a tournament whose outcome will decide the fate of the world.
Play trailer1:48
2 Videos
99+ Photos
Dark FantasyFantasy EpicMartial ArtsSupernatural FantasyActionAdventureFantasySci-FiThriller

Three martial artists are forced to battle demonic adversaries in another dimension with the fate of the world hanging in the balance.Three martial artists are forced to battle demonic adversaries in another dimension with the fate of the world hanging in the balance.Three martial artists are forced to battle demonic adversaries in another dimension with the fate of the world hanging in the balance.

  • Director
    • Paul W.S. Anderson
  • Writers
    • Ed Boon
    • John Tobias
    • Kevin Droney
  • Stars
    • Christopher Lambert
    • Robin Shou
    • Linden Ashby
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.8/10
    129K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    3,265
    2
    • Director
      • Paul W.S. Anderson
    • Writers
      • Ed Boon
      • John Tobias
      • Kevin Droney
    • Stars
      • Christopher Lambert
      • Robin Shou
      • Linden Ashby
    • 458User reviews
    • 100Critic reviews
    • 60Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 3 nominations total

    Videos2

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:48
    Official Trailer
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    Clip 2:38
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    Photos320

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    Top cast37

    Edit
    Christopher Lambert
    Christopher Lambert
    • Lord Raiden
    Robin Shou
    Robin Shou
    • Liu Kang
    Linden Ashby
    Linden Ashby
    • Johnny Cage
    Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
    Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
    • Shang Tsung
    Bridgette Wilson-Sampras
    Bridgette Wilson-Sampras
    • Sonya Blade
    • (as Bridgette Wilson)
    Talisa Soto
    Talisa Soto
    • Kitana
    Trevor Goddard
    Trevor Goddard
    • Kano
    Chris Casamassa
    Chris Casamassa
    • Scorpion
    François Petit
    François Petit
    • Sub-Zero
    Keith Cooke
    Keith Cooke
    • Reptile
    • (as Keith H. Cooke)
    Hakim Alston
    • Fighting Monk
    Kenneth Edwards
    • Art Lean
    John Fujioka
    John Fujioka
    • Chief Priest
    Daniel Haggard
    Daniel Haggard
    • Assistant Director
    Sandy Helberg
    Sandy Helberg
    • Director
    Steven Ho
    Steven Ho
    • Chan
    Peter Jason
    Peter Jason
    • Master Boyd
    Lloyd Kino
    Lloyd Kino
    • Grandfather
    • Director
      • Paul W.S. Anderson
    • Writers
      • Ed Boon
      • John Tobias
      • Kevin Droney
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews458

    5.8129.4K
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    Featured reviews

    5chandean-69762

    Mortal Kombat 1995 Review

    "The essence of Mortal Kombat is not about death ... but life." Mortal Kombat is filled to the brim with bad acting, terrible dialogue, and horrendous CGi.

    But outside of that, what we have here is a film that cares for its source material and is not afraid of showing it. Whether it be Scorpions fire-spitting skull head, or Johnny Cage doing his splits nut-punch, it shows the creator knew and cared about Mortal Kombats origins and ridiculousness.

    It doesn't shy away from having a lot of fights too. Although not as bloody and gruesome as you'd expect, they still feel impactful enough to get the point across.

    Mortal Kombat pleasantly surprised me with how it stayed with its source material unlike most video game film adaptations. It had a pretty decent story and lots of good fights, but it does suffer from some poor acting and dialogue along with some of the worst CGi i've seen. The Goro animatronic was impressive though!

    EDIT: Reptile is my all time favorite Mortal Kombat character so seeing his HORRENDOUS appearance kind of upset me. But then thankfully redeemed it in the end.
    7peternaulls

    Better than Street Fighter easily

    A much bettwr movie with decent fx and choreography. Granted the story is cheesy and this is no Enter the Dragon but, not as bad as has been made out. If you are a fannof the game you should share some appreciation to this.
    6SkullScreamerReturns

    Pretty good martial arts video game movie

    Movies based on video games usually aren't that great but I think Mortal Kombat is one of the better ones. Sure, it has some flaws, but it also does a lot of things right. The characters look like the ones in the game, they perform some of their trademark fighting moves, the plot centers around a fighting tournament with no other boring plotlines thrown in, and the locations look excellent.

    The flaws would be some cheap looking cgi (which is not too often, so I don't have a problem with that), and the often talked about fact that Mortal Kombat the game was very violent and graphic, but none of that is in this movie. Yes, I think the movie would be a bit more effective if there were those bloody fatalities, but then again I think somehow the movie manages to create the mystical atmosphere of the games even without the over-the-top violence. Yes, it's also cheesy and comedic, but I think in the right way. It's just a very entertaining action movie.
    6CuriosityKilledShawn

    Paul Anderson's only good movie.

    I've always believed that video-games will never make good movies. But Warner don't seem to understand what a goldmine they're sitting on when it comes to Mortal Kombat. The franchise has so many characters, complex back-stories, and mythology that it honestly dwarfs the X-Men. There is a huge amount of potential in Mortal Kombat. This juvenile 1995 effort only scratches the surface of that potential, but still manages to be an enjoyable no-brainer.

    I remember when this was released back in October 1995. It had been No. 1 at the US box office for three straight weeks. The audience did actually manage to go along with the silly, tongue-in-cheek hokum, and it worked. By modern standards this film is laughably awful. The CGI effects look like they were rendered on a Commodore 64, even when the technology to make much better was readily available at the time. I feel so old thinking about how dated and retro Mortal Kombat is.

    A bunch of muscular tough-guys are called to an exotic island to take part in a fighting tournament that could decide the fate of the planet. The Outworld Emperor wants Earth as his new dominion and is one tournament away from victory. His mortal, demonic minions, led by the brilliantly over-the-top Cary Hiroyuki Tagawa as dark sorcerer Shang Tsung, must fight Earth's toughest warriors. All but three are expendable: Liu Kang, Johnny Cage, and Sonya Blade. The film follows them as they fight their way through many colorful environments.

    It looks and feels very much like an old-fashioned kung-fu movie. The production design is frequently wonderful, and there's hardly any unlikeable characters. Even 4-armed Prince Goro (brought to life by lovely puppetry) is fun to watch. The story however is paper-thin. Like I said, it could be so much more but the talent or motivation to make such a film in 1995 just wasn't there.

    I've never been a fan of Paul Anderson (as a matter-of-fact, he's one of the worst filmmakers currently working), but his US debut is a fun, little pot-boiler with some funky 90s techno.
    7Smells_Like_Cheese

    Test your might

    "Mortal Kombat" in my opinion is just an awesome movie. I think because I was such a fan of the video games, the days when Sega was the "thang". LOL, way before Playstation there was Sega! But, I really just loved the characters and this story just always appealed to me. I think because also my friends and I enjoyed acting the movie and video game out. No, we didn't kill each other, we just loved the characters.

    Yes, despite this being a typical video game movie, I still think it was cool to watch, still to this day I don't mind watching. It has an awesome soundtrack, excellent moves, and a great look and feel to the movie itself. Just let go and have fun with it, if you enjoyed the video games, I think you should enjoy "Mortal Kombat". It's just cool to watch and keeps you on the edge of your seat in excitement!

    7/10

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    Related interests

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    Dark Fantasy
    Dev Patel in The Green Knight (2021)
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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Chris Casamassa was hired to work as a stunt ninja. At the audition the producers were so impressed that he got the part of Scorpion.
    • Goofs
      (at around 46 mins) During the fight scene in the woods between Johnny Cage and Scorpion, a white car is seen driving in the background on the left of the set.
    • Quotes

      Johnny Cage: [while fighting Goro] Those were $500 sunglasses, asshole.

    • Crazy credits
      The closing credits contain symbols. These are a secret video game code (known in the series as a "Kombat Kode") that if used in the order they appear will obtain a special effect in Mortal Kombat 3 (1995).
    • Alternate versions
      The TBS Superstation version removes some of the more violent sound effects, e.g. bones crunching or arms twisting, and also two bad words... The "I smell something" comment is followed by silence and the obscenity can only be seen being said. Also, complete removal of the offensive word after, "Those were $500 sunglasses", which worked out fine.
    • Connections
      Edited into Top 5 Best/Worst: Top 5 Worst Michael Bay Movies (2017)
    • Soundtracks
      Techno-Syndrome (7-inch Mix)
      Written by Olivier Adams (as Oliver Adams)

      Performed by The Immortals

      Courtesy of Vernon Yard Recordings,

      A Division of Virgin Records America, Inc.

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    FAQ29

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    • What game is this movie based on?
    • Were characters based on real life people?
    • Were the actors real martial artists?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 18, 1995 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Official Company Site
      • The Threshold Network
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Mortal Kombat: Rồng Đen
    • Filming locations
      • Phra Nang Beach, Railay Bay, Krabi, Thailand
    • Production companies
      • New Line Cinema
      • Threshold Entertainment
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $18,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $70,454,098
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $23,283,887
      • Aug 20, 1995
    • Gross worldwide
      • $122,195,920
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 41m(101 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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