john-bachak
Joined Jul 2011
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john-bachak's rating
Jake Gyllenhaal is the only saving grace in this film. His boyish smartass charm works to an extent, but not enough to fill the void of a very boring cast and predictable script.
He plays an ex MMA fighter, Elwood Dalton, who is down on his luck and is offered a job as a bouncer at a pub called The Roadhouse in the Florida Keys. He soon discovers that the job is harder than it seems, due to it being harassed constantly by goons hired by the son of rich & corrupt businessman, because he wants the land that The Roadhouse is sitting on for his ambitious corporate land development project. Of course, the situations escalates as Dalton foils each attempt to intimidate him and the Roadhouse owner.
Pretty stock standard plot, which is fine, but if you're going to have a simple story then you should have something special to make it unique right?? Unfortunately we don't get anything we haven't seen before.
The inclusion of Conor McGregor doesn't add much to the movie. He just comes off as an Irish version of Looney Tunes' Tasmanian Devil, just smiling like an idiot and making quip here and there, but devoid of wit and proper dialogue. He's pretty much a caricature of himself here. I understand he's not an actor, but this was a terribly bland performance.
Even when it comes to the fight scenes, you don't see the Karate/TKD influenced striking brilliance that Conor brought to the UFC cage. He is a striker of high calibre, speed, accuracy and technique. Here he is just another beefy bar brawler with an Irish accent.
Which leads me to the fight choreography that isn't particular great or special either. It's shot in the usual lazy Hollywood fashion it's quick edit cuts, close frames, shaky cam to hide the fact that the choreographed moves are pretty basic and made to look painful rather than actually interesting.
This film doesn't have the X factor that the original Roadhouse film had or those action/martial arts flicks of the 80s and 90s that made them so enjoyable to watch, like Bloodsport, Double Impact, Under Siege. Big Trouble in Little Tokyo. Etc.
If you haven't watched the original Roadhouse and/or you just want to switch your brain off for 1.5 hrs then this will suffice.
If you want a real 80 and 90s movie feel that has action/martial arts but in the modern age, then look no further than films by guys like Scott Adkins, Michael Jai White. Or just go back to those classics like the original Roadhouse.
He plays an ex MMA fighter, Elwood Dalton, who is down on his luck and is offered a job as a bouncer at a pub called The Roadhouse in the Florida Keys. He soon discovers that the job is harder than it seems, due to it being harassed constantly by goons hired by the son of rich & corrupt businessman, because he wants the land that The Roadhouse is sitting on for his ambitious corporate land development project. Of course, the situations escalates as Dalton foils each attempt to intimidate him and the Roadhouse owner.
Pretty stock standard plot, which is fine, but if you're going to have a simple story then you should have something special to make it unique right?? Unfortunately we don't get anything we haven't seen before.
The inclusion of Conor McGregor doesn't add much to the movie. He just comes off as an Irish version of Looney Tunes' Tasmanian Devil, just smiling like an idiot and making quip here and there, but devoid of wit and proper dialogue. He's pretty much a caricature of himself here. I understand he's not an actor, but this was a terribly bland performance.
Even when it comes to the fight scenes, you don't see the Karate/TKD influenced striking brilliance that Conor brought to the UFC cage. He is a striker of high calibre, speed, accuracy and technique. Here he is just another beefy bar brawler with an Irish accent.
Which leads me to the fight choreography that isn't particular great or special either. It's shot in the usual lazy Hollywood fashion it's quick edit cuts, close frames, shaky cam to hide the fact that the choreographed moves are pretty basic and made to look painful rather than actually interesting.
This film doesn't have the X factor that the original Roadhouse film had or those action/martial arts flicks of the 80s and 90s that made them so enjoyable to watch, like Bloodsport, Double Impact, Under Siege. Big Trouble in Little Tokyo. Etc.
If you haven't watched the original Roadhouse and/or you just want to switch your brain off for 1.5 hrs then this will suffice.
If you want a real 80 and 90s movie feel that has action/martial arts but in the modern age, then look no further than films by guys like Scott Adkins, Michael Jai White. Or just go back to those classics like the original Roadhouse.
I was a teen in 1995 when this film came out and it was the most successful video game movies of its time and continues to be one of the best video game film adaptations.
It's a simple revenge story in the backdrop of a martial arts tournament with fantasy elements. Just like the Mortal Kombat the game, which was inspired by films such as Enter The Dragon, Bloodsport, Big Trouble In Little China, the Kosugi Ninja series and other HK Kung fu action films. The movie draws from the very same sources while still staying true to the lore created by the game itself. It manages to balance humour, drama and the action scenes very well. Never taking it self too seriously, while still adding humour and charm, but never at the expense of the story and characters. Johnny Cage particularly, played by the brilliant Linden Ashby, was sooo good in this film. His action movie star cockiness, absurd lines & comic timing gives the film its funniest moments, but he can still kick ass. His fight scenes with Scorpion is my favourite in the film. In decades since we've had an evolution of fight choreography from Matrix, Jason Bourne, Romeo Must Die, Ong Bak, The Raid, John Wick and even a Mortal Kombat reboot, but the action choreography from MK 95' is still quite entertaining even by today's standards. The Liu Kang v Reptile fight is another highlight for its fast pacing and hard hits performed by bonafide martial artists.
Sonya Blade played by Bridgette Wilson does what she can in this film as the stubbornly independent Special Forces Agent, who spends most of the movie pouting and scowling to show how strong she is.
Robin Shou, who is an exponent of the HK action scene himself, was perfect as Liu Kang, who very much plays it straight as a martial artist from a Shaolin monastery intent on avenging his brother's death. But your hero is only as good as your villain, in Cary Hiroyuki-Tagawa. Whose presence & performance as the Sorceror, Shang Tsung cannot be understated. His Shang Tsung exudes power, cunning and control so well, that no else has been able to match him in any media - games, animation, tv series or sequels. The now iconic words "Your Soul Is Mine" was born when he said it in the movie and has been part of the MK game lore ever since. On that point, the film was so well received by the MK fans and the creators that many character traits and even story points from the movie influenced the future MK games - Liu Kang-Kitana romance, Johnny Cage-Sonya Blade romance, Kano (played by the late Trevor Goddard) having an Australian accent, various quotes & story references from the movie.
The soundtrack by George Clinton is absolutely perfect in this movie with tribal drum beats & oriental sounds. Mixed in with some industrial metal and EDM. I remember every third guy in high school had the movie and soundtrack. Of course there is the Mortal Kombat theme song by the aptly named - Immortals, who made the most infectious techno dance song in pop culture history.
Whether it's me being a MK fan. Or nostalgic for my teen years and the 1990s. I can't help but enjoy this movie. As much as I enjoyed the MK 2021 film for its technically superiority - its ultra violence, gore and gritty storyline. I still prefer the charm and style of the 1995 film.
It's not a masterpiece. It's not Godfather. It's not Schindler's List. It's not even close to The Dark Knight.
It is however a Fun Action Packed Fantasy Martial Arts Movie that has nothing to be ashamed for being very much a product of its time in the mid 1990s.
It's a simple revenge story in the backdrop of a martial arts tournament with fantasy elements. Just like the Mortal Kombat the game, which was inspired by films such as Enter The Dragon, Bloodsport, Big Trouble In Little China, the Kosugi Ninja series and other HK Kung fu action films. The movie draws from the very same sources while still staying true to the lore created by the game itself. It manages to balance humour, drama and the action scenes very well. Never taking it self too seriously, while still adding humour and charm, but never at the expense of the story and characters. Johnny Cage particularly, played by the brilliant Linden Ashby, was sooo good in this film. His action movie star cockiness, absurd lines & comic timing gives the film its funniest moments, but he can still kick ass. His fight scenes with Scorpion is my favourite in the film. In decades since we've had an evolution of fight choreography from Matrix, Jason Bourne, Romeo Must Die, Ong Bak, The Raid, John Wick and even a Mortal Kombat reboot, but the action choreography from MK 95' is still quite entertaining even by today's standards. The Liu Kang v Reptile fight is another highlight for its fast pacing and hard hits performed by bonafide martial artists.
Sonya Blade played by Bridgette Wilson does what she can in this film as the stubbornly independent Special Forces Agent, who spends most of the movie pouting and scowling to show how strong she is.
Robin Shou, who is an exponent of the HK action scene himself, was perfect as Liu Kang, who very much plays it straight as a martial artist from a Shaolin monastery intent on avenging his brother's death. But your hero is only as good as your villain, in Cary Hiroyuki-Tagawa. Whose presence & performance as the Sorceror, Shang Tsung cannot be understated. His Shang Tsung exudes power, cunning and control so well, that no else has been able to match him in any media - games, animation, tv series or sequels. The now iconic words "Your Soul Is Mine" was born when he said it in the movie and has been part of the MK game lore ever since. On that point, the film was so well received by the MK fans and the creators that many character traits and even story points from the movie influenced the future MK games - Liu Kang-Kitana romance, Johnny Cage-Sonya Blade romance, Kano (played by the late Trevor Goddard) having an Australian accent, various quotes & story references from the movie.
The soundtrack by George Clinton is absolutely perfect in this movie with tribal drum beats & oriental sounds. Mixed in with some industrial metal and EDM. I remember every third guy in high school had the movie and soundtrack. Of course there is the Mortal Kombat theme song by the aptly named - Immortals, who made the most infectious techno dance song in pop culture history.
Whether it's me being a MK fan. Or nostalgic for my teen years and the 1990s. I can't help but enjoy this movie. As much as I enjoyed the MK 2021 film for its technically superiority - its ultra violence, gore and gritty storyline. I still prefer the charm and style of the 1995 film.
It's not a masterpiece. It's not Godfather. It's not Schindler's List. It's not even close to The Dark Knight.
It is however a Fun Action Packed Fantasy Martial Arts Movie that has nothing to be ashamed for being very much a product of its time in the mid 1990s.