It's starting to really feel just like the late '90s throughout again, what with how Mortal Kombat is all the craze. 2024 saw the release of Mortal Kombat 1, the latest entry within the uber-popular preventing game sequence. And now MK is returning to the large display screen, as Warner Bros. gears up for the release of Mortal Kombat 2, a sequel to 2021's surprisingly strong reboot.
In gentle of all these massive developments within the MK world, we thought now could be the proper time to look back on the franchise's long, colourful and sometimes baffling historical past in movie and TV. Check out our slideshow under or scroll down for a nearer have a look at all of the Mortal Kombat variations and how carefully (or not) they adopted the source materials.
Mortal Kombat (1995)
The authentic Mortal Kombat film is broadly thought to be one of one of the best video game variations to date. Which, granted, is a very doubtful honor. Even so, the film nonetheless stands as a strong instance of how to convey the sequence to life in live-action. It presents a fairly devoted retelling of the unique game's extraordinarily barebones storyline, whereas drawing in parts of Mortal Kombat II and some of the backstory from the tie-in comics. Like many variations, it positions Liu Kang (Robin Chou) because the central hero destined to defeat the soul-stealing Shang Tsung (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa). For purists, the film's greatest sin is just that it doesn't replicate the violence of the video games, opting as a substitute for a more pedestrian PG-13 method.
What the film does seize, nevertheless, is that important undercurrent of camp and zaniness that goes hand-in-hand with the gratuitous violence. Mortal Kombat the film undoubtedly isn't guilty of taking itself too severely. It's additionally the film that launched the world to The Immortals' "Techno Syndrome," essentially the most iconic video game music this facet of the Super Mario Bros. theme.
Mortal Kombat: The Journey Begins (1995)
There's some fairly stiff competitors in the case of deciding the worst Mortal Kombat adaptation ever made, however this direct-to-video release may take the highest honor. Released forward of the live-action movie and ostensibly a prequel to stated movie, The Journey Begins units about fleshing out the origin tales of varied MK icons. But the connective tissue is doubtful at greatest. And as dated because the CGI within the live-action film could also be, it's state-of-the-art in comparison with the archaic, sub-Playstation high quality 3D fight scenes in The Journey Begins. Hardcore followers might wish to watch this one out of sheer, morbid curiosity (particularly because it's included as a bonus characteristic on the Mortal Kombat Blu-ray), however don't anticipate it to truly improve your enjoyment of the video games or the films.
Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm (1996)
The '80s and '90s TV panorama was suffering from makes an attempt to translate adults-only popular culture properties into kid-friendly cartoons. Case in level – RoboCop: The Animated Series, Rambo: The Force of Freedom and Toxic Crusaders. We actually need to respect Kenner's moxie for deciding to cut out the intermediary and immediately market Terminator 2 and Aliens toys to youngsters with out even ready for cartoons.
With Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm, USA Network threw its razor-edged hat into the ring. This short-lived sequence aired on the community's Action Extreme Team block in 1996. Somewhat bafflingly, it makes an attempt to function a continuation of each the 1995 film and the Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 video game, although the all-ages method principally renders that moot. Defenders of the Realm simplifies the advanced sequence of alliances and rivalries that outline the MK mythos, as a substitute that includes a staff of heroes led by Raiden and Nighthawk tasked with defending Earthrealm from Shao Kahn's interdimensional invaders.
Defenders of the Realm does make one notable addition to the franchise, nevertheless. The sequence was really the primary to introduce Quan Chi earlier than his roles in Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero and Mortal Kombat 4.
Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997)
If the primary Mortal Kombat film is among the many greatest makes an attempt at adapting a video game to movie, its sequel is definitely among the many worst. It's not essentially that Annihilation plays quick and free with the source materials. It introduces a quantity of well-liked characters like Shao Kahn (Brian Thompson), Jax (Lynn Williams) and Sindel (Musetta Vandel), together with acquainted MK parts like Animalities, the demise of Johnny Cage and Kuai Liang taking up his brother's mantle as Sub-Zero. The drawback is that the film fails to string any of that collectively into a coherent and fascinating story. There's not a lot inside logic to what occurs or which characters seem.
But even when the plot lived up to the primary film, Annihilation is plagued with awful results, underwhelming fight scenes, and actors who would seemingly slightly be wherever else. It's telling that, aside from Chou's Liu Kang, almost all of the returning characters have been recast for the sequel. But if nothing else, not less than the soundtrack is fairly good.
Mortal Kombat: Conquest (1998)
While Annihilation principally destroyed Mortal Kombat's big-screen prospects for the following 20 years, that didn't stop TNT from airing a live-action TV sequence in 1998. Mortal Kombat: Conquest serves as a prequel to the films, happening 500 years earlier than the period of Liu Kang. Instead, Conquest revolves round Liu's ancestor Kung Lao (Paolo Montalbán), a warrior monk tasked with coaching a new era of fighters to defend Earthrealm. While many of the sequence' supporting characters are new creations, many MK fan-favorites show up over the course of Conquest's one and solely season.
The greatest that may be stated for Conquest is that it was forward of its time. The prequel premise is powerful, and it's definitely a higher offshoot of the 1995 movie than Annihilation. But even on the time, it was tough to disregard the awful wire-fu fight scenes and typically dangerous particular results. It's exhausting to not marvel what might need been if Conquest had come alongside a decade or two later.
Mortal Kombat: Rebirth (2010)
Outside of the video games themselves, the MK franchise largely went dormant within the '00s. It wasn't till filmmaker Kevin Tancharoen took the initiative and put collectively a short, unauthorized Mortal Kombat film that the ball began rolling again.
Though produced on a very low finances and not sanctioned by Warner Bros. or Mortal Kombat's creators, Tancharoen's short movie Mortal Kombat: Rebirth is a surprisingly skilled adaptation. Rebirth is exclusive in that it downplays the franchise's supernatural trappings, as a substitute casting Scorpion (Ian Anthony Dale) as an murderer working with Captain Jackson Briggs (Michael Jai White) and Sonya Blade (Jeri Ryan) to convey down Shang Tsung's prison empire and get revenge on his nemesis, Sub-Zero.
Tancharoen supposed for Rebirth to function a proof-of-concept for a attainable film reboot. He kind of obtained his want as he was given the reins of the live-action web series Mortal Kombat: Legacy.
Mortal Kombat: Legacy (2011)
Tancharoen returned to the MK franchise the next yr, this time with the precise approval of Warner Bros. and a greenlight for a full season of live-action webisodes unique to Machinima. Legacy doesn't comply with the brand new continuity established in Rebirth, although Dale, White and Ryan all returned to reprise their roles for Season 1. Instead, Legacy acts as a prequel to the unique game, with every Season 1 episode fleshing out the backstory for a completely different Kombatant.
Season 2 proved to be a fairly steep departure, with Legacy shifting to a more narrative-driven method whereas bringing in a quantity of new characters and recasting many current roles. One bonus of that revamp is that Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa was capable of reprise the position of Shang Tsung (paving the way in which for him to make the soar over to the video games in the form of Mortal Kombat 11 DLC).
As inconsistent as it’s in phrases of tone and plot, Legacy exhibits the potential in a more earnest tackle the MK mythology. It additionally appears surprisingly strong for a free-to-watch web sequence.
Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge (2020)
Mortal Kombat returned to the animated realm in 2020, in what proved to be a vastly higher adaptation than both The Journey Begins or Defenders of the Realm. It helps that Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge is aimed squarely at adults. In reality, this direct-to-video release is definitely the primary R-rated Mortal Kombat film.
Scorpion's Revenge is an adaptation of the unique game's storyline, however with a twist. Rather than framing the film across the heroic Liu Kang, we'll see the fateful match from Scorpion's level of view. The film explores the character's tragic origin story and the beginnings of his feud with Sub-Zero. You can be taught more in IGN's Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge review.
The first movie has confirmed well-liked enough to spawn three more direct-to-video sequels, 2021's Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms, 2022's Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind, and 2023's Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match.
Mortal Kombat Reboot (2021)
After years of rumors about one other live-action Mortal Kombat film, the franchise lastly returned to the large display screen in 2021. The new film isn't related to earlier initiatives, however as a substitute serves as a full reboot. Star Mehcad Brooks (who plays Jax) describes it as having "grounded realism" regardless of retaining the Fatalities and different violent trappings of the video games. Here's a full breakdown of the Mortal Kombat reboot's cast.
The reboot hit theaters and HBO Max simultaneously in April 2021. You can try IGN's Mortal Kombat review for more. Though the pandemic clearly affected the movie's field workplace haul, it proved critically and commercially profitable enough that Warners greenlit a sequel.
Mortal Kombat 2 (2025)
The rebooted Mortal Kombat sequence will return to theaters in 2025 within the type of a sequel at present titled merely Mortal Kombat 2. In addition to returning favorites like Hiroyuki Sanada as Scorpion, Ludi Lin as Liu Kang, Mehcad Brooks as Jax, and Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade, the movie will even introduce Karl Urban’s Johnny Cage, Martyn Ford’s Shao Kahn, Damoin Herriman's Quan Chi, and Adeline Rudolph’s Kitana. We lately obtained a closer look at several of the cast members.
At this level, there appears little doubt that Mortal Kombat 2 will probably be a higher sequel than Mortal Kombat: Annihilation was, however that's not precisely a high bar to cross. The query is whether or not the sequel can proceed the momentum generated by the unique and pave the way in which for even more of the proposed sequels. There's lots of fight left on this franchise but.
Note: this text was initially revealed on 04/09/2020 and up to date on 03/17/2025 with the latest information concerning the Mortal Kombat franchise.
Jesse is a mild-mannered workers author for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your mental thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.