Video game adaptations haven't exactly had the best reputation over the years. But one film that keeps coming up in conversations about the better ones out there is the original Mortal Kombat. Released in 1995, the film had embraced most of the things fans loved about the video games in the series, while still telling a story that could be enjoyed by casual audiences.
The film was so successful that it had given rise to two TV shows and a 1997 sequel (but the less said about Mortal Kombat: Annihilation the better). The franchise would then lie dormant over the next two decades until the recently-released reboot. There are certain things the new film does better than the 1995 film, and certain things that felt like a step backward. Here are just a few instances of both.
10 Better: The Special Effects
The special effects in movies have improved a lot since 1995. But if Mortal Kombat: Annihilation had taught us anything, it is that newer doesn't automatically equate to better. We need to look no further than those infamous CGI dragons for proof.
Unsurprisingly, the effects in the new movie are leagues ahead of what we had in the first one. Everything from Sub-Zero's ice powers to Liu Kang's new flaming dragon fatality looked believable. We even got Goro, a fully CG character that didn't pull viewers out of the experience of watching the movie, a true testament to just how far we've come.
9 Worse: The Editing
It's a shame then that we can't say the same thing about the editing in the film. In a trend that has become quite common in many action films, the movie employs a lot of jump cuts.
This was probably done to create a heightened sense of tension and forward momentum but only ends up interrupting the flow of the action, making it harder than necessary to follow along. This is not to say that jump cuts are inherently a bad thing as they can be quite effective when used sparingly. But the filmmakers had failed to err on the side of subtlety, making their usage here another classic case of less being more.
8 Better: The Fight Scenes
One of the highlights of the 1995 film was its tightly choreographed fight scenes, many of which still hold up surprisingly well today. The fact that most of the actors performed their own stunts only went further to sell the whole thing.
The new film takes this up a notch by employing real-life martial artists in several key roles. It had Joe Taslim playing Sub-Zero, an actor who is known for roles in highly revered martial arts movies like The Raid and The Night Comes for Us. It also had Lewis Tan in the lead role. The actor has had roles in movies like Deadpool 2 as well as the ongoing Netflix series, Wu Assassins.
7 Worse: The Actual Tournament
Remember how the 1995 film was about a tournament where fighters from different realms came together to fight one another and determine the fate of the world? Well, there was none of that in the 2021 reboot. At least not within the actual movie.
The film instead spends much of its runtime introducing the concept of that tournament, as well as the many characters expected to fight in it. In that sense, it almost feels like more of a prequel than a true reboot. Or set up for a proper Mortal Kombat film closer to the one we got in 1995. Hopefully, we'll finally get to have that tournament in one of the sequels already believed to be in the pipeline.
6 Better: Kano
Anyone who has seen the new Mortal Kombat film would know that Kano was easily the best part of it. The wise-cracking villain was responsible for most of the gags within the movie, as well as ensuring that it remained grounded in reality.
The 1995 version by comparison just isn't as compelling, even though he had also been employed as a comic relief character in that other film. Josh Lawson's portrayal of the character had really elevated the new film, adding some much-needed levity to what would have otherwise been a self-serious affair.
5 Worse: Goro
While the 2021 version of Goro looks and moves far more convincingly than the animatronics-driven performance of the 1995 version, the same thing cannot be said about his depiction as a character within the context of the story.
In the 1995 film, Goro had felt like a truly formidable opponent that needed to be defeated in order to progress, much like in the games the film was based upon. Here he merely comes across as another henchman being dispatched to stop the protagonist, a far cry from the Shokan prince said to have defeated the Great Kung Lao himself.
4 Better: The Self-Awareness
The 1995 version of Mortal Kombat is considered campy by most standards, which added to its overall appeal. Most of that was unintentional though, with the film generally enjoying the goodwill that goes along with the so-bad-it's-good designation.
By contrast, the new film takes a tongue-in-cheek approach, fully embracing the ridiculousness of its premise. This is most evident through characters like Cole taking a jab at Sonya for spelling combat with a k in her scribbled down notes. Or any one of Kano's outbursts throughout the film. The original might be looked upon more fondly by fans, but that is mainly due to it being viewed through the rose-colored glasses of nostalgia.
3 Worse: The Story
The Mortal Kombat games are known for the depth of their lore, a huge chunk of which had made the transition over to the big screen in the 1995 film adaptation. The basic structure of a bunch of fighters trying to defend the Earthrealm by fighting in a tournament was there, and several of those fighters had fleshed out backstories.
The new film on the other hand felt like it was merely setting up a sequel, and several characters like Reiko and Nitara were given little to no backstories or character motivations beyond "because... bad guy." The film might have started strong with its opening scene depicting the origin of the Scorpion and Sub-Zero rivalry, but nothing beyond that point was able to measure up in terms of the quality of its storytelling.
2 Better: The Fatalities
One of the shortcomings of the 1995 film was its PG-13 rating. This prevented the filmmakers from showcasing any of the gore and violence the video games were known for. This was the same game that had given rise to the ESRB after all.
For the new film, the filmmakers had opted to go all-in with the blood and guts, and the film easily earns its R-rating as a result. There were hearts ripped out of chests, heads lopped off of shoulders, and people burnt to a crisp, just to name a few instances. This would in turn result in what can only be seen as a more faithful adaptation of the games.
1 Worse: The Soundtrack
As far as soundtracks go, there is actually nothing wrong with the soundtrack of the 2021 reboot of Mortal Kombat. That said, it simply cannot hold a candle to the one from the 1995 film. Produced by an electronic duo known as The Immortals, the album had included the hit song, Techno Syndrome.
The song was pretty much synonymous with the Mortal Kombat games and movies at the time and had remained iconic through most of the 90s. And while the new movie does a somewhat decent job of incorporating several nods to the classic tune, the new version does not substitute, nor come anywhere close to the sheer thrills of, the real thing. Perhaps we can once again put this one down to nostalgia.