Mortal Kombat (2021) may have received mixed reviews, but the Warner Bros. reboot does a few things better than the original Mortal Kombat film from 1995. 24 years after Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, the world of Mortal Kombat returned to the big screen in the form of a new origin story. Mortal Kombat (2021) does not have any connection with the homonymous 1995 film, but given how they are both origin stories, comparisons between the two of them are inevitable.
While Mortal Kombat has been one of the most successful and stable video game franchises for decades, the saga does not have the best track on the big screen. Mortal Kombat (1995) made $122.2 million at the box office on a $20 million budget, and while the film’s reception was nothing , it was enough for it to be granted a sequel. However, any momentum created by Mortal Kombat (1995) was lost with Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. The 1997 sequel made $51.3 on a $30 million budget, and it is regarded not only as the worst Mortal Kombat movie, but also as one of the worst video game adaptations of all time. Compared to the first Mortal Kombat film, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation felt more like a parody than a sequel.
The Mortal Kombat: Annihilation disaster was enough to put the Mortal Kombat movie franchise on hold for decades, and for a long time, it seemed like pulling off a new theatrical Mortal Kombat movie would be impossible. Still, 2021 saw the release of Mortal Kombat, a $55 million film by Simon McQuoid that went on to make $84.4 million at the box office. It’s important to notice that Mortal Kombat was also released on HBO Max the same day it hit theaters, and while measuring a film’s success on a streaming platform is tricky, Warner Bros. was happy enough with Mortal Kombat’s performance on HBO Max to greenlight Mortal Kombat 2. Still, Mortal Kombat (2021) currently sits at 54% on Rotten Tomatoes, with both casual audiences and game players mostly split on the reboot. Curiously, while the 1995 Mortal Kombat also has an unimpressive Rotten Tomatoes score, of 45%, the film has achieved cult classic status and is remembered fondly by the audiences. That said, Mortal Kombat (2021) fixed a lot of Mortal Kombat (1995)’s mistakes, both as an adaptation and as a movie.
Mortal Kombat (2021) Had The Gore & Fatalities 1995’s Mortal Kombat Lacked
More than its story or its fight mechanics, Mortal Kombat has always been defined by its gore and fatalities. Mortal Kombat’s hyperrealism combined with a self-aware approach made the series stand out from other action games, and its unique visual identity is part of the reason why the Mortal Kombat games have remained successful for so long. As such, any good Mortal Kombat adaptation, live-action or for other media, has to nail the gore and fatalities. However, given its PG-13 rating, Mortal Kombat (1995) could not display a lot of violence or even show blood. Therefore, Mortal Kombat (1995) completely skips the gore that is so essential to the Mortal Kombat characters’ signature moves. As a consequence, Mortal Kombat (1995) had almost no fatalities, the only exception being a state fatality used by Liu Kang during his final fight against Shang Tsung.
Mortal Kombat (2021), on the other hand, went all in with the gore and the fatalities. In fact, the news that the 2021 Mortal Kombat reboot would be R-rated was one of the film’s biggest selling points, as it would allow the feature to translate Mortal Kombat’s iconic fatalities to the big screen in a way that the 1995 film never could. While Mortal Kombat (2021)’s fight scenes left a lot to desire, especially because the excessive cuts, the gore, and the moves themselves were very much reminiscent of the Mortal Kombat games. From Kung Lao cutting Nitara in half with his hat to Liu Kang burning Kabal with a fire dragon, Mortal Kombat (2021) nailed the gore side of Mortal Kombat.
Mortal Kombat (2021) Fixed 1995’s Mortal Kombat’s Scorpion & Sub-Zero Crime
While Scorpion and Sub-Zero would still receive a lot more backstory in the Mortal Kombat games, there was already enough material in the first two games in the series to make Scorpion and Sub-Zero into lead characters or, at the very least, central villains. However, Scorpion and Sub-Zero were reduced to glorified henchmen in the 1995 Mortal Kombat film. Both Scorpion and Sub-Zero worked for Shang Tsung, and there was absolutely nothing regarding the character’s origins or an explanation as to why they were working for Shang Tsung. As a comparison, the Mortal Kombat games released by then had already established that Sub-Zero and Scorpion were rivals with opposing missions.
The Mortal Kombat reboot obviously had a lot more to work with regarding Scorpion and Sub-Zero. In fact, the 26 years that separate the first Mortal Kombat movie from the 2021 reboot saw Scorpion and Sub-Zero ascending to the position of Mortal Kombat’s most important characters. Scorpion and Sub-Zero have recently become the face of the Mortal Kombat franchise, something that was translated into the reboot. While Mortal Kombat (2021) did not fully deliver on its Scorpion and Sub-Zero promise, it certainly treated the characters a lot better than the 1995 film did.
Mortal Kombat (2021) Had A Better Roster Of Champions Than 1995’s MK
Once again a reflex of how the Mortal Kombat game series changed in the last few years, Mortal Kombat (2021) had a better roster of champions than Mortal Kombat (1995). The original Mortal Kombat movie was solely based on the first Mortal Kombat game, which means its roster of Earthrealm champions was limited to Liu Kang, Sonya Blade, Johnny Cage, and Raiden, while its roster of Outworld champions/villains was limited to Goro, Shang Tsung, Kano, Reptile, Scorpion and Sub-Zero. Mortal Kombat (2021), on the other hand, was mostly based on the rebooted Mortal Kombat timeline, the one that came to be after Mortal Kombat 9. As such, the Mortal Kombat reboot combined the classic origin story of the first game but added characters that would only appear years later like Kung Lao, Jax, Kabal, and Milena. Granted, skipping Johnny Cage may have been a mistake, but Mortal Kombat (2021) still had a better set of characters overall.
Mortal Kombat (2021) Sets Up A Better Sequel Than 1995’s Mortal Kombat Did
While Mortal Kombat (1995) ends on a major cliffhanger that surely raised expectations for the next film, Mortal Kombat (2021) did better when it comes to setting up a sequel. Instead of an almost self-aware cliffhanger used most for shock value as the 1995 film had, Mortal Kombat (2021) set up a few different story points that can be expanded on in Mortal Kombat 2. The 2021’s Mortal Kombat’s biggest sequel hook was the Johnny Cage story tease at the end, but it was not the only one.
A statue of Shao Kahn was seen in Mortal Kombat (2021), and while a giant evil entity did not appear at the end like in the 1995 film, it’s clear that Mortal Kombat 2 will use Shao Kahn in some form. There was also a tease that Sub-Zero will return in Mortal Kombat 2, as Shang Tsung says that death is only another portal. There are also more stories to be told about Scorpion’s time at Netherrealm, plus what will be of Cole Young. With more well-thought-out setups other than just Shao Kahn’s surprise arrival at the end, Mortal Kombat 2 has a lot more potential than Mortal Kombat: Annihilation ever did.
