Mortal Kombat
Stars
Christopher Lambert, Robin Shou, Linden Ashby, Bridgette Wilson-Sampras, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
Director
Paul W.S. Anderson
The Story in a Nutshell
Based on the popular computer game of the 1990's, 3 unrelated Earth-based martial artists are summoned to a mysterious island to compete in a martial arts tournament that will decide the fate of Earth.
Guided by Lord Rayden, the 3 fighters must overcome opponents from out of this world, face their fears and decide the fate of our planet.
Martial Arts Styles Used
Kung Fu, Jiu Jitsu, Taekwondo, Kickboxing
Weapons Used
Chinese Spear, Bo Staff, Nunchucks, Chinese Broadsword, Knives, Guns
In Summary
Made due to the popularity of the Mortal Kombat games in the 1990's, tailoring a film to loosely match the game's plot was never going to be an easy task. Due to the nature of the video game, the director and writers have done a decent enough job with Mortal Kombat, putting together a believable enough plot which allows for the action sequences all fans of the game are watching the film to see.
The action sequences in the film are not great. Between 2 human actors they are passable but not brilliant, and the sequences with Goro are just terrible. It is difficult to fight a CGI / latex monster, but this film was made in 1995, when the technology to make a half decent attempt at this was possible. And this is a huge disappointment as Goro against any of the main characters is a fight that al fans would want to see.
Overall, this film is watchable, a cult classic, but not a martial arts masterpiece.
For more information please see http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113855/
Rating: 2/5
Author: The Bear Martial Arts Team