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Mortal Kombat
Metascore
58 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 12 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 12
  3. Negative: 0 out of 12
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  1. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Kevin Thomas
    90
    A martial arts action-adventure with wondrous special effects and witty production design, it effectively combines supernatural terror, a mythical slay-the-dragon, save-the-princess odyssey and even a spiritual quest for self-knowledge. [21 Aug 1995 Pg. F3]
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  2. Christian Science Monitor
    Reviewed by: Peter Rainer
    75
    It is one continuous fight sequence from opening scene to final credits, but lacks the blood, profanity, and gore that would have merited a more adult rating.
  3. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Stephen Holden
    70
    The movie's extensive martial arts sequences, in which combatants bounce off each other doing triple handsprings, suggest a slightly more earthbound version of the aerial ballets in Hong Kong action-adventure films.
  4. Variety
    Reviewed by: Leonard Klady
    70
    But where others have sunk in the mire of imitation, director Paul Anderson and writer Kevin Droney effect a viable balance between exquisitely choreographed action and ironic visual and verbal counterpoint.
  5. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Staff(not credited)
    63
    Expect lots of earsplitting music, garish visuals and badly staged martial arts action.
  6. Empire
    Reviewed by: Kim Newman
    60
    The filmmakers try to solve the problem of turning an experience which merely consists of a series of fights into a story by... ignoring it, presenting a film which merely consists of a series of fights.
  7. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Richard Harrington
    60
    A mix of martial-arts and special-effects magic, the film serves its nonstop confrontations either straight up or with a twist (as when they involve Kombatants with special powers, like Sub-Zero, Reptile and Scorpion).
  8. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Lisa Schwarzbaum
    58
    And although director Paul Anderson treats the story with appropriate deadpan respect, there are enough sparks of humor (particularly generated by Linden Ashby as a shallow martial-arts actor who worries that he's a fake, with good reason) to amuse the adults accompanying the 10-year-old boys in the audience.
  9. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Laura Evenson
    50
    Mortal Kombat the movie has everything a teenage boy could want: snakes that jut out of a villain's palms, acrobatic kung- fu fighting and a couple of battling babes. Everything, that is, but an interesting plot, decent dialogue and compelling acting
  10. USA Today
    Reviewed by: Susan Wloszczyna
    50
    Just like the popular (and more graphically violent) video game it's spun from, kung-fooy and kartoony Kombat shoves plot and personality aside to focus on action cloaked in mystic mumbo-jumbo and gloomy mock-gothic graphics. [21 Aug 1995 Pg. 03.D]
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  11. Austin Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Marc Savlov
    50
    It is, in essence, the video game transferred part and parcel to the screen, and very well at that.
  12. The New Yorker
    Reviewed by: Bruce Diones
    50
    But soon the movie falls flat under an uninspired good-versus-evil plot and pathetically simpleminded dialogue.
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User Reviews

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User Score
7.7 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 39 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 18
  3. Negative: 0 out of 18
  1. grandpajoe6191
    4
    Paul W.S Anderson's "Mortal Kombat" doesn't play out like a game, but like 32 episodes of 'Power Rangers' fused together. Yes, the movie is that much terrible.… Full Review »
  2. GeorgeK.
    10
    Absolutely amazing. Sure it is an old movie now but still it has lavish production design. Everything is created in full detail, good acting, nice injections shots of humor, fascinating fights, excellent editing and one unfuzzy direction from Anderson. Plus the exotic locations. Maybe the story is not serious-which it isn't-but it is presented in a way that makes the movie serious. Another plus-the exotic-atmospheric score by George S.Clinton, the techno soundtrack and the photography. It 's good to see locations that they have a blue feeling(Stage with SubZero), a hellish one(Scorpion) etc.. Cary Hiroyuki Tagawa is simply fantastic!… Full Review »
  3. billruller
    8
    I understand why some people say that this is a mixed bag type of movie. But myself, I honestly thought this was a very cool movie. Sure it's PG-13 and not as gory as the video games, but I still give it credit for some Fatalities, Flawless Victories, really cool fight scenes, and very good choice of casting. My most favorite MK character, Johnny Cage was funny and awesome. The best part was Goro looked great! The animatronics with the face and arms were fantastic that time in 1995. If this movie was made today, it would probably be CG. Sure there are a few problems with the movie, but its still a very good Video Game Based Motion Picture. Out of all of them, this is probably my most favorite out of VG films.… Full Review »
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