Mortal Kombat

Name: Mortal Kombat
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller, Fantasy
Released: August 18, 1995
Duration: 101 min
Rating: 58
Cast: Christopher Lambert, Robin Shou

1995

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 12 Critics

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USER SCORE

Universal acclaim based on 291 Ratings

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8.4

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8.4	User Score Universal acclaim based on 291 Ratings

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MORTAL KOMBAT

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Movie Details & Credits

New Line Cinema | Release Date: August 18, 1995

Starring: Christopher Lambert, Robin Shou

Summary: Summoned to a mysterious island, three martial arts warriors engage in the ultimate battle of good vs. evil. (New Line Cinema)

Director: Paul W.S. Anderson

Genre(s): Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller, Fantasy

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 101 min

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Awards & Rankings

53	#53 Best Movie of 1995
9	#9 Most Discussed Movie of 1995
19	#19 Most Shared Movie of 1995

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

Los Angeles Times - Kevin Thomas

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]

Christian Science Monitor - Peter Rainer

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. Read full review

The New York Times - Stephen Holden

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. Read full review

Empire - Kim Newman

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. Read full review

Entertainment Weekly - Lisa Schwarzbaum

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. Read full review

USA Today - Susan Wloszczyna

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]

Austin Chronicle - Marc Savlov

It is, in essence, the video game transferred part and parcel to the screen, and very well at that. Read full review

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User Reviews

GeorgeK.

Mar 1, 2009

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 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!… Expand

4 of 5 users found this helpful

GabboE.

Sep 2, 2008

Mortal Kombat is the greatest movie based on a video game ever made, everything about it was great, it followed the game really well, it was well casted, the special effects were pretty decent for it's time, the fight sequences were excellent and the soundtrack was superb, this movie Mortal Kombat is the greatest movie based on a video game ever made, everything about it was great, it followed the game really well, it was well casted, the special effects were pretty decent for it's time, the fight sequences were excellent and the soundtrack was superb, this movie is definately one of my favorite movies of all-time.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful

Voodoo123

Sep 2, 2017

Guilty pleasure of mine please excuse....
+Made by a Director/production team who actually understood the 90's MK universe
+Fights include character moves from the original game +Well chosen cast execute the impressive martial arts choreography with gusto +Story feels like a 90's saturdayGuilty pleasure of mine please excuse....
+Made by a Director/production team who actually understood the 90's MK universe
+Fights include character moves from the original game
+Well chosen cast execute the impressive martial arts choreography with gusto
+Story feels like a 90's saturday morning cartoon
+Sets and locations breath life to the story
+Memorable soundtrack
-sequels are just not the same ratio of fun/quality… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Meth-dude

Dec 9, 2014

While the special effects and story are not well made,The acting and the fight scenes are better that I expected.The tournament is well made,but unfortunately it's hard to get into the movie.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Rehmedies97

Oct 7, 2016

The previous three videogame movies ranged from mediocre (Street Fighter) to awful (Super Mario Bros. ,Double Dragon). But here we are with Mortal Kombat. I was actually pleasantly suprised by this film and how faithful it stays to games in terms of the story and the atmosphere. Though it'sThe previous three videogame movies ranged from mediocre (Street Fighter) to awful (Super Mario Bros. ,Double Dragon). But here we are with Mortal Kombat. I was actually pleasantly suprised by this film and how faithful it stays to games in terms of the story and the atmosphere. Though it's CGI has aged poorly.(CGI reptile anyone?) But the bombastic techno beats and impressive set design help save the film from it's uneven acting. The film serves as a decent martial arts flick, and as a good adaptation of the game in spite of it being PG-13. Overall 70/100… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

JPK

Jul 14, 2018

It's Stupid, But Kinda Fun
Mortal Kombat SERIOUSLY Lacks Brains, But The Fighting Is What We Came Here To See.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Necromus

Dec 6, 2012

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Absolutely the worst movie I've ever seen. I was unfortunately dragged to see this instead of some other cool movie at the time that was R-rated because my best friend was asked to take his younger siblings along with him to the movie theater and they were not old enough to see an R-rated movie. So, like a trooper I stuck with to endure this movie while our more scumbag friends ran off to see a better movie. Going in, I didn't have any expectations really. I had played countless hours of Mortal Kombat the video game in the arcade while in high school, and that was a cool game, so I thought, hey, this might not be so bad. Man, was I wrong. Now why would you take a video game filled with extreme graphic violence and then try to turn it into a movie for a General audience aimed at young children? Because you're an idiot without any common sense, that's why! The only "fatality" is when one of the fighters stupidly slips and falls off the side of the mountain, there is no blood, no gore, nothing. This was one of the most boring movies I have ever seen. And this is supposed to be an action movie? I'd rather watch somebody play the video game than watch this movie, seriously, watching somebody play the video game is way more entertaining! What a waste of money and time. Don't ever see this movie. Don't rent it. If it comes on TV change the channel! because if you see it, you're gonna have a bad time!… Expand

0 of 5 users found this helpful05

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