Here are all the live action Mortal Kombat movies, ranked
SPOILERS AHEAD
Based on the hit fighting games, Mortal Kombat has fought for decades to cement itself as a legit property in the movie genre with gallons of blood, sweat, and bad computer graphics. Directors have often struggled to find what works about a franchise where the concept seems so simple, as long as we don’t get into the weeds of the complex lore or dull down the violence. Now, with the recent release of Mortal Kombat II in theaters and talks of a third film happening, it’s a good time to rank the style, showmanship, and brutality of these martial arts spectacles.
Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997)
No one should be shocked that Mortal Kombat Annihilation remains the worst film in the franchise. Even if it isn’t the worst movie ever made, some fans might like to argue its consideration for that title, and it did cause this arm of the franchise to go dormant for over two decades.
This sequel is arguably at least somewhat interesting and certainly generates a few laughs, as well as a lot of cringe moments, but so much feels like it’s missing from what made the first outing work. Even though the story picks up right after the events of the original, this adventure feels so different. It isn’t just the new actors, the lack of explanations, or the overuse of CGI; so many elements feel mishandled. It’s a shame, too, because the initial script was much stronger, but huge chunks were cut out, even some that were filmed, like Quan Chi’s scenes. Annihilation is a quick cash-in without any of the heart and soul we’d seen previously, like Shang Tsung had drained this soul already, leaving nothing but a curious husk.
“Too bad you…will DIE!”
Mortal Kombat (2021)
The reboot of Mortal Kombat’s live action journey had several problems. It wasn’t just that they added a new character no one wanted (using an actor people liked, at least), introduced tattoos that kombatants needed to matter in the tournament, and tried to explain everyone’s powers with a generalized concept. The movie felt like a rough start overall, deciding to lead up to the main event instead of showing it. Thus, it was easy to question several of the decisions made, as this new take tried to ground the story and environments a little more, burying some of the franchise’s magic.
It wasn’t a bad movie, quite enjoyable, in fact, if fans didn’t mind watching some big characters get jobbed out and not receiving any answers about changes to the lore. It certainly made Bi-Han (Sub-Zero) feel like a greater threat. Mortal Kombat (2021) offered something fresh, as well as the R-rating fans had been asking for, and despite its shortcomings, it was certainly an entertaining ride. Besides, everyone loves Kano.
Mortal Kombat II (2026)
Five years later, after a sizable delay and a good amount of reshoots, fans were asked to show up for round two, a serious step up for the franchise and a chance to correct some of the previous mistakes. It’s far from perfect, but Mortal Kombat II listened to the fans and improved several characters, most of the environments, and stepped up the fights by a good bit, as well.
The story still doesn’t sing, but it doesn’t need to. It serves the purpose of getting viewers into the action fast and giving the heroes a seemingly impossible opponent to overcome, as well as feeling like something closer to the source material. People didn’t seem to mind that they brought back a few characters, while conveniently ignoring others, because most of the plot elements that annoyed fans last time were left in the dust here, or were executed with extreme prejudice. Sure, there were still a couple of questionable decisions, but the blood and guts made up for most of that, and it was clear that an effort had been made to improve the product. This felt like something constructed more for the fans, without veering too far from their previous installment’s intent.
Mortal Kombat (1995)
Back before it was a sure thing that our favorite video game franchises would receive movie adaptations, Mortal Kombat took a big swing at what something like that would even resemble, and knocked it out of the park. The 1995 film has a wonderful look, even if some of the CGI and sets haven’t aged incredibly well; there are great shooting locations, solid fights – especially Liu Kang vs. Reptile – some awesome moments, and a superb soundtrack. The character work is full of personality, even if the acting was never going to win any awards, because it feels like the people involved put a lot into it – they clearly wanted this to be a good movie, even if it was banking on a popular property.
MK is one of the early ventures into making a project like this, arguably the first to get it right, and it remains one of the best in the genre. Sure, for some, the memories might be the good elements mixed with a helping of nostalgia, but it’s hard not to see this finished product as a strong idea (the framework from the games), crafted into a spectacular adventure on the big screen that elevated the property with an influence that lasted.
