Mortal Kombat is a 1995 American martial arts fantasy film based on the video game franchise by Ed Boon and John Tobias. It is the first installment in the Mortal Kombat film series. It was directed by Paul Anderson and stars Linden Ashby, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Robin Shou, Bridgette Wilson, Talisa Soto, and Christopher Lambert. The film follows a group of heroes who participate in the eponymous tournament to protect Earth from being conquered by malevolent forces. Its story primarily adapts the original 1992 game, while also using elements from the game Mortal Kombat II (1993).
Development of a Mortal Kombat film adaptation began shortly after the release of Mortal Kombat II when independent producer Lawrence Kasanoff acquired the rights from Midway Games. Newcomer director Anderson was hired based on the strength of his debut Shopping, with a screenplay written by Kevin Droney. Filming took place primarily in Thailand, with fight sequences supervised by Shou and Pat E. Johnson.
Mortal Kombat was released by New Line Cinema in the United States on August 18, 1995. It received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the martial art sequences, atmosphere, and production values, but criticized the screenplay and toned-down violence from the games. Despite the mixed critical response, the film was well received by fans of the series. It was also a commercial success, grossing $122.2 million on a $20 million budget and becoming the highest-grossing film based on a video game at the time.
The film was followed by a 1997 sequel, Mortal Kombat Annihilation, along with two television series: the animated sequel Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm (1996) and the live-action prequel Mortal Kombat: Conquest (1998–1999). The follow-ups were unable to match the original film's success and the series was rebooted with a 2021 film.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
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