Video game adaptations have never had the best reputation with critics or audiences. 1993’sSuper Mario Bros. was a critical and box office misfire, followed just a year later by 1994’sStreet Fighter, another movie that suggested maybe video games should remain in the arcade. Then, along cameMortal Kombatin 1995. While not a critical darling, the movie broke the video game movie curse at the box office and held the distinction of being the best movie adaptation of a video game for many years.
Mortal Kombatis based on the video game franchise of the same name and was helmed byPaul W.S. Anderson(not to be confused with the guy who gave usBoogie Nights). The film’s story mostly adapts the 1992 video game while also seeking inspiration from 1993’sMortal Kombat II. It follows a group of gifted fighters who take part in a tournament hosted by sorcerer Shang Tsung (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa) to protect Earth from being conquered by the Outworld dimension. The film also stars Christopher Lambert, Robin Shou, Linden Ashby, Bridgette Wilson, Talisa Soto, and Trevor Goddard.
‘Mortal Kombat’ Was Relatively Loyal to Its Source Material
Mortal Kombatworked with fans because it attempted in good faith to be an accurate adaptation of the video game.Super Mario Bros. didn’t have the vibrancy of its video game origins, andStreet Fighterfailed to embrace the essence of its source material. Despite being PG-13,Mortal Kombathas the aesthetic and overall feel of the game that inspired it. A then-unknown director, Paul W.S. Anderson, brought something to the table that was missing from previous video game adaptations. He was an actual fan of the game. Anderson’s affection for the source material is evident throughout the film, from the first entrance of Scorpion (Chris Casamassa) and Sub-Zero (Francois Petit), to seeing some of the film’s characters tackle the game’s signature moves.
Another asset to the film’s success is that the big-name stars who were sought out for the film weren’t interested. One of the big issues withStreet Fighterwas that Jean-Claude Van Damme was a distraction in the lead role. That’s not to say that he was an A-list star, buthis presence was large enough to make suspending a level of disbelief a bit difficult. Oddly enough, Van Damme was offered Johnny Cage, since he reportedly inspired the character, but he turned it down, and other big names like Johnny Depp and Tom Cruise were also considered. Once you throw in attempts to get Sean Connery to portray Rayden, it was clear thatMortal Kombatwas initially shooting for the stars.
Getting the lesser-known names of Robin Shou (Liu Kang),Linden Ashby (Johnny Cage), Bridgette Wilson (Sonya Blade), and Christopher Lambert (Rayden) ultimately worked in the movie’s favor.They were able to disappear into their roles, allowing fans to only see them as the video-game-inspired characters they have come to love and kick-ass with. This might be one of the rare occasions where losing out on high-profile names worked in a movie’s favor. Not only did it keep the film’s budget manageable (a slim $20 million), but it also kept all the focus on the film being the best possible adaptation of the game that it could be.
‘Mortal Kombat’ Overcame Its Shortcomings by Leaning Into What Made Fans Love the Games
Mortal Kombatwas able to overcome some woefully lacking fight choreography (the film is no doubt fun, but no one here is Bruce Lee) by leaning into what really worked about the game’s distinction of being a fun fighting game for fans. Even in 1995, no one was going to buy Ashby as a trained fighter, buthis big fight with Scorpion worked because fans were distracted by how cool our guy in black and yellow looked, along with hearing him say his signature “Get Over Here” catchphrase during hisbig brawl with Johnny Cage.
Using some questionable 1995 visual effects, Scorpion’s rope dart is brought to life in a fun way, and it proved to be a distraction from a fight scene that lacked true martial arts prowess. The same can be said for Sonya Blade’s (Wilson) fight with Kano (Goddard), which features her signature leg grab and Sub-Zero freezing a random henchman in midair to show off his ice powers. These Easter Egg moments pulled the attention away from the fact that none of the leads, save maybe Shou and Tagawa, were coming off as trained fighters.
Released on August 08, 2025,Mortal Kombatcame out of the gate as a hit with an opening of $23.2 million. At the time, it was the second-highest August opening at the box office, after 1993’sThe Fugitive, and it managed to stay number one at the box office for three straight weeks.By the end of its run, the film had grossed $73 million domestically and a staggering $124.7 million worldwide on a $20 million budget. Although the bar wasn’t exceptionally high, the movie was the highest-grossingvideo game adaptationuntil the release ofPokémon: The First Moviein 1998.
Critics were mixed onMortal Kombat, with the film registering a 47 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Truth be told,this film wasn’t made for critics and was purely for the fans (its “A-” CinemaScore from opening day audiences shows that they were pleased), and that’s all that mattered in the end. To this day, it’s considered by many to be one of the best video game adaptations, and, while that might sound like faint praise, just remember what came beforeMortal Kombatand how significant it was that this film changed the game and made it believable that video game adaptations could have a life on the big screen.
Mortal Kombat
