In a flawless victory for those who are stuck inside looking for something to stream,Mortal Kombatis arriving on Netflix in April. The 1995 video game adaptation may not be, by modern standards, what one would call a cinematic masterpiece, but people of a certain age undoubtedly have nostalgic feelings for it. A certain percentage of people probably still hear the movie’s title being yelled over a techno beat when they think of it, thanks to the songTechno Syndromefrom the soundtrack. With that, now could be the perfect time to revisit it.
Release in August 1995,Mortal Kombatwas based on the hit 1992 video game of the same name. By90sstandards, it was a relatively big hit, grossing $122 million at the worldwide box office. It wasn’t exactly embraced by critics, as it currently sits at 47 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Plus, many of the effects don’t quite hold up, to put it lightly, when viewed through modern eyes. Still, it was enough to get a sequel going, which arrived in 1997 in the form ofMortal Kombat: Annihilation. TheMortal Kombat sequelwas deeply panned, rocking just a 2 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, and grossed just $51 million.
Mortal Kombatcenters on Lord Rayden (Christopher Lambert) who handpicks three martial artists, a federal agent named Sonya Blade (Bridgette Wilson), a Shaolin monk named Lui Kang (Robin Shou) and action movie sensation Johnny Cage (Linden Ashby). Rayden mentors them and, after a series of intensive training, they are transported to Outworld, where an inter-dimensional fighting tournament is held. The trio is tasked with defeating the demonic warriors of the evil Shang Sung (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa) to prevent him from taking over the Earth.
This also provides fans an opportunity to revisit the past before the future comes calling. Warner Bros. is currently in post-production on aMortal Kombat reboot, which is produced by horror master James Wan and will be R-rated. Commercial director Simon McQuoid is making his feature directorial debut with the adaptation. With any luck, it will learn some lessons from more successful, recent video game movies such asRampage,Detective PikachuandSonic the Hedgehog. In the meantime, the original movie will be available via the Netflix streaming service soon.
