Mortal Kombat

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Mortal Kombat

PG-13

Released Aug 18, 1995

1h 41m

Action

Adventure

Fantasy

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Popcornmeter

47%

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45 Reviews

58%

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250,000+ Ratings

Lord Rayden (Christopher Lambert) handpicks three martial artists -- federal agent Sonya Blade (Bridgette Wilson), Shaolin monk Lui Kang (Robin Shou) and action movie sensation Johnny Cage (Linden Ashby) -- and mentors them. After intense training, Rayden transports the trio to Outworld, the site of an inter-dimensional fighting tournament. There, the three humans must defeat the demonic warriors of the evil Shang Sung (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa) -- or allow Sung to take over the Earth.

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Critics Consensus

Despite an effective otherwordly atmosphere and appropriately cheesy visuals, Mortal Kombat suffers from its poorly constructed plot, laughable dialogue, and subpar acting.

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Nigel Andrews

Financial Times

It is too violent for children and too silly for anyone else.

Mar 17, 2021

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Geoff Brown

The Times (UK)

Novices may find the ground rules difficult to follow, though if you cut away the baroque detail you are left with a blunt, noisy, violent fight between good and evil.

Mar 17, 2021

Full Review

Gene Siskel

Chicago Tribune

The only decent video game turned into a movie. Why? Obviously because the filmmakers have really tried to offer some eye-popping visuals that can provide the same stimuli as the video game itself.

Rated: 3/4

Sep 14, 2020

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Jae-Ha Kim

Jae-Ha Kim

The producers of "Mortal Kombat" know that the film's strength movie is based on the actors' roundhouse kicks, not soliloquies. So it's not surprising that the sci-fi action-adventure is heavy on fight scenes and low on plot.

Rated: 2.5/4

Jul 27, 2023

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Don Shanahan

Cinephile Hissy Fit Podcast

The wonderful (and practical) use of a limited budget, the film's phenomenal production design, and exquisite cinematography, and the admittedly terrible application of CGI.

Oct 2, 2021

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Shaun Munro

Flickering Myth

Time hasn't been kind to every facet of Anderson's Mortal Kombat, but its well-crafted atmospherics, heightened action, and enthusiastic cast ensure it remains one of the more spirited video game adaptations to date.

Rated: 3.5/5

Apr 24, 2021

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Eric

My theater played the wrong movie. The 2021 version was shown.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

07/20/24

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Ben W

Super fun and cheesy! Great time!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

09/15/23

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Michael C

Best mortal kombat movie ever!!! ICONIC!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/26/25

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Guy C

This movie is a product of it's time but it still beat the 2020 reboot Goro looked amazing and used practical effects where the CGI counterpart is hideous I prefer this one call me nostalgic it still stands a better movie that understood the source material.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

07/23/25

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tommy J

One of the best if not the best video game movie ever made. I love the tone of the movie and the action. An amazing cast. Awesome soundtrack.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/13/25

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Audience Member

Mortal Kombat! Favorite Phrase!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/07/25

Full Review

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Paul W.S. Anderson

Director

Robin Shou

Liu Kang

Linden Ashby

Johnny Cage

Bridgette Wilson-Sampras

Sonya Blade

Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa

Shang Tsung

Talisa Soto

Princess Kitana

Mortal Kombat Annihilation

4%

24%

Mortal Kombat Annihilation

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Synopsis

Lord Rayden (Christopher Lambert) handpicks three martial artists -- federal agent Sonya Blade (Bridgette Wilson), Shaolin monk Lui Kang (Robin Shou) and action movie sensation Johnny Cage (Linden Ashby) -- and mentors them. After intense training, Rayden transports the trio to Outworld, the site of an inter-dimensional fighting tournament. There, the three humans must defeat the demonic warriors of the evil Shang Sung (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa) -- or allow Sung to take over the Earth.

Director: Paul W.S. Anderson
Producer: Lawrence Kasanoff
Screenwriter: Kevin Droney
Distributor: New Line Cinema
Production Co: New Line Cinema
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 18, 1995, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 1, 2009
Box Office (Gross USA): $70.5M
Runtime: 1h 41m
Sound Mix: Surround, Stereo
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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