Mortal Kombat Kollection: A Fantastic Set Featuring Two Adaptations of Distinctly Different Quality (Limited Edition 4K)

The Films:

Back in 1992, a little video game called "Mortal Kombat" was unleashed and instantly became an insanely popular phenomenon. Utilizing an intriguing photo-realistic style that had actors standing in for its characters, this little fighting game also became a rather controversial one among parents for its use of blood (though obviously quite tame to what would follow in the proceeding decades), leading to it being omitted from certain versions of the home port. It would go on to spawn several sequels, with the first of these coming out the very next year, making it no surprise that plans for a film adaptation quickly followed.

The first film, simply called "Mortal Kombat," was released in 1995, and while reviews weren't great, that hardly stopped it from being a massive success that saw it earn over six times its production budget, with a multitude of fans declaring it to be a fine adaptation of the material. Naturally, a sequel was immediately produced, which gave us "Mortal Kombat: Annihilation" just two years later. This time around, not only did it receive far worse reviews from critics, but it also saw far more negative reactions from fans, ultimately resulting in the film bombing at the box office. That said, even among the somewhat overwhelming dislike, there were those that found certain things to like about it, while appreciating the filmmakers' attempt to give us another exciting adaptation filled with fighting action.

With the first film celebrating its 30th anniversary just last year, and the sequel about to celebrate the same next year, Arrow Films has decided to put both films in the spotlight by giving them stunning 4K upgrades, packing them with several new bonus features, and combining them together into a new set appropriately called the "Mortal Kombat Kollection." As usual, this gives us the perfect excuse to revisit these fascinating films to see not only how well the original classic holds up, but also to see if perhaps the sequel has improved at all with age.

The first film begins with Liu Kang (Robin Shou) receiving a telegram telling him to return home after his brother Chan is murdered by sorceror Shang Tsung (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa). Chan had been training to fight in the Mortal Kombat tournament, which will determine whether the Outworld Emperor will be able to lay claim to the realm of Earth, with this upcoming tournament being their potential tenth straight victory. Liu decides to take his brother's place in order to avenge his murder.

Meanwhile, we also meet action star Johnny Cage (Linden Ashby), who many people believe to be a fake when it comes to his martial arts skills. This makes him an easy mark for Shang Tsung, who tricks Cage into going to the tournament by disguising himself as his old teacher. Finally, there's Sonya Blade (Bridgette Wilson), a member of Special Forces who is in pursuit of criminal kingpin Kano (Trevor Goddard), the man who killed her partner. However, this too is a ploy by Shang Tsung, who has paid Kano to lure her to the tournament. These three meet up on the boat that will take them to the island where it is to take place, with Lord Rayden (Christopher Lambert), guardian of Earthrealm, explaining that the fate of the world is in their hands. Will our heroes be up to the challenge?

The original "Mortal Kombat" is one of those films that holds a great sense of nostalgia for me. I have a fond memory of seeing it in theaters over 30 years ago, and even then being surprised that screenwriter Kevin Droney and director Paul Anderson had actually done a pretty good job with the material. Revisiting it several times over the decades only made the appreciation for it increase, especially given the unfortunate tendency for video game adaptations to be extremely disappointing. One might even refer to the film as a "guilty pleasure" (a term that a great many people don't seem to understand), for it's one of those films that people wouldn't necessarily say is "great," but which they enjoy quite a bit anyway (though obviously there are no actual feelings of guilt involved).

As far as adapting the game, as mentioned, Droney did a rather impressive job. Not only does he manage to include all of the main characters from the original game (and more), but he also includes sufficient character development for the antagonists, weaving it all together with the film's main plot quite well to give us an adaptation where it feels as though he cared about doing the material justice. Of course, on top of that foundation, you have the remarkable work from the stunt team, who fill the film with incredible fights throughout, as one would expect from a movie based on a tournament fighter. Revisiting it yet again, it still holds up extraordinarily well, mainly because of the care that was taken with it, which is why it comes to no surprise that the film is commonly referred to as one of the best video game adaptations out there. The filmmakers had a hell of a task to throw together a film that would please the fans, and with a little time & effort, they were miraculously able to do just that.

Moving on to "Mortal Kombat: Annihilation," we pick up right where the first film left off. After losing the tournament, Emperor Shao Kahn (Brian Thompson) has opened a portal from the Outworld to the Earthrealm, with his new plan being to invade by merging the realms together. Liu Kang (Robin Shou), Sonya Blade (Sandra Hess), Johnny Cage (Chris Conrad), Princess Kitana (Talisa Soto), and Lord Rayden (James Remar) try to fight them, but this results in Johnny's death, forcing them to retreat and seek help. On Rayden's advice, Liu and Kitana go in search of a shaman called Nightwolf (Litefoot), who supposedly knows the secret to defeat the Emperor, while Sonya seeks out her partner Jax (Lynn "Red" Williams). With less than a week to save their realm, our heroes must find the means to fight back against the Emperor & his soldiers before all is lost.

When it comes to the much-maligned sequel, it's one that I've had a much different relationship with when compared to the original film. If I saw it in theaters, which I would think I did, I have no recollection of it, and even though I've seen it a few times over the following decades, it's one that I never remember the details of. Revisiting it again recently, it's really not hard to see why: It's something of a disaster on nearly every level. The plot is rather threadbare, featuring most of the characters going off on unremarkable side quests, the special effects appear to have been done by the lowest bidder (and in many instances seem as though they're not even finished), and there are several distracting recasted parts (on top of some new cast members delivering some hilariously cringing over-acting).

In short, what appears to have happened here is that the studio had a major hit on their hands with the first film and thought that they had to deliver a sequel as soon as possible (striking while the iron was hot, as it were), so they had screenwriters Brent V. Friedman & Bryce Zabel throw together the easiest story they could think of and put the rest together on an assembly line. The result is a sequel that feels incredibly rushed, with visuals that make it seem as though it was meant to be a direct-to-video entry (which is ironic given that its budget was larger than the original). It's the kind of movie where you just kind of marvel at how the executives could screen it and say "yes, we can release it like that," though, to be fair, even with more polished special effects, it wouldn't have done much to help its other hindering issues.

However, even with all of that said, it does serve one small purpose at the very least. That being that it stands as a great example of why you should never rush a sequel in the hopes of having another success. As mentioned earlier, the first film worked so well because the writer took their time to develop the different storylines and fold them all together with the main plot, an approach that was sadly not used by the writers of the sequel.

Nowadays, "Mortal Kombat: Annihilation" remains something of a curio in the realm of video game adaptations. Indeed, it was very clearly sped through production, and had very little thought put into it. Sure, it certainly has some rather amusing moments spread throughout, but typically in spots where you're not really meant to be amused. If the filmmakers had been given more time to work on it, who knows what kind of amazing sequel we might have had. Sadly, as a result of the film's box office failure, we never got a third entry in this series, and it would take another 24 years before an attempt was made to reboot the franchise. In the end, I suppose you could say that the two '90s films are basically the polar opposites of each other, where one did wonders with the material, while the other merely tried to cut as many corners as possible, ultimately making for a rather fascinating pairing that remains heavily-discussed even to this day.

Video/Audio:

"Mortal Kombat" & "Mortal Kombat: Annihilation" come to 4K in 1.85:1, 2160p Ultra High Definition transfers of marvelous quality, with the new restorations from the original camera negatives (approved by their respective directors) presenting a beautifully sharp picture for both films that have them looking the best they ever have. Likewise, the original 5.1 DTS-HD MA surround and lossless stereo audio tracks for both films are fantastic, giving you all of the dialogue, sound effects, and the unforgettable music in excellent quality. Overall, Arrow Films has done a wonderful job in both departments for the long-awaited 4K debut of these fan-favorites.

Special Features:

Mortal Kombat

Audio Commentary with Director Paul W.S. Anderson (New)

Audio Commentary with Comic Cook Expert and Podcast Host Dave Baxter (New)

Cage Match (16 Minutes) (New): An interview with actor Linden Ashby.

Leveling Up (16 Minutes) (New): An interview with cinematographer John R. Leonetti.

Quarters to Millions (18 Minutes) (New): An interview with producer Lawrence Kasanoff

The Heavyweight (16 Minutes) (New): An interview with designer and suit performer Tom Woodruff.

Mortal Kombat: A Journey Behind the Scenes Featurette (15 Minutes)

Behind the Scenes (13 Minutes)

On-set Interview Bites with the Cast and Director (6 Segments)

Mortal Kombat: Annihilation

Audio Commentary with Director John R. Leonetti Moderated by Filmmaker Gillian Wallace Horvat (New)

Audio Commentary with Comic Cook Expert and Podcast Host Dave Baxter (New)

The Queen of the Night (18 Minutes) (New): An interview with actor Musetta Vander.

Techno, Taiko, Orcho (16 Minutes) (New): An interview with composer George S. Clinton.

The Man of a Thousand Deaths (16 Minutes) (New): An interview with stunt performer J.J. Perry, who played Cyrax, Scorpion, and Noob Saibot.

Behind the Scenes (15 Minutes)

On-set Interview Bites with the Cast and Director (7 Segments)

Conclusion:

The "Mortal Kombat Kollection" presents two distinctly different early attempts to adapt the beloved video game franchise for the big screen, with the first of these being quite successful in blending its various character storylines into the larger plot and giving the audience several great fights along the way, while the subsequent sequel was sadly something of a rushed disaster. Still, the films make a rather fascinating pairing, showing how well-done an adaptation like this can be when the proper care is taken vs. how quickly it can fall on the other end of the spectrum when it's not. All things considered, this is a fantastic new set that balances out quite well, with the films looking great in 4K and coming packed with hours of extras, making it a worthy addition to any fan's collection.

Score: 3.5/5

Available on Limited Edition 4K starting tomorrow.

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