4K Ultra HD Review – Mortal Kombat Collection

      Mortal Kombat Kollection

      Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson/John R. Leonetti.

      Featuring Christopher Lambert, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Linden Ashby, Bridgette Wilson, Robin Shou, Trevor Goddard, Talisa Soto, James Remar, Chris Conrad, Irina Pantaeva, Tom Woodruff Jr., Brian Thompson, Sandra Hess, Lynn ‘Red’ Williams, and Litefoot.

      SYNOPSIS:

      This box set from Arrow Video includes the two Mortal Kombat films from the 1990s in 4K UHD.

      Video game adaptations tend to vary widely in their success at capturing the excitement, mythology, and lore of interactive gaming in film form, and the 1990s saw notable titles like Street Fighter, Super Mario Bros., and Double Dragon released as companions to their respective games. However, these adaptations generally yielded lackluster results, with even the dynamic pairing of Jean-Claude Van Damme and Kylie Minogue failing to salvage any credibility.

      Mortal Kombat, however, stood out as somewhat different. Before he polarized audiences with his adaptations of Resident Evil and Alien vs. Predator, Paul W.S. Anderson took on the challenge of turning a game into a movie while striving to maintain its essence and fun. Drawing inspiration from Enter the Dragon, the plot revolves around a tournament called Mortal Kombat held once every generation, featuring the finest fighters from Earth facing off against champions from the otherworldly realm of Outworld. With Outworld’s fighters on a streak of nine consecutive victories, a win would allow their Emperor to invade Earth.

      Raiden, the God of Thunder (Christopher Lambert), acts as a protector of Earthrealm, enlisting Shaolin monk Liu Kang (Robin Shou), martial arts star Johnny Cage (Linden Ashby), and Special Forces officer Sonya Blade (Bridgette Wilson) to represent Earth against Outworld sorcerer and tournament host Shang Tsung (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa), alongside his formidable champion Prince Goro (an uncredited Tom Woodruff Jr.).

      The success of the original led to a sequel in 1997, titled Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. This installment saw the absence of Paul W.S. Anderson, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, and featured Robin Shou as the sole returning actor. James Remar took over the role of Raiden, Sandra Hess portrayed Sonya Blade, and Johnny Cage had minimal screen time, portrayed by Chris Conrad. Brian Thompson joined as Saho Khan, the Outworld Emperor, who is intent on invading Earth despite the events of the previous film. The heroes from Earth must regroup to gain new comrades, including Jax (Lynn ‘Red’ Williams), Nightwolf (Litefoot), and Jade (Irina Pantaeva), yet defeating the powerful Emperor and his evil minions proves challenging.

      What we have here are two films based on video games with thin storylines, varying levels of acting capability, and arguably one of the most quintessentially 1990s theme tunes ever created. The inclusion of this theme on the menu screens of both discs does serve as an amusing trigger to prompt viewers to press play just to stop it. Both films debuted during a time when studios felt every movie warranted a soundtrack filled with contemporary artists, often resulting in a soundtrack brimming with hard-hitting techno or nu-metal to ramp up the intensity ahead of fights. Despite the painfully annoying main theme by Utah Saints, enough time has passed to elicit nostalgia for the sounds of Fear Factory, Type O Negative, and Orbital accompanying the action.

      Of the two films, the original 1995 version is generally regarded as the more enjoyable, with ‘enjoyable’ translating to ‘most watchable.’ Paul W.S. Anderson has faced criticism over the years for prioritizing style over substance—some of it valid—but in the context of Mortal Kombat, audiences primarily tune in for the thrilling fights and impressive kills, and on that front, the film delivers. There are casting questions, particularly regarding Raiden being based on the Japanese god Raijin while French actor Christopher Lambert took on the role (it’s rumored Sean Connery was also approached for the role, which would have made for an interesting interpretation). In contrast, James Remar’s portrayal in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation leaves much to be desired, as he seemingly had little awareness of the games or character, compounded by a lack of guidance from anyone familiar with the source material.

      Mortal Kombat: Annihilation unfortunately faces numerous issues at every level (except for featuring a soundtrack with Megadeth and Pitchshifter). Without Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa’s return, Brian Thompson, typically a strong villain, oversold his performance with an overly serious tone that felt more suited to Shakespeare, though he was the most engaging actor in an otherwise dull production.

      Both films look