8 Harsh Realities of Rewatching Mortal Kombat: Annihilation 27 Years Later

Rewatching Mortal Kombat: Annihilation 27 years later reveals some hilarious truths about the worst Mortal Kombat Movie, including some good ideas and decisions that ended up wasted. Often listed as one of the worst video game movies of all time, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation Released on November 21, 1997As a direct sequel to 1995's Mortal Kombat. With a new director and an almost entirely new cast, Destruction Little resembled its predecessor.

with Mortal Kombat 2 Releasing in 2025 after the 2021 reboot, it's interesting to look back on the franchise's first live-action sequel. Mortal Kombat (1995) was a solid hit, grossing over $122 million worldwide on a $20 million budget. unfortunately, Destruction Was worse than its predecessor in all ways. The film's disastrous critical reception killed its box office right after the opening weekend, with Destruction Only grossing $51.3 million on a $35 million budget. While It's hard to find redeemable qualities about DestructionThis movie makes for a fun rewatch.

8

Mortal Kombat: Annihilation's story was exciting on paper

Annihilation tried to be a bigger and bolder sequel

For all his faults, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation actually has an exciting premise. Compared to the first movie, which was a classic tournament film where we could predict who was going to win each fight, Destruction was set to be a bigger and bolder sequel. Mortal Kombat (1995) was a charming movie but not a great adaptation of the video game, from the lack of special abilities to the absence of Mortal Kombats defining violence. Look at Destructions synopsis and character roster, The sequel has the potential to be a more fantastical, game-accurate take on the world of Mortal Kombat.

In just a few minutes, we are introduced to Shao Kahn, the Elder Gods, Shinnok, a different version of Sub-Zero, Nightwolf and several other characters and concepts from the game. Still, all of that is wasted due to the movie's flaws. Mortal Kombat: Annihilation is a reminder for the upcoming Mortal Kombat 2. That more characters and locations from the source material is not enough to make a great sequel. Destruction Was much more ambitious than its predecessorWhich ended up compounding the franchise's problems and leading to a disappointing sequel.

7

Mortal Kombat: Annihilation is an insult to Johnny Cage

Cage is recast and killed off in the opening sequence

Mortal Kombat: Annihilation Picks up immediately after the events of Mortal KombatBut it doesn't take long for the sequel to change the status quo. Johnny Cage is killed by Shao Kahn in the opening minutes of the filmA massive insult to the character who was a fan favorite in the first movie. Answered, Linden Ashby did not return for Mortal Kombat: Annihilation and was recast with Chris Conrad. However, killing off Cage so nonchalantly isn't the best way to handle the recast. Cage's death was supposed to determine how threatening Shaw Kahn was.

However, it just comes off as a silly way to handle an actor who isn't returning for the sequel. Johnny Cage isn't the only character recast for Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. actually, Only Liu Kang and Kitana kept their actors from the previous film. Although recasts are not uncommon when it comes to sequels, Mortal KombatHis cast changed drastically between the first and second movies. There are so many new faces in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation That one would question if there is even an actual sequel to the 1995 film or a new franchise entirely.

6

The Elder Gods' rules for mortal combat don't make sense

Shaw Kahn is breaking the rules (but which ones?)

Liu Kang won the tournament in Mortal Kombat Against Shang Tsung, meaning Earthrealm was safe - but only for a few minutes. Shaw Kahn opened a portal of choice to Earthrealm and descended from the heavens at the end of the first film, thus completely ignoring the rules of the tournament. Or so we thought. The fact is that even the Elder Gods seem to agree that the rules of the tournament are even worse. To make things worse, although they agreed that Shaw Kahn was breaking the rulesThey did not know what to do.

much of Mortal Kombat: Annihilation Can be summed up by Raiden asking the Elder Gods for guidance, only to hear confusing and conflicting answers in return. For example, one of the Elder Gods says that the only way to stop Sho Kahn is to reunite Kitana with Sindel and close to the gate. However, a different elder god told Raid the only way to stop Shaw Kahn was to beat him the old fashioned way. Raiden and his Earthrealm champions end up doing both things anyway, though It's interesting how clueless the Elder Gods were this whole time.

5

Liu Kang's story with Nightwolf doesn't lead anywhere

What was Liu Kang's third test after all?

Nightwolf debuted in the 1995s Mortal Kombat 3The third entry in the game franchise. Seeing a new character make his live-action debut so soon after his first video game appearance was exciting, but Nightwolf's role in Mortal Kombat 2 makes little to no sense. In theory, he was supposed to guide and train Liu Kang before the final battle against Shao Kahn. The problem is that Nightwolf shows up out of nowhere and later disappears just as easily. The movie also makes Animality, a concept that debuted in Mortal Kombat 3A great plot point.

Liu Kang's journey to master animation involves three tests. however, We never get to see what the third test even was. Liu Kang first learns about courage and the importance of self-esteem. He then undergoes a temptation trial during which he has visions of a woman he has never seen, Jade. However, when we see Liu Kang again, he has already completed his training. Nightwolf disappears from the movie and never returns. Interestingly, Nightwolf was referenced in Mortal Kombat (2021). Whether he will be on the upcoming sequel remains to be seen.

4

Scorpion and Sub-Zero are given more to do than in the first movie

Scorpion and Sub-Zero are a bit more important in the sequel

Scorpion and Sub-Zero are nothing but charmers at first Mortal Kombat Film. It must be noted that Scorpion and Sub-Zero's popularity has grown massively over time, but they weren't the face of the franchise when it first started. Mortal Kombat: Annihilation The two characters were given a bit more to do and a real role in the story, although their scenes weren't particularly great. The version of Sub-Zero was Kuai LiangB-han's younger brother. In the first film, Bi-han is defeated by Liu Kang during the tournament.

The new Sub-Zero was trying to help Jax and Sonya when Scorpion was looking for a fight. Unfortunately, despite their cool costumes and their bigger role in the movie, the actual fight between Scorpion and Sub-Zero was very underwhelming. Mortal Kombat: Annihilation Didn't have a lot of great fights, but the one between Sub-Zero and Scorpion is arguably the worst of them all. There isn't much history between the two characters, with Scorpion's real target is Kitana the whole time. Over two decades later, Scorpion and Sub-Zero would be front and center in the 2021 Mortal Kombat Reboot.

3

Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa's Shang Tong is wasted in annihilation

Shang Tong was the best thing about Mortal Kombat (1995)

Mortal Kombat: Annihilation Makes one thing clear - Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa's Shang Tsung was the best thing about the first movie. While the three main heroes are compelling and fun to watch, Shang Tong stole the show in 1995s Mortal Kombat. Tagawa's performance found the perfect balance between how stupid a 1990s villain adapted from a video game should be and how threatening a warrior working for supernatural forces should be. Although Shang Tsung did not know what a flawless victory was, his delivery was one of many iconic moments of the first movie.

Shao Kahn is more powerful than Shang Tsun and should be a better, more threatening villain as a result. However, Shao Kahn was nowhere near as fun to watch in the sequel as Shang Tung was in the first installment. The personal story between Shang Tsung and Liu Kang worked much better for Mortal Kombat Like Raiden and Shao Kahn being brothers Destruction. Shang Tsung died in the first movieBut I would have no problem with Destruction Bring him back even without a big explanation.

2

We're right back where we started at the end of Annihilation

The movie has no real consequences aside from Cage's death

Mortal Kombat: Annihilation Feels not only like an incomplete movie but also like a pointless one. After the heroes battle Shao Kahn's minions throughout the film with no clear goal in mind, the Elder Gods decide that everything will be decided again in Mortal Kombat. Shinuk's plan goes nowhere, and it all comes down to a fight between Liu Kang and Sho Kahn. Mortal Kombat: Annihilation Starts as a very different movie than its predecessor, but its conclusion is almost the same as the one from Mortal Kombat (1995). Liu Kang fights the big bad and saves the day.

Even The closing shot of Mortal Kombat: Annihilation is almost identical to the in Mortal KombatRaiden and his students celebrate the victory. For a movie whose premise was the end of the world, Destruction was surprisingly inconsequential. In hindsight, this was the better approach because there is no sequel. Mortal Kombat: Annihilation It opened strongly at the box office but dropped significantly after the first weekend, and although a third entry was considered, it never happened.

1

Mortal Kombat has yet to have a definitive live action movie adaptation

A reboot took place 24 years after Mortal Kombat: Annihilation

Rewatching Destruction Can be a sad reminder that Mortal Kombat Has yet to have a big live-action movie. The 1995 film works as its own thing and can arguably be considered a cult classic, but it's not a great adaptation. Mortal Kombat (2021) suffered from the opposite issue. The reboot was much closer to the source material Like its predecessors, from the amount of graphic violence to the fatalities and everything in between. The cast and the costumes are also very accurate.

But, like a movie, Mortal Kombat (2021) has a lot of issues. The pacing, the story, and the action scenes aren't as great as they could have been, not to mention the lack of an actual Mortal Kombat tournament. The best MK Movies so far have been the animated ones, with Scorpion's Revenge being a standout. hope, Mortal Kombat 2 Will be a much better sequel than Mortal Kombat: Annihilation has been and will provide the universally acclaimed live-action MK Film that the franchise still lacks.