Mortal Kombat: The Movie was released 25 years ago

In 1995 - one of the most controversial and popular video game franchises got a live action film to its name - MORTAL KOMBAT. Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson and based on the fighting game series of the same name created by Ed Boon and John Tobias, the movie dealt largely with the plot of the first game - where a group of martial artists battle in a tournament that will decide the fate of Earthrealm.

“Mortal Kombat “(1995) Official Trailer
Despite the simple plot, slight deviations from its source material, and the campy comedic moments and dialogue it had, the movie became number at the box office at the time it was released - earning over $122 Million worldwide and becoming a cult classic and is arguably considered one of the better video game based films of all time.

With a cast led by Robin Shou as Liu Kang, Linden Ashby as Johnny Cage, Bridgette Wilson as Sonya Blade, Talisa Soto as Kitana, Christopher Lambert as Rayden, and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as Shang Tsung, Mortal Kombat was a hit thanks to primarily to its martial arts performance, faithfulness to the main story, and that amazing techno song that serves as the theme song that’s catchy to listen to this day.


Techno Syndrome (Mortal Kombat)
With a cult following that’s still active to this day, the Mortal Kombat film stands as a perfect example of how to adapt a video game concept and make it into a movie. Despite getting a horrible sequel (Mortal Kombat Annihilation *cough cough*), the film’s legacy was enough to influence the modern era of Mortal Kombat games by NetherRealm Studios - with Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa reprising his role as Shang Tsung for Mortal Kombat 11!

If you haven’t seen this movie, or the animatronic Goro, you absolutely need to. Go and watch it... FIGHT!

Rampage Movie: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson faces giant monsters in 2018 film

Set to be released in theaters next year and adapting a classic video game series by Midway Games, New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. have released the first trailer and poster for "Rampage" which stars Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as primatologist Davis Okoye as he struugles to save his silverback gorilla friend "George" - who has mutated into a giant monster along with other alpha predators, and find a cure alongside a discredited genetic engineer before the beasts go on an unstoppable rampage on mankind!

RAMPAGE - Official Trailer 1
Rampage opens in theaters on April 2018!

Throwback Thursday: Celebrating 20 years of Mortal Kombat: The Movie

TEST YOUR MIGHT~!

Exactly 20 years ago this week, New Line Cinema, Threshold Entertainment, and director Paul W.S. Anderson adapted one of the most popular AND controversial video games into film -  a game conceptualized by Ed Boon and John Tobias and produced then by video game company Midway Games.

The end result was Mortal Kombat -  a 1995 movie that pretty much was everything that a video game movie should be and then some - over-the-top action with lots of violence and gore that saw a handful of warriors engaging in a tournament that determined the fate of the world.

If that formula sounds cheesy or ambitious, it certainly was for its time... But this film adaptation had all the elements that made the game it was based on extremely popular to those who enjoyed fighting games and finishing off their opponents in gruesome fashion. Not only that, it featured a trained cast that pretty much embraced their roles well and gave life to "Klassic Kharacters" that were essential to the plot of the games and movie in Robin Shou as Liu Kang, Linden Ashby as Johnny Cage, Bridgette Wilson as Sonya Blade, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as Shang Tsung (YOUR SOUL IS MINE~!), and Christopher "Highlander" Lambert as Rayden.


Mortal Kombat 1995 Trailer
As one of the earliest and highest grossing movies based on a video game, Mortal Kombat succeeded in becoming #1 in the box office and inspiring a franchise of live-action adaptations based on the series. It's follow-up, Mortal Kombat Annihilation, was more of a forgettable sequel than anything else and failed to live-up to expectations. Fortunately in 2011, a reboot of the live-action series was realized after the release of the short film Mortal Kombat: Rebirth, which inspired the web series Mortal Kombat: Legacy that ran for two seasons. The reinvigoration of the Mortal Kombat video game franchise under Ed Boon and NetherRealm Studios also helped to renew interest in the series, with a new Mortal Kombat film is now currently in development with James Wan signing in to produce it.

The Immortals - "Mortal Kombat" Music Video 1995
So let's end this Throwback Thursday journey with the Music Video that'll get everyone dancing... The theme song to "Mortal Kombat" as done by The Immortals.

Mortal Kombat was released in theaters in August 18, 1995.