Mortal Kombat (1995 film)/YMMV

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


These things about Mortal Kombat (1995 film) are subjective - not everyone will agree with all of them.

  • Adaptation Displacement: The theme song is one thing a lot of people know about the series, but it's never played in any games. It only appears in the movie.
  • Awesome Music: The "Mortal Kombat" theme in the credits is majestic.
    • Besides the main theme, there's the remix of said theme by Utah Saints, the instrumental version of "Control" that plays while Liu Kang and Reptile are fighting, Halycon and On and On... and that's just the tip of the iceberg.
  • Can't Unhear It: Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Linden Ashby, Bridgette Wilson and Christopher Lambert did a great job playing Shang Tsung, Johnny Cage, Sonya and Raiden that they reprised their roles in Mortal Kombat 11. Trevor Goddard, who played Kano gets a special mention.
  • Does This Remind You of Anything?: A martial artist and two quasi-allies travel to a mysterious island to compete in a fighting tournament...
  • Ear Worm: Doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo! Doo-doo-doo-do-do-doo! Doo-doo-do-do-doo-doo! MOR-TAL KOMBAAAAT!
  • Ensemble Darkhorse: Linden Ashby as Johnny Cage.
    • More so however for Trevor Goddard as Kano. His performance was generally well received by fans and even the creators of the games loved his portayal so much Kano was actually changed from a Japanese American with little character to an Australlian born thug.
    • Christopher Lambert as Raiden was really entertaining too.
    • Reptile too. Many whom seen the movie thought his fight with Liu Kang was actually the best fight in the whole movie; even better than the final fight!
  • First Installment Wins: Compared to the 1997 sequel and the 2021 reboot, it is considered the best Mortal Kombat film.
  • Foe Yay: This can pretty much be seen as how Kano views his little rivalry with Sonya. His dialogue throughout the movie about her pretty much casts any doubt of this

"She's here; right on time! I LOVE punctuality in a woman" *smiles*
"Maybe Sonya and I should share a cabin; have our own little honeymoon cruise"
"Ello baby, did chu miss me?"
"Give it up baby; I studied ALL your moves!"
"Give me a break!"

  • Fountain of Memes: Shang Tsung, Johnny Cage, Kano and Raiden are the most quotable characters.
  • Fridge Horror: After telling Johnny Cage about the tournament, "Master Boyd" is revealed to be Shang Tsung in disguise. Shang Tsung can only take the form of people he's defeated/killed in battle...
  • Genius Bonus: The traditional Kung Fu salute, palm over fist (well, its palm against fist, but the palm overshadows) represents Peace over Power. Shang Tsung's odd bow before the final battle, fist on top of palm, is meant to represent Power over Peace, reflecting the opposing philosophies of the two characters.
  • Hilarious in Hindsight: The Real Ninjas Wear Nikes meme takes on a whole new meaning now. See Special Effects Failure below.
  • Memetic Mutation:

"Those were $500 sunglasses, asshole!"

  • Non Sequitur Scene: The fight against Reptile, added to the movie in the last minute. Without explanation the CG critter Reptile fuses with a statue he was kicked inside to take an appearance similar as in the games, and have a long fight sequence with Liu Kang. It's never mentioned again.
  • Signature Line: "Your soul is mine!"
  • Special Effects Failure: Instead of regular ninja-esque tabi, Scorpion can be seen wearing what look like hiking boots during his fight with Johnny Cage. And in a bit of Freeze Frame Failure, If you pause the movie while Reptile's doubled over from Liu Kang kicking him over a banister, you can make out a Nike swoosh on the soles of his feet.
  • Tough Act to Follow: The positive reception of the film made the next two films try to have them just as good.
  • Video Game Movies Suck: Averted. The film is considered a cheesy classic and has put a positive impact on the Mortal Kombat franchise.