Analysis and review of: MORTAL KOMBAT: ANNIHILATION (1997)
Copyright 1998 Afterburner
Rating (out of 10): 2 (or 5). See review for further details.
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A movie like MORTAL KOMBAT: ANNIHILATION works (and must be reviewed on) multiple levels. First, there's the rampant usage of Randian subtext that pervades the entire movie. But occasionaly, almost as if making an ironic, self-depreciating remark, the movie tosses in clearly Marxist imagery.
No no... Just kidding. Had you going there for a moment, didn't I?
In all seriousness however, and to be fair to the movie, it *is* necessary to provide two viewpoints: that of a movie watcher unfamiliar (or only marginally familiar) with the whole Mortal Kombat phenomenon, and that of a fan of the first movie and/or a fan of the games.
The first movie (MORTAL KOMBAT (1995)) concerned itself with a martial arts tournament that would decide the fate of Earth (and it's 5 billion inhabitants). The mortals won, and in theory this should have prevented the Emperor Shao Khan from taking over the Earth. Unfortunately, Shao Khan was a poor loser, and the very final scene in MORTAL KOMBAT showed him arriving anyway, ready to take over the planet, as our heroes assumed a fighting stance.
The first movie was extraordinarily entertaining for those (like myself) who are fans of the game. I'd even go so far as to say that many folks who didn't know about the game probably enjoyed the movie. The writers and directors knew the limitations of both their cast and of the basic story itself, and they didn't try to overachieve. There were a lot of really cool fight scenes (with really cool accompanying music), intersperesed with some distracting (but ultimately non-intrusive) bits of fluff passing itself off as a plot. And, as we know, the movie was a smashing success at the box office.
MORTAL KOMBAT: ANNIHILATION picks up precisely where that movie left off, with some introductory exposition to clue in those who may not have seen the first movie. Shao Khan has decided that he's going to take over the Earth *anyways*, and to Hell with some silly rule about mortals winning the tournament. Thereafter follows approximately 85 minutes of film that alternates between being confused, being trite, being silly, and being just plain stupid. One gets the general impression that the producers of the movie thought "Hey, that last movie was such a success that we can get more money and make a *real* movie now." Too bad they didn't simply stick with the formula from the first movie.
I could write volumes about the things that are wrong with this picture, but here are the high points:
* The acting is truly bad. Sandra Hess (playing the Sonya Blade character) is particularly execrable, especially in scenes where she tries to convince us that she loved Johnny Cage (a character from the first movie who gets greased at the beginning of this movie).
* In one of the worst pieces of mis-casting I think I've *ever* seen, James Remar plays Raiden, the God of Thunder. In the first movie, Christopher Lambert played Raiden and played his character as though he was in on the joke: A French actor playing a Japanese thunder god being revered by Chinese mystics.
I generally like it when actors are cast against type (Tim "Tiny" Lister, Jr. being cast as the President of the U.S. in THE FIFTH ELEMENT, for example), and Remar has always been one of my favorite "utility" actors But he's so totally wrong for this part that he doesn't even have the luxury of amused self-awareness.
* There are too many characters that are introduced as being potentially important, but then never seen again.
* There are a number of completely meaningless story sidetracks, including a muddled scene where Liu Kang (Robin Shou) seeks out Nightwolf (Litefoot), has a mystical hallucination, and then wanders off with Jade (Irina Pantaeva).
For these reasons (and many others), I can only give the movie a 2...
...unless you're a huge fan of the games and/or the first movie. In that case, the following critiques also apply:
* Sandra Hess, while being an even worse actress than Bridgette Wilson (who played Sonya Blade in the first movie), is much more convincing as a fighter. Wilson looked like she was simply mimicing some movements taught to her by the fight choreographer. Hess looks like she actually knows some martial arts, and puts together a much more believable fight scene.
* In the fights, each of the characters does at least *one* thing they do in the game (and often more). Sonya does her "Kiss of Death," Jax does his "Earthquake," Liu Kang does his "Animality," and so on. A big bonus for those of us who were looking for similar moves in the first movie and found them only rarely.
* There aren't as many fight scenes in this movie as there were in the first, because the folks making the movie mistakenly try to hang a more robust plot in between. Silly, silly folks. And the lamest fight involved two of the women in what turns into a mud-wrestling match. Lame and so obviously sexist even I (politically incorrect, for the most part) noticed and remarked upon it.
* The special effects are generally better, except for the final fight scene between the Emporer and Liu Kang in which both perform their "Animalities." Motaro and Sheeva are both more convincing and lifelike than Goro was in the first movie.
For folks like myself who loved the first movie and enjoy the games, I give this a 5. You'll probably like it, but not nearly as much as you liked the first one.
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