MORTAL KOMBAT: ANNIHILATION
A Film Review by James Berardinelli
RATING: 1/2 OUT OF ****
United States, 1997 U.S. Release Date: 11/21/97 (wide) Running Length: 1:30 MPAA Classification: R (Violence) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Cast: Robin Shou, Talisa Soto, James Remar, Brian Thompson, Sandra Hess, Lynn Red Williams, Irina Panteva Director: John R. Leonetti Producer: Lawrence Kassanoff Screenplay: Brent V. Friedman and Bryce Zabel Cinematography: Matthew F. Leonetti Music: George S. Clinton U.S. Distributor: New Line Cinema
I have said it before (SUPER MARIO BROTHERS) and I'll say it again: making a movie based on a video game is a very, very bad idea. Making a sequel to a movie based on a video game is an even worse concept, so it comes as no surprise that MORTAL KOMBAT: ANNIHILATION is easily one of the poorest entries of the year. This film has no story, no characters, and no coherence. It's just an excuse for a series of tedious, repetitious fight scenes that have been staged with no hint whatsoever of originality. Where's Jackie Chan when you need him?
Since the first MORTAL KOMBAT made around $70 million, I suppose a second was inevitable. But, as bankrupt of intelligence and sophistication as the original was, it was a classic compared to this followup. The two MORTAL KOMBAT movies have a key characteristic in common: both were made for viewers with the attention span of a gnat. The intended audience isn't video game fans, or even those who play an occasional game of MORTAL KOMBAT -- these films are going for the die- hards who spend hours each week upping their high scores. Presumably, that means primarily pre-teen and teenage boys (hence the gratuitous shot down the front of Sandra Hess' tee-shirt).
The plot of MORTAL KOMBAT: ANNIHILATION is so basic that it can be described in two lines. The evil sorcerer Shau-Kahn (Brian Thompson) has used his powers to open the portholes between his dimension and that of Earth. In six days, the world will be destroyed if our group of five intrepid heroes -- Liu Kang (Robin Shou), Katrina (Talisa Soto), Jax (Lynn Red Williams), Sonya Blade (Sandra Hess), and Rayden (James Remar) -- can't stop his scheme by following him to his fortress and engaging him and his generals in Mortal Kombat. This "story" is all the excuse that's needed for about 12 battle sequences which come one after another with only an occasional break in the action.
If the fights were presented with any degree of flair or originality, this could be a fun movie. Unfortunately, they're dull and monotonous. Once you've seen one, you've seen them all. To make matters worse, ANNIHILATION's special effects are so bad that they're laughable. Then there's George S. Clinton's grating techno-rock score which blares full blast during each of the fight sequences, making them even more difficult to sit through.
Many of the actors from the first MORTAL KOMBAT opted out of the sequel. The only returning faces belong to Robin Shou (last seen opposite Chris Farley in BEVERLY HILLS NINJA) and former Bond girl Talisa Soto. You know a movie is scraping the bottom of the barrel when even a wooden star like Christopher Lambert stays away. His role is filled with little enthusiasm by James Remar. The only other performer of any note is Brian Thompson, who has a long resume of decidedly unimpressive titles. For him, this will be just another in a long line of forgettable films.
One of the great paradoxes of modern day movies is how so many action films can be deadly dull. MORTAL KOMBAT: ANNIHILATION is an example of this situation. The reason? It's necessary to care about the characters for their battles to have any meaning, but everyone in this picture is a lifeless figure representing a group of pixels on a video screen. MORTAL KOMBAT should have been left as a video game. As a movie, this particular edition is close to unwatchable.
Copyright 1997 James Berardinelli
- James Berardinelli e-mail: berardin@mail.cybernex.net
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