It has been more than twenty years since the last live-action Mortal Kombat movie, which for some critics on rotten tomatoes might be twenty years too soon. Real gamers know that movie adaptations of beloved titles may be hit or miss, but that doesn't detract from the majesty of watching characters, battles, and tons of other easter eggs come to life on the big screen.
Simon McQuoid's reboot of Mortal Kombat (2021) delivers all of those things in droves, but how well does it stack up against the beloved 90's version of the same title, Mortal Kombat (1995) directed by Paul W.S. Anderson? Neither movie is without some major blemishes, but fans of the original will be quick to pit various aspects of these films against each other and determine which Mortal Kombat reigns supreme.
10 Main Protagonist - Mortal Kombat (1995)
Liu Kang, played by Robin Shou, is the definite winner here. Mortal Kombat (2021) introduces a brand new character to the series, Lewis Tan's Cole Young, and it's difficult to buy him as the heart of the movie when he's surrounded by so many other fan favorites. The writers give the audience plenty of reasons to care about him, but his story tends to intersect too closely with Scorpion's to matter.
On the other hand, the 1995 version gives Liu Kang the clear spotlight. He gets the most fight scenes, the strongest motivation to compete in the tournament of prophecy, and the most luxurious hair of any action hero ever.
9 Special Effects - Mortal Kombat (2021)
There's an unfair advantage in this category in favor of the reboot, and it felt like a deliberate statement while watching it. In the first sequence alone there are ice blasts, multiple gallons of CGI blood, and a man who completely disintegrates.
The original did the best that it could with its smaller budget and still holds up decently on a rewatch, but it was never going to take this category. The practical effects used for the Goro character are admirable, but end up being clunky and cartoonish. The makers of the reboot clearly set out to do justice to the over-the-top effects of the videogame.
8 Music - Mortal Kombat (1995)
The opening moments of each movie really say it all. In the reboot, a cold open on a family in the woods sharing a loving moment set to a peaceful film score of strings and flutes. It makes one think they are watching a proper dramatic film.
In the original, though, it's the opening credits projected over a flaming dragon emblem rotating menacingly to the pulse-pounding and iconic Mortal Kombat theme song. It took the reboot nearly two hours of movie to finally give audiences that theme song, which is why it has lost this category.
7 Cinematography - Mortal Kombat (2021)
Part of the beauty of the original Mortal Kombat is that it had a very B-Movie feel to it. The filmmakers seemed more preoccupied with the spectacle and martial arts to remember that movies actually need to be well lit.
This is another win in a technical category for the 2021 version, and it isn't really even close. It uses natural light to great effect and doesn't struggle with the nighttime fight sequences. Meanwhile, half of the original movie gives its actors a reddish/orange tint to their skin.
6 Comedic Relief - Mortal Kombat (1995)
Each movie designated one character to carry the responsibility of being the comedic relief: Linden Ashby's Jonny Cage in the original and Josh Lawson's Kano in the reboot. Lawson gave one of the strongest performances in the cast, but his crudeness got old fast.
Looking back on the context of the original, it's fair to say that Ashby was channeling a little bit of Chandler Bing from Friends into his Johnny Cage performance. He could go from doofus falling into the ocean carrying 6 bags of luggage to holding his own in the brilliant Scorpion fight sequence. Ashby brought it all to the table.
5 Fatalities - Mortal Kombat (2021)
Just like with the special effects category, Mortal Kombat (2021) really swings for the fences when it comes to honoring iconic fatalities. Nearly every major character gets to perform one, from the iconic Scorpion fire breath to the absolutely brutal Kung Lao buzz saw. Watching characters perform these superfluous kill shots is well worth the price of admission alone.
The original did its best with what it had, but arguably has the more iconic fight scenes. While Johnny Cage doing the splits into a nut punch was never an in-game fatality, it was a great moment of levity in a film about fighting to the death for the fate of humanity.
4 Raiden - Mortal Kombat (1995)
In truth, both Raidens are portrayed problematically. The remake's Raiden played by Tadanobu Asano comes off as a complete caricature because of his heavy accent, and fails to blend the character's compassion with an aura of threatening omnipotence. It's a shapeless performance held together by awesome CGI lightning effects.
Christopher Lambert's Raiden in the original is a white man being worshipped by Asians as a god. Ignoring the fact that it was the '90s and they didn't know better, his portrayal of Raiden is still the much stronger one. He was intimidating, wise, encouraging, and even humorous. It's believable when he gets the main characters to buy into their own abilities and overcome incredible odds, as Raiden should.
3 Shang Tsung - Mortal Kombat (1995)
There is no greater discrepancy in any other category than in this one. Shang Tsung is the main villain in both films and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa's performance in the original is nothing short of legendary. He acts with such vigor and expression that the character leaps off the screen and into the psyche of the viewer, threatening to claim their souls for himself.
It's not really fair to Chin Han, the actor who plays Shang Tsung in the remake, because it was such an obvious miscast. He does not have a flair for malevolence, and appears so out of place when surrounded by his cadre of demonic warriors. Tagawa's Shang Tsung may be a meme, but Han's performance will soon be forgotten completely.
2 Female Fighters - Mortal Kombat (2021)
Society was a very different place back in 1995. Before equal representation became a prominent part of filmmaking, women were cast more as eye-candy than for their fighting prowess. Unfortunately, the original Mortal Kombat succumbs to that stereotype by having only two female characters who spend more time as the butt of sexist jokes than as competent fighters.
Mortal Kombat (2021) not only has more than two female characters, but gives them some of the best fight scenes in the movie. Jessica McNamee's Sonya Blade absolutely mops the floor with Kano in a Kill Bill-esque trailer park brawl and gets to display Sonya's signature pink projectiles via gut-busting fatality.
1 Winner - Mortal Kombat (1995)
With the final score tallying at 5-4 in favor of the original, Mortal Kombat (1995) claims the title as the better movie. It was able to set a powerful precedent with only a few low-fi videogames as inspiration and the technological limitations of the time to work with. As of 2021, it has yet to be beaten, but hopefully, future movies in the rebooted universe can give it a run for its money. The Johnny Cage tease at the end is already a promising start.