We might be getting a Mortal Kombat reboot in a matter of months, but for a lot of fans, the James Wan-produced movie is going to have to be pretty special to dislodge Paul W.S. Anderson’s 1995 cult classic as the best big screen adaptation of the long-running video game series.
Admittedly, Mortal Kombat was never going to win any Academy Awards, but for those who love their martial arts flicks backed by a thumping electronic soundtrack and a hefty slice of cheese, it definitely hits the spot. There’s just something unabashedly entertaining about the pic, and nobody involved is under the impression that they’re making anything other than a fun B-level actioner.
Director Anderson would go on to build his entire career on video game blockbusters after Mortal Kombat raked in over $120 million at the box office on an $18 million budget, which made it the highest-grossing adaptation in history at that point. Of course, it was only the genre’s fourth-ever entry after Super Mario Bros., Double Dragon and Street Fighter, but it would hold on to the crown for another six years until Lara Croft: Tomb Raider arrived in 2001.
Believe it or not, but today marks exactly 25 years since the longtime fan favorite was first released into theaters, and fans have been flocking online to mark the occasion, as evidenced below.
Happy 25th birthday to the OG VG classic! It was the first time people realized that VG properties could be translated successfully to other mediums, and not just niche hobbies for kids with nothing better to do. It's been an honor to help bring you back. #MortalKombat pic.twitter.com/zqI5fquqAR
— Greg Russo (@WriterRusso) August 18, 2020
https://twitter.com/FilmstoFilms_/status/1295786502841131008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1295786502841131008%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcomicbook.com%2Fgaming%2Fnews%2Fmortal-kombat-25th-anniversary-celebration-reactions%2F
The Walk out!!! pic.twitter.com/x5JdVRftR6
— 🐉Mortal_Kombat_Addict | Fatalities Daily (@MK_habit_addict) August 18, 2020
Today’s the 25 anniversary of the release of Mortal Kombat (1995) pic.twitter.com/O495FPq6rx
— Big Boss 🇵🇸 (@LordBalvin) August 18, 2020
I honestly loved the hell out of the casting for the original Mortal Kombat movie. pic.twitter.com/3DLqv0Gdh0
— AlphaOmegaSin (@AlphaOmegaSin) August 17, 2020
https://twitter.com/JbootyfuI/status/1295594824486330368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1295594824486330368%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcomicbook.com%2Fgaming%2Fnews%2Fmortal-kombat-25th-anniversary-celebration-reactions%2F
It's been 25 years since Mortal Kombat attacked cinemas. Were you there? #MORTALKOMBAT https://t.co/XKMDImd8pv
— Mortal Kombat Online (@MK_Online) August 18, 2020
It might be difficult to convince the uninitiated that Mortal Kombat is worth their time when you tell them that the acting is all over the place, the script is awful, the visual effects are frequently unconvincing and the plot doesn’t make a single lick of sense, but for audiences of a certain generation, there are few movies more enjoyable to watch for the hundredth time.