While not without its flaws, the original Mortal Kombat movie is still hailed as one of the better video game adaptations. It's mostly just a low-budget version of Enter the Dragon, but it manages to capture the manic energy that Mortal Kombat is known for. Still, it's easy to see why many who grew up with the games have a soft spot for this '90s movie.
However, a recent film based on the series, Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge, has been getting a lot of positive buzz and is being hailed as the best film of the franchise. So, which one manages to capture the essence of Mortal Kombat better and is the superior film?
8 Plot: MK 1995
These two films are essentially telling the same plot. The evil Shang Tsung brings together a group of mighty warriors to partake in Mortal Kombat. If his group of fighters wins, he'll take over the world for his master, Shao Kahn. However, the big difference between the two films is the involvement of Scorpion. In the 1995 flick, Scorpion is just another henchman for Shang Tsung, but in the recent movie, he's a significant player. Part of Legend's plot has Scorpion seeking Revenge on Sub-Zero for the death of his family.
It does make for a much more character-driven tale, but one that comes at the cost of cohesiveness. Scorpion's Revenge often feels like two movies crammed into one, as it continually swaps between the two plots in a blink of an eye. Sure, the original's plot wasn't anything to write home about, but it at least kept its focus on the over-arching plot.
7 Main Characters: Scorpion's Revenge
While there isn't much in the way of character development for either adaptation, both movies do manage to recapture the dynamic personalities that made Mortal Kombat's roster so iconic in the first game. Liu-Kang is a noble warrior; Johnny Cage is a smart aleck, Sonya Blade is a no-nonsense soldier, and so on. If there's any difference, it's that Sonya doesn't end up as a damsel in distress like in the original.
Raiden is much different in both films. In the new flick, he is more of an all-knowing deity, like in the games. Meanwhile, in the 1995 movie, he's more of a Mr. Miyagi-like character, always advising the heroes with a jokey personality. Both versions of the games cast are mostly spot-on portrayals, but Scorpion's Revenge gets a slight edge.
6 Villains: MK 1995
The original's Shang Tsung is also a more dynamic antagonist than in the recent flick, feeling like a slightly tamed version of Lo Pan from Big Trouble in Little China. The new one feels more of a henchman leader, like how Steppenwolf was in Justice League, though Shang Tsung still has much more charisma than that CGI character.
The real villain of Scorpion's Revenge is Quan Chi. He's portrayed as sort of Starscream-like villain, plotting from the side before attempting to backstab Shang Tsung, making for a much interesting character. However, the win goes to the 1995 movie simply because of the actor. Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa is just a delight to see on screen and brings this character to life with so much personality.
5 Scorpion: Scorpion's Revenge
The most significant addition comes from Scorpion. In the animated film, he's an angry guy who wants to get revenge for his family. There isn't that much to Scorpion, but he's so defined by that simplicity that it's one of his charms. It's a bit shallow, but his characterization is much better in Scorpion's Revenge than the one in the '90s flick.
There, he's reduced to a mere henchman, doing little to flesh him out. While the animated one may come off as one-note, at least he has a note. Scorpion's Revenge wins the round by a landslide.
4 Actors: Scorpion's Revenge
This was a tough one to judge. On the one hand, Scorpion's Revenge generally had a much more consistent quality of acting. Most of the voice actors do good jobs, and no one comes off as bad. The animated flick also gets major props for casting Joel McHale as Johnny Cage. His trademark dry snark is a dead-on for Cage and makes to a much more likable character. Jennifer Carpenter is also great as Sonya, and she's given much more to work with than Bridgette Wilson. The rest of the cast is a whos-who of voice actors, including Patrick Seitz and Steve Blum reprising their roles as Scorpion and Sub-Zero from the games.
The significant advantage of the original movie's cast is having both Christopher Lambert and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as Raiden and Shang-Tsung. You can tell Lambert is having fun playing Raiden, and Tagawa is delightfully over-the-top as Shang-Tsung. The latter is so beloved in the role that he even reprised his role in Mortal Kombat 11. The rest of the acting in the original is... underwhelming to put it lightly. This goes to Scorpion's Revenge, with no disrespect to Christopher Lambert and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa.
3 Action: Scorpion's Revenge
Mortal Kombat is a fighting game, so you better have some good action in any of the movies. The original film has a few good fight sequences. The highlight is the Johnny Cage vs. Scorpion fight in NeverRealm. The sets are impressive, and the fight choreography is pretty well done. That being said, a lot of the matches in the 1995 movie aren't anything to write home about. Half of them suffer from some early Power Rangers level of choreography and some choppy editing. It's also annoying whenever there's slow-motion happening, which is in nearly every fight.
Scorpion's Revenge features much more lively action sequences, which is surprising since it's an animated film. The movie uses that fact to its advantage and has fight sequences that would be incredibly difficult to do in live-action. It's exceptionally well done whenever the characters use their trademark techniques. Helping make these scenes better are some excellent sound effect and some spectacular animation. It's easy to see why this lives up to the Mortal Kombat name more so than the original film.
2 Violence: Scorpion's Revenge
Mortal Kombat is known as one of the bloodiest game franchises of all time, and that's where Scorpion's Revenge exceeds. Bodies are cut into pieces, blood splashes everywhere, and there's a ton of heads getting removed.
Scorpion's Revenge has as much gore as any ultra-violent anime, like Ninja Scroll or Elfen Lied. Meanwhile, the live-action movie has people punching and souls removed. Yeah, you can see why some people were disappointed. There's barely even an ounce of blood throughout.
1 Winner: Scorpion's Revenge
While the original will always be remembered as one of the better live-action video game movies, it's been upstaged as the best MK movie by Scorpion's Revenge. You can tell the creators of Scorpion's Revenge were huge fans of the games and wanted to do its source material justice, and they succeeded.
If you haven't checked out Mortal Kombat Legends, give it a watch if you're a Mortal Kombat fan or a newbie. It makes for a great introduction to the series and secures a nearly flawless victory.