Ranking the Mortal Kombat Films from Worst to Best
The Mortal Kombat videogame became a pop culture phenomenon in 1992. Its Big Trouble in Little China (1986) vibe combined with its infamous OTT gore, caused the American puritanism to explode. Yet, with each new game release, the IP grew more popular. More characters, more lore, more fighting arenas, and more ingenious ways to crush your opponent! This colorful material was screaming for a cinematic adaptation. After all, it was filled with ninjas, cyborgs, shape-shifting sorcerers, mystical islands, parallel realms, and four-armed monsters, centaurs among other things!
The year 1995 marked Paul WS Anderson’s Hollywood debut directing Mortal Kombat whose box office numbers and critical reception were enthusiastically positive, especially after the disasters of Super Mario Bros. (1993), Double Dragon (1994), and Street Fighter (1994). Thirty-something years later, his first American film is now a beloved cult classic recognized for its practical visual style, exciting fight sequences, and memorable performances. Any goodwill, though, disappeared with the more expensive and overblown sequel (Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997)) which left the franchise in a state of limbo for more than two and a half decades!
Despite some attempts to revive Mortal Kombat through a web series, nothing of substance happened until 2021, when a more serious and grounded reboot took place from the perspective of a brand new (and unnecessary) character (Cole Young). While fans enjoyed the ramped up violence, they were more skeptical about the lack of an actual tournament, a glorious villain, questionable performances, and the desaturated, empty aesthetic. Its relative success, however, allowed it to get a bigger entry half a decade later in Mortal Kombat II (2026) seeing the return of fan favorite Johnny Cage and Shao Kahn’s towering presence. So let us dive into a world full of martial arts, dark fantasy, sci-fi, and occasionally horror to discover which Mortal Kombat flick is the best.
Heroes: Liu Kang (x4), Johnny Cage (x3), Sonya Blade (x3), Raiden (x4), Art Lean, Kitana (x2), Subzero, Scorpion (x2), Cole Young (x2), Kung Lao, Jade, Kano, Baraka, Jax (x3), Jerrod, Nightwolf
Villains: Shang Tsung (x3), Subzero (x2), Scorpion (x2), Kitana, Kano (x2), Reptile (x3), Goro (x2), Jade, Shao Kahn (x2), Shinnok, Smoke, Cyrax, Motaro, Sheeva, Ermac, Rain, Noob Saibot (x2), Sindel (x2), Mileena (x2), Nitara, Kabal, Quan Chi, Kung Lao, Baraka
Shot in: USA, Thailand, Australia, Jordan, Wales, Israel
Most successful entry: Mortal Kombat II - $129
Most expensive entry: Mortal Kombat II - $68
Highest IMDB score: Mortal Kombat II - 65
Highest Metacritic score: Mortal Kombat (1995) - 60
Highest RT score: Mortal Kombat II - 64
Reception
Context
4.Mortal Kombat (2021)
MVP: Sanada and Taslim remain great cast choices
It’s been 24 years til we saw a new Mortal Kombat live-action movie and Simon McQuoid’s reboot was an unexpected disappointment. While Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997) was pretty bad due to its rushed production schedule, lack of acting charisma, and a rather incomprehensible plot, the same cannot be said of this one. Downplaying Mortal Kombat’s OTT world was a massive misstep while the introduction of Cole Young proved fatal considering how many characters could have been used for the same purpose. Creatively speaking, it is not that exciting with lame fight choreography, cheap costumes, banal cinematography, and some truly baffling decisions; Goro gets axed by a housewife, Shang Tsung does not fight, there is no tournament, and special powers need to be unlocked. Some casting choices are excellent and the Subzero freezing effects are cool but then again, when your film fails to use the iconic theme, you know you have screwed up.
Fights
🎬🎬
Stuntwork
🎞️
Outworld
👌
Hero(es)
🦸🦸
Villain(s)
🦹
Soundtrack
🎻
Best moment: Subzero’s powers are represented via cool special effects.
3.Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997)
MVP: George S. Clinton manages to create a great musical landscape in this misfire.
Annihilation had it all: hype, increased budget, and extensive exterior shouts from Thailand all the way to Jordan (!). However, unfinished effects, a rushed production schedule, and the absence of Anderson, Lambert, Wilson, and Ashby made Annihilation feel over- and under-produced at the same time. For every shot of a solid production design, there is another one with obvious latex masks and glaring editing errors. The story is all over the place, the dialogue farcical (negated statements are used as verbal counterpoints), and Brian Thomson’s Shao Kahn a joke. Its predecessor’s most attractive element was the fights, yet even on that front Annihilation fails with badly used wire-fu, offering an unlimited amount of backflips, and somersaults from well-trained bodies. Amidst this tacky production which takes itself way too seriously, only Robin Shou emerges unscathed while the sound design and music score are the only things of genuine quality.
Fights
🎬🎬
Stuntwork
🎞️🎞️
Outworld
👌👌
Hero(es)
🦸🦸
Villain(s)
🦹
Soundtrack
🎻🎻
Best moment: Liu Kang’s fight with Smoke is quite fun albeit a tad too short.
2.Mortal Kombat 2 (2026)
MVP: Ludi Lin as Liu Kang - the only cast member who looks like he can fight.
Marginally better than its predecessor, part two fixes some of the reboot’s issues despite being unsure about its cinematic identity. Boasting two different tones - a grittier and meaner take versus a more tongue-in-cheek approach through the welcome addition of Johnny Cage, you can sense the production was altered halfway through. A 53-year-old Karl Urban is miscast as the cocky fan favourite, struggling with the action while the story’s shift toward Kitana in the second half proves a case of bait and switch. Key characters exist either to sprout a handful of lines or to amplify the Netflix-level fight choreography under a blunt production design and a limited scope which do not do the source material justice again. And weirdly enough the iconic theme is absent. Nevertheless, Martyn Ford registers as (a CGI) Shao Khan, Adeline Rudolf is perfect as Princess Kitana, Cole Young gets the film’s best moment, and the Kung Lao/Liu Kang fight should have set the template for the entire sequel.
Fights
🎬🎬
Stuntwork
🎞️🎞️
Outworld
👌
Hero(es)
🦸🦸
Villain(s)
🦹🦹🦹
Soundtrack
🎻
Best moment: The Kung Lao/Liu Kang face off is the movie’s highlight; fast-paced and beautifully executed.
1.Mortal Kombat (1995)
MVP: Robin Shou who brought wire-fu to Hollywood before The Matrix (1999).
Still the king, baby. While there have been creative liberties with the story material, Anderson’s debut delivers a coherent story, clearly drawn archetypes, Eastern philosophy, witty verbal exchanges, and a music theme for the ages. The filmmakers put a lot of effort into bringing Outworld on the big screen with a jaw-dropping design from Jonathan Carlson, the vibrant cinematography of John F. Leonetti, and George S. Clinton’s unforgettable techno-taiko score. Much to everyone’s surprise all of it works beautifully echoing Bruce Lee’s Enter the Dragon (1973). While some of the mid-90s effects have aged, they don’t detract from the film’s vibrant visual palette. Lambert is having a blast as thunder god Raiden and Shou is a compelling lead as Liu Kang emotionally and physically. However, it is Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa’s Shang Tsung who steals the show. Delivering his lines with Shakespearean gusto and incredible facial expressions, he earned a permanent spot in modern pop culture.
Fights
🎬🎬🎬🎬
Stuntwork
🎞️🎞️🎞️
Outworld
👌👌👌👌👌
Hero(es)
🦸🦸🦸🦸🦸
Villain(s)
🦹🦹🦹🦹🦹
Soundtrack
🎻🎻🎻🎻🎻
Best moment: Hearing Shao Kahn’s voice shouting “Reptile” before an instrumental version of Tracy Lord’s Control kicks in is one of cinema’s best moments.