Mortal Kombat is a well-established multimedia action franchise beginning in 1992 with Midway Games’ original fighting game, Mortal Kombat. Later further developed and expanded upon by NetherRealm Studios under series co-creator Ed Boon, the games would eventually expand into a variety of action films, both animated and live action. With the release of the Mortal Kombat II film, let’s see whether this epic gaming franchise survives the tournament of film adaptations.

Mortal Kombat (1995)

Mortal Kombat, directed by Paul W.S. Anderson, is an action movie. It primarily adapts the storyline of the original 1992 game, while also taking some inspiration from its 1993 sequel, Mortal Kombat II. Much like the games, the film follows a group of heroes that participate in a fighting tournament to save Earthrealm from being conquered by warriors from the dangerous Outworld. The heroes are led by the powerful Lord Rayden, the god of thunder and Earthrealm’s protector.

The film stars actors Linden Ashby as Johnny Cage, a Hollywood superstar wanting to prove his martial arts skills, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as Shang Tsung, a sorcerer who hosts the fighting tournament, Robin Shou as Liu Kang, a monk who enters the tournament to avenge his brother’s death, and Bridgette Wilson as Sonya Blade, a Special Forces officer pursuing the crime boss Kano after he killed her partner. It also stars Talisa Soto as Kitana, the adopted daughter of the Outworld Emperor who ultimately helps the Earth heroes, Trevor Goddard as Kano, an underworld crime boss who sides with Shang Tsung, Christopher Lambert as Lord Rayden, the god of thunder and protector of Earth, and Chris Casamassa as Scorpion, an undead warrior working under Shang Tsung. Finally, Francois Petit appears as Sub-Zero, a cryomancer warrior working with Shang Tsung, and Keith Cooke as Reptile, a monstrous creature serving Shang Tsung. Series co-creator Ed Boon provides the voice of Scorpion.

Mortal Kombat: The Journey Begins (1995)

Mortal Kombat: The Journey Begins, directed by Joseph Francis, is an animated action movie serving as a tie-in prequel to the original 1995 Mortal Kombat film. The film follows Liu Kang, Johnny Cage, and Sonya Blade as they travel to the Mortal Kombat tournament on a mysterious boat. Along their journey, they are met by Rayden, who informs them about the tournament as well as the origins of Shang Tsung, Goro, Scorpion, Sub-Zero, and Kung Lao.

The film stars actors Jeff Bennett as Johnny Cage, Ron Feinberg as Rayden, Jennifer Hale as Sonya Blade, Randy Hamilton as Liu Kang, and Jim Cummings as Shang Tsung.

Mortal Kombat Annihilation (1997)

Mortal Kombat Annihilation, directed by John R. Leonetti, is an action movie and sequel to the original 1995 Mortal Kombat film. Its story largely adapts the 1995 video game Mortal Kombat 3. Liu Kang and his allies must once again defend Earthrealm in a fighting tournament, this time against the Outworld emperor Shao Kahn.

Actors Robin Shou and Talisa Soto return as Liu Kang and Kitana respectively. Chris Conrad replaces Linden Ashby as Johnny Cage, James Remar replaces Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as Rayden, and Sandra Hess replaces Bridgitte Wilson as Sonya Blade. Brian Thompson joins the cast as Shao Kahn, the emperor of Outworld, Musetta Vandel as Sindel, Kitana’s mother, Reiner Schone as Shinnok, an elder god, and Lynn Williams as Jax, Sonya Blade’s Special Forces partner. Series co-creator Ed Boon provides the voice of Scorpion, while actor J.J. Perry plays Scorpion, Cyrax, and Noob Saibot.

Mortal Kombat Legends (2020-2023)

Mortal Kombat Legends are a series of 4 animated action movies focusing on specific characters within the Mortal Kombat franchise. They were released between 2020 and 2023 respectively. They are set in their own continuity, distinct from the original 1990s films or the 2021 reboot.

Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion, directed by Ethan Spaulding, is an animated martial arts film focusing on two storylines: Scorpion seeking revenge against those who killed his family after being resurrected, and Earthrealm champions Johnny Cage, Liu Kang, and Sonya Blade participating in the Mortal Kombat tournament. The film stars actors Patrick Seitz as Scorpion, Jordan Rodrigues as Liu Kang, Dave B. Mitchell as Raiden, Joel McHale as Johnny Cage, Jennifer Carpenter as Sonya Blade, Ike Amadi as Jax Briggs, Robin Atkin Downes as Kano and Shinnok, Grey Griffin as Kitana, Steve Blum as Sub-Zero, and Artt Butler as Shang Tsung. Darin De Paul plays Quan Chi, a sorcerer who resurrects Scorpion from the dead, while Kevin Michael Richardson plays Goro, the Mortal Kombat tournament victor.  Fred Tatasciore plays Shao Kahn,

Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms, directed by Ethan Spaulding, is an animated martial arts film focusing on Liu Kang being selected as Earthrealm’s defender in a Mortal Kombat tournament set in Outworld. It also follows Scorpion coming into conflict with Sub-Zero and the evil Shinnok. Jordan Rodrigues, Dave B. Mitchell, Joel McHale, Jennifer Carpenter, Ike Amadi, Robin Atkin Downes, Artt Butler, Grey Griffin, and Patrick Seitz return as their respective roles. Matthew Yang King joins the cast as Kung Lao, Bayardo De Murguia as Sub-Zero, Matthew Mercer as Smoke and Kurtis Stryker, Emily O’Brien as Jade, and Debra Wilson as D’Vorah, another member of the tournament who defeats Johnny Cage. 

Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind, directed by Rick Morales, is an animated martial arts film set decades after Shao Kahn’s defeat in Battle of the Realms. Kano, leader of the Black Dragon clan, works alongside Shang Tsung to declare himself king of various annexed cities. The warrior Kenshi Takahashi fights back against Kano and Shang Tsung, retrieving the legendary blade Sento along his journey at the cost of his sight. Artt Butler and Patrick Seitz return as Shang Tsung and Scorpion respectively. Manny Jacinto plays Kenshi Takahashi, David Wenham plays Kano, Ron Yuan takes over the role of Sub-Zero, and Keith Silverstein plays Kabal.

Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match, directed by Ethan Spaulding, is an animated martial arts film serving as an origin story for Johnny Cage. After his co-star Jennifer Grey goes missing, Johnny Cage uncovers the mysterious world of the Mortal Kombat tournament as he attempts to save her. Joel McHale, Robin Atkin Downes, and Dave B. Mitchell reprise their respective roles as Johnny Cage, Shinnok, and Raiden respectively. Joining the cast is actress Jennifer Grey playing both herself and Sareena, a Netherrealm demon, as well as actor Gilbert Gottfried in his final role as David Doubldy, Johnny Cage’s agent.

Mortal Kombat (2021)

Mortal Kombat, directed by Simon McQuoid, is an action movie that serves as a reboot from the original movies in the 1990s. The film opens in the year 1617, where Scorpion finds his family and clan slaughtered by the opposing clan leader Sub-Zero. Scorpion attempts to seek revenge against Sub-Zero by killing his daughter but bleeds out before he can succeed. In the modern day, Outworld sorcerer Shang Tsung sends various assassins after the Earthrealm champions, including MMA fighter Cole Young and his family. They are saved from Sub-Zero by Special Forces Major Jax, who sends them off to his partner Sonya Blade at the cost of losing his arms to Sub-Zero. After meeting up with Sonya Blade, who is interrogating the mercenary Kano, they travel to the temple of Raiden to meet with other Earthrealm champions, Liu Kang and Kung Lao. Jax has also been brought there by Raiden, who gave him metal arms replacements. The temple is attacked by Shang Tsung’s assassins, including mercenary Kabal, who convinces Kano to join Shang Tsung’s side. As Shang Tsung invades Earthrealm, Cole Young and the other Earthrealm protectors must vanquish his assassins and banish him to save the world.

The film stars actors Lewis Tan as Cole Young, an original character made specifically for the film who enters the Mortal Kombat tournament, Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade, Josh Lawson as Kano, Mehcad Brooks as Jax, Ludi Lin as Liu Kang, and Tadanobu Asano as Raiden. Max Huang plays Kung Lao, one of Earthrealm’s champions, Hiroyuki Sanada plays Scorpion, Joe Taslim plays Sub-Zero, Chin Han plays Shang Tsung, and Daniel Nelson plays Kabal, one of Kano’s former allies who works with Shang Tsung.

Conclusion

The Mortal Kombat franchise has proven that it can still put up a fight in the modern day. With the release of Mortal Kombat II in theaters as of May 8th, 2026, and a third movie in development, the franchise has shown itself worthy of both video game and film fame. While cheesy at times, especially when viewing the older films, the continued adaptation in both live action and animation has proven that Mortal Kombat can beat the curse that so often inflicts the video game to film adaptation. The games provide a solid foundation that creates a reliable formula for the films to build themselves on, bringing audiences a solid mix of stellar martial arts combat mixed with a dose of visual effects superpowered magic. The Mortal Kombat films can all be streamed on HBO Max.