Mortal Kombat: Annihilation – Review

One of my least favorite films, which is still trying to present itself as something to take seriously, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation was somehow something I once thought could be good. Considering the original film was a solid enough venture for younger me, I hit up the sequel. Why not expect something comparable?

After the cliffhanger ending of Mortal Kombat, we know Shao Khan (Thompson) is attacking Earth, and this film blasts off with a quick recap. A replaced actor for Raiden (Remar) narrates the events before the sequel kicks into explosive action. Liu Kang (Shou) and his allies walk through his homeland temple as destruction rains from the sky.

New Kombatants galore spew down along with ugly meteors which rip up all structures all moments before Shao Khan gives a sloppy speech. Wait, more actors were replaced. Is that a new Sonya (Hess) and Johnny Cage?! Weird bad guys show up. Rusty dialogue spits nonstop from everyone’s mouths like infected blades. People kick each other. Music booms. Bad backdrops surround everyone. The real villain appears to be no budget. Oh no, we are only five minutes in…

This movie absolutely should not be seen by people that enjoy anything quality about going to the cinemas. There was money spent and a product was made, but that is about the end of the fun. The actors maybe did what they could, if they could, with a really bad script and not much money. This is a famously awful sequel that only should be watched by those looking to inflict Mortal Kombat on their own brain cells. The story is not very interesting. The characters do not go fun places.

I hate just shitting on movies since there is enough of that out there, but watching this film for a second time decades later just reinforces its painful nature. There are lots of drawbacks and not a lot of positive aspects to even bring up. The good? Some music from the first is there. Watching this will make you appreciate all the other Mortal Kombat properties of any kind a lot more. This has some characters from the games and it tries to involve concepts also. Really though, this isn’t even for fans, it’s strictly for those "filmicly-curious."