The original Mortal Kombat movie released on this date, August 18th, back in 1995, making today its 25th anniversary. While reviews at the time were largely mixed for the film (the Rotten Tomatoes score sits at 47%, if you were curious) there is no denying that it absolutely raised the bar for further feature-film adaptations of video game franchises. And many folks still hold a lot of nostalgic love for the title, and have been expressing such online during the anniversary.
The original 1995 Mortal Kombat was directed by Paul W.S. Anderson and starred Robin Shou as Liu Kang, Linden Ashby as Johnny Cage, Bridgette Wilson-Sampras as Sonya Blade, Talisa Soto as Kitana, Christopher Lambert as Raiden, Chris Casamassa as Scorpion, Francois Petit as Sub-Zero, and Trevor Goddard as Kano. It spawned a followup film, 1997’s Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, which was widely panned. And now, a totally new reboot for the franchise is set to release.
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More specifically, the Mortal Kombat reboot film is currently scheduled to release on January 15, 2021. It wrapped filming late last year. The cast includes Ludi Lin as Liu Kang, Mehcad Brooks as Jax, Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade, Hiroyuki Sanada as Scorpion, Josh Lawson as Kano, Tadanobu Asano as Raiden, Joe Taslim as Sub-Zero, Chin Han as Shang Tsung, Sisi Stringer as Mileena, Max Huang as Kung Lao, and Lewis Tan in an unnamed role, which some speculate to be Johnny Cage. You can check out all of our previous coverage of the film right here.
What do you think of what we’ve heard about the upcoming Mortal Kombat movie so far? Do you have fond memories of the 1995 original? Let us know in the comments, or hit me up directly on Twitter at @rollinbishop to talk all things gaming! And keep reading to see what folks are saying online about the original’s anniversary!
The writer of the reboot even weighed in
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
Many folks are reminiscing about the movie’s iconic scenes
‘Mortal Kombat’ was released on this day 25 years ago! pic.twitter.com/um517n5HOx
— Films to Films 🎥🎬 (@FilmstoFilms_) August 18, 2020
“Your soul is mine!”
— Mahko🥗🍕 (@mahko28) August 18, 2020
It’s a good time to be a Mortal Kombat fan
Today’s the 25 anniversary of the release of Mortal Kombat (1995) pic.twitter.com/O495FPq6rx
— Big Boss | Balvin $5000 (@LordBalvin) August 18, 2020
The original movie’s casting was on point
I honestly loved the hell out of the casting for the original Mortal Kombat movie. pic.twitter.com/3DLqv0Gdh0
— AlphaOmegaSin (@AlphaOmegaSin) August 17, 2020
But, admittedly, nostalgia plays a big factor
It’s the 25th anniversary of the original Mortal Kombat film!
— Ⓙ︎Ⓔ︎Ⓢ︎Ⓢ︎Ⓔ︎ 💀 (@JbootyfuI) August 18, 2020
This movie meant so much to me as a kid, it was the first time I ever saw some of my favorite characters brought to life like this. And it still holds up so well. Flawless casting, flawless music, flawless victory! 🐉 pic.twitter.com/QayTbVD7kp
The trailer still slaps too
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
