What is the best MK movie/TV production to date?

[Art Lean]

Very simple question here, it's been 25 years since they first expanded MK into the realms of televised and movie entertainment - some are awful, some less so, some perhaps actually good... which do you feel was the best officially endorsed production?

And your reasoning can be thoroughly personal, be it for the fun, the shlock, the accuracy of recapturing the franchise, the pure silliness, just give your reasons

Rebirth may not technically be official, since it was the pitch that launched Legacy, but since it's so closely tied to Legacy in terms of the actors and production team, I'm going to add it to the list.

 

[RoboCop]

 

[ticklebandit!]

Nothing has yet to top the first movie for me. I was in second grade when it came out and I don't think I've ever been more hype for a movie. And it totally delivered and blew my little kid mind. Nostalgia goggles aside tho I think it still holds up as a fun movie that does a decent job of show casing the lore. It wasn't R but the deaths were imaginative and the fight choreography was awesome and still holds up.

Second place, with all the hate it seemed to get on this site and despite its faults, would have to be Mortal Kombat Legends Scorpion's Revenge. It was like an R rated MK movie and was leaps and bounds better than some of the other crap on this list.

 

[Dankster Morgan]

The first movie. Competition isn't tough though.

I want to be clear though, that movie fucking sucks, I don't care what any of y'all say, it's trash. The CGI Reptile will forever haunt my dreams, Kano's eye piece (even though the actor was decent), the ninja costumes, Raiden looking and sounding how he did (no hat???), do it right or not at all.

 

[Arqwart]

The first movie. Competition isn't tough though.

I want to be clear though, that movie fucking sucks, I don't care what any of y'all say, it's trash. The CGI Reptile will forever haunt my dreams, Kano's eye piece (even though the actor was decent), the ninja costumes, Raiden looking and sounding how he did (no hat???), do it right or not at all.

Hey now, don't hate on snarky, raspy-voiced Raiden. The sass levels were Elder God tier.

 

[Dankster Morgan]

Hey now, don't hate on snarky, raspy-voiced Raiden. The sass levels were Elder God tier.

I suppose I'm not a fan of Raiden in general to be fair.

"Hehehehe.... sorry" or "I must consult with the elder gods."

Take your pick lol

 

[NaCl man]

If you didn't vote for annihilation you are a noob.

 

[Hebrew Negro]

If you say Scorpions Revenge, I'll Erron Black f4 dropkick you.

 

[Zviko]

Overal probably first movie but I think Scorpion and Sub Zero episode from Legacy was amazing. That's how MK should look. Out of all I think I enjoyed Conquest the most though. I know it was trash but still very entertaining.

 

[scarsunseen]

Definitely 1st movie.

 

[NickDaGreek1983]

Objectively speaking, there are only 2 possible answers with one being the clear winner...
MK 1995 and the 2 seasons of Legacy, with the 1995 film being the clear winner.
Anything else is either crap, rushly made, not faithful to the lore, lacking violence and creativity, bad performances etc...

1) MK movie (1995): It made some mistakes which people still tend to ignore. We never saw our Scorpion-SubZero battle, there were some DRASTIC stylistic/design changes to some characters (Rayden, Kano, Reptile), they included two non MK fighters that were there just to be punching bags (Art Lean-no pun intended- and that dreadheaded tall guy in the 1st fight), we only saw a glimpse of Jax with no further involvement and there was minimal gore. BUT... Music, effects, fights, being lore-faithfull and cinematography/locations were too strong to not be satisfied overall.

2) The Legacy series (2011 & 2013): The only attempt IN AGES that showed hard work and true passion to make MK films relevant again. With the exception of the Rayden episode (which took too many liberties), the fact that Kenshi being alive for 400+ years and the Sub/Scorp childhood friendship subplot it was a great way to start sth that ultimately lead to the 2021 movie.

 

[DragonofDadashov24]

Obviously the first movie despite it going against canon ( Liu doesn’t get to fight Goro), Johnny kills Scorp etc. BUT it was a fun movie. Scorpion revenge also went against canon but it was terrible shit show that treated characters like Sub like jobbers lol. Second movie was ass. Defenders was a great kid show that I very much enjoyed. Conquest was great too, wish they gave it a second chance, choreography was superb there.
Legacy series is the worst and one of the reasons: Sub wears a motorcycle equipment.

 

[Kiss the Missile]

Conquest wins it for me hands down. If you liked the original movie, chances are you'll like Conquest too since they have the same vibe. Super corny with good action.

It also has, imo, the absolute best depiction of Shao Kahn in any Mortal Kombat media. Like you see Kahn in the games and wonder how this dumbass ever got to be in power with how often he gets tricked and deceived, but in Conquest he's a mastermind through and through. In the end, getting revenge on EVERY single character who ever went against him. Hero and Villain. If you're a Shao Kahn fan, you'll have a great time watching Conquest.

Also everybody loves Cary, but Bruce Locke is easily the best Shang Tsung

 

[Marlow]

The 1995 movie is terrible, but it kind of knows it's terrible and tries to have fun with it and entertain you anyways. So that one.

 

[Ck AeroVoid]

Scorpions revenge...

I only saw the 3 movies, and they all SUCK
(Halo: Foward into Dawn was a better movie than any of them)
And scorpions revenge was Perfectly gory so...
(My choices were limited ok!?)

 

[Jynks]

"The Fate of the Universe will be decided as it should be...... through MORTAL KOMBAT" - Dose not get more epic than that.

The Origin of the Intro Dialogue Of NRS Games..​

 

[superbn0va]

Mortal Kombat Conquest and the first Mortal Kombat movie.

 

[DixieFlatline78]

I dont think its possible to top the first movie honestly. Product of its time, much like the original game. Mostly follows the plot of the game, has all the characters and they're cast well, very meme-worthy, dated but charming, and the action is actually pretty good for the time. They really dont make them like that anymore

 

[Marinjuana]

How can Mortal Kombat (1995) be trash and terrible if it's fucking rad? I see people talk up modern flicks like some of these really mediocre comic book movies and they aren't half as entertaining as MK was. And people talking about the lore like bro there was no lore, Kano was Japanese before that movie came out! MK3 was out for like two months at that point.

I just watch Scorp's Revenge last night, if was fun. Animation was good and made it entertaining. Script was dated though, but aided by good voice acting. I hope they make more.

I thought MK: Legacy was good fun too, the Cyber Lin Kuei episode was the best MK has ever been. It's a little up and down as a series though.

 

[Dankster Morgan]

I dont think its possible to top the first movie honestly. Product of its time, much like the original game. Mostly follows the plot of the game, has all the characters and they're cast well, very meme-worthy, dated but charming, and the action is actually pretty good for the time. They really dont make them like that anymore

I will partially take back some shit talking about the first movie as the meme potential is insane. Kind of like Revenge of The Sith which also sucks but is a meme goldmine.

 

[Art Lean]

Legacy series is the worst and one of the reasons: Sub wears a motorcycle equipment.

I really enjoyed the series as a whole, but my god Sub Zero looked a dickhead in the present-day. They went to so much effort to try and make the Japanese scenes feel beautifully grounded in realism, with gorgeous old-fashioned costumes and masks... then Subz turns up on the island like a SWAT officer going dirt-biking and I remember just losing all my enthusiasm for the battle because he looked an utter twat. Luckily Scorpion ripped his head off, which should have been for fashion crimes alone!

It also has, imo, the absolute best depiction of Shao Kahn in any Mortal Kombat media. Like you see Kahn in the games and wonder how this dumbass ever got to be in power with how often he gets tricked and deceived, but in Conquest he's a mastermind through and through. In the end, getting revenge on EVERY single character who ever went against him. Hero and Villain. If you're a Shao Kahn fan, you'll have a great time watching Conquest.

Definitely agree about Shao Kahn. He was clever, sadistic, relished in his power, didn't kill his legions just out of moronic anger (like MKA's Kahn who killed Rain... for having taken two great warriors prisoners? That he could still torture or kill if ordered to do so? What? Now you've lost one of your best warriors and still have two prisoners that you can still kill at your behest!?) and instead dominated, belittled and reminded them of how much they owe him their duty and loyalty out of what he may do to them otherwise.

And the set may have been minimalistic (or cheap) but he looked amazing in the cascading light of the between-realm he fought Raiden in during the last episodes; his chainmail and armour backlit for terrifying effect, they're almost like devil wings as he runs out of the darkness. The costume too just looked fantastic (well except for the awful "classic" helmet he wore in the pilot) and would love to see the outfit replicated in a game.

It's a shame Chris Casamassa's voice acting is so awful, because Kahn is deliciously villainous here, love the sheer arrogance:

How he roars at Shang Tsung "HOW DARE YOU BEG FOR DEATH!" then so patronisingly belittles him with "only victors are granted their desires."

And yes, the overlays were all very cheap and very made-for-90s-TV, but the ending with its SURPRISINGLY good use of Mortal Kombat Annihilation stock footage actually proves that with a more talented eye, some of that movie's visuals of the extermination squads could have been used to far greater effect, the montage looks suitably creepy. This Kahn didn't want to kill or destroy Raiden... he relished in watching him be broken, and the greatest reward was simply making him bow to him! Even just the delivery on how it goes from seething fiery hatred to pure flamboyant arrogance as he raises his arms in pure camp indulgence and self-lovingly utters "...to... meee", I love it

 

[DragonofDadashov24]

I really enjoyed the series as a whole, but my god Sub Zero looked a dickhead in the present-day. They went to so much effort to try and make the Japanese scenes feel beautifully grounded in realism, with gorgeous old-fashioned costumes and masks... then Subz turns up on the island like a SWAT officer going dirt-biking and I remember just losing all my enthusiasm for the battle because he looked an utter twat. Luckily Scorpion ripped his head off, which should have been for fashion crimes alone!



Definitely agree about Shao Kahn. He was clever, sadistic, relished in his power, didn't kill his legions just out of moronic anger (like MKA's Kahn who killed Rain... for having taken two great warriors prisoners? That he could still torture or kill if ordered to do so? What? Now you've lost one of your best warriors and still have two prisoners that you can still kill at your behest!?) and instead dominated, belittled and reminded them of how much they owe him their duty and loyalty out of what he may do to them otherwise.

And the set may have been minimalistic (or cheap) but he looked amazing in the cascading light of the between-realm he fought Raiden in during the last episodes; his chainmail and armour backlit for terrifying effect, they're almost like devil wings as he runs out of the darkness. The costume too just looked fantastic (well except for the awful "classic" helmet he wore in the pilot) and would love to see the outfit replicated in a game.

It's a shame Chris Casamassa's voice acting is so awful, because Kahn is deliciously villainous here, love the sheer arrogance:

How he roars at Shang Tsung "HOW DARE YOU BEG FOR DEATH!" then so patronisingly belittles him with "only victors are granted their desires."

And yes, the overlays were all very cheap and very made-for-90s-TV, but the ending with its SURPRISINGLY good use of Mortal Kombat Annihilation stock footage actually proves that with a more talented eye, some of that movie's visuals of the extermination squads could have been used to far greater effect, the montage looks suitably creepy. This Kahn didn't want to kill or destroy Raiden... he relished in watching him be broken, and the greatest reward was simply making him bow to him! Love it

The whole battle between Scorp and Sub was shit too. Scorp literally was pushing Sub, then Sub was beating downed Scorpion and punching the shit out of him — an oki you won’t see in any fighting game lol, then Scorp uses spear with just waving his wrist instead of pulling it with both hands, and finally, Scorp steals Sub’s fatality

 

[Art Lean]

The whole battle between Scorp and Sub was shit too. Scorp literally was pushing Sub, then Sub was beating downed Scorpion and punching the shit out of him — an oki you won’t see in any fighting game lol, then Scorp uses spear with just waving his wrist instead of pulling it with both hands, and finally, Scorp steals Sub’s fatality

The build up was so good in the historic scenes, yet Subz looked so bad for the modern day climax I literally can't remember it haha. Totally zoned out for that fight.

Help me out here though... the fights in Japan, they were meant to be hundreds of years ago surely, given the attire and they talk about the shogun (and there hadn't been one in the real world since 1867) - yet suddenly Sub Zero is there on the tournament island in the present day in his BMX gear looking like a prat, is he meant to be immortal or did I miss something?

 

[Dankster Morgan]

What bugged me about the Scorpion's Revenge movie was Steve Blum voicing Bi Han, and Bi Han wearing Kuai Liang's armor that he didn't have for another 25 ish years. Him being a jobber didn't bother me, the elder Sub-Zero being a jobber isn't really out of character.

 

[MadPropz101]

This by a long shot