Mortal Kombat (1995): My Soul Is Theirs

 Recently, I rewatched the Mortal Kombat Live-Action Movies from the 1990s. While Mortal Kombat: Annihilation has a few bright spots, it never escaped the failures and missteps that I remember. But to no surprise, Mortal Kombat (1995) was still just as fun. This film marked an interesting time in Mortal Kombat's history as a series. The games had some snippets of lore and some comics floating around, yet there wasn't that much to work with for a whole movie's worth. Not like with the recent games from NetherRealm Studios, or even the 3D Era of the series. So, to come away with a movie that worked and felt true to the source material seemed impossible. But against all odds, Paul W.S. Anderson and his team managed to pull it off. 

The big reason for this piece was because I wanted to write about Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa's role as Shang Tsung, but also because I wanted to talk about the missteps of the other Live-Action MKs and the new Street Fighter Live-Action. These things all feel tangentially related because after MK (1995), every one of these films have taken the same misguided notes. More fighting, less personality. You get caricatures rather than characters, and that makes me more sad than angry. 

MK (1995) ended up being a lot more influential than expected because of how Kevin Droney's script paired with the characters made by Ed Boon and John Tobias. But the layers go deeper. I've already mentioned Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as Shang Tsung. A defining performance so good that he reprised the role over 20 years later. However, Trevor Goddard also redefined the character that he would end up playing in Kano. Like, you can see the transformation in Mortal Kombat: Special Forces as Kano looks remarkably similar to Goddard. So, I'll get more into these characters later on, because I want to go over this movie as a whole. To really hammer in why MK (1995) has stood out as one of the best Video Game Movies, and Adaptations. 

There's many reasons why MK (1995) became iconic. And one of the major ones came from the opening dream sequence where Shang Tsung kills Liu Kang's (Played by Robin Shou) brother, Chan (Played by Steven Ho). Obviously, Tagawa saying, "Your brother's soul is mine" would stand the test of time. But I always think about Steven Ho's delivery of, "LIU!". I hadn't watched this movie in over 10 or 15 years, and it sounded the same as ever. It's just a very striking way to start the film as the dream ends and Liu Kang wakes up in a cold sweat. Having a distinct villain, and motivation out the gate already gives credence to the  tournament before it even begins. 

But then after Liu Kang's introduction, we go to Sonya Blade (Played by Bridgette Wilson) as she looks for Kano at a Heavy Metal Concert alongside her new partner, Jax (Played by Gregory McKinney). Like the other character introductions, this one pulled no punches. We're shown a hard-ass soldier-type looking for the man who killed her previous partner. It falls in line with the Sonya in my head, and establishes core elements that would influence the character later down the line. Like, I'm pretty sure Sonya Blade was already supposed to be Sarah Connor from Terminator, and this version of the character was certainly that right out of the gate. 

And finally, we move onto Johnny Cage (Played by Linden Ashby). A perfect encapsulation of the character all within a couple minutes. Johnny shoots an action scene, it doesn't go right, and he threatens to walk off set. Perfect, no notes. It's funny that Shang Tsung essentially recruits Johnny as opposed to having some heroic goal or ambition like Liu Kang and Sonya. Yeah, that makes sense when you think about how self-centered Johnny has always been. A stuck-up action star falling out of favor needs a little pick-me up. So, why not send him to an island with monsters, warriors, and a sorcerer. 

I've always liked how the cast gets established as we follow-up Johnny with Liu Kang's goal shifting from revenge towards becoming a champion for Earthrealm. And with a little guidance from Lord Raiden (Played by Christopher Lambert), despite Liu Knag's wishes, for extra flavor. This defiance from Liu Kang in retrospect comes off as out of character. I say this because Liu Kang in later games mostly stays on a righteous path, or he's very strict. To have a Liu Kang who jokes and acts like a brat, felt like they wanted to put Kung Lao in the movie. As Kung Lao would later become known for his defiance and joking attitude. So, this helps Liu Kang to not only feel fresh, but to showcase an evolution of character as he becomes the Mortal Kombat Champion. 

This aspect of evolution can be seen throughout all of Liu Kang's fights starting with the Fighting Monk (Played by Hakim Alston), as the fight revolved around using some staffs before focusing on hand-to-hand combat. But what made it remarkable was the scrappiness between the warriors. The Liu Kang here could not beat Shang Tsung. However, the Liu Kang that defeated Kitana (Played by Talisa Soto), Sub-Zero (played by Francois Petit), and Reptile (Played by Keith Cooke) would be able to hold his own. Especially when you look at the Reptile fight and see them hitting each other through walls in a non-sanctioned fight to the death. So, you have all of this culminate into the final showdown against Shang Tsung. 

The final fight worked so well because Liu Kang had slowly showcased his worth across the film. And pitting him against Tagawa's Shang Tsung helps to hammer that home. Starting it off by fighting fairly, then activating a trap, and finally being overwhelmed by Liu Kang's development sells the whole movie on its own. Robin Shou felt like the perfect person to play Liu Kang by the end of it. I will always love this version of Liu Kang, much like the others. 

With Bridgette Wilson's Sonya, we get the voice and personality. Like I said earlier, this was the Sonya that I could already articulate in my mind. And this would be a sort of baseline for her future iterations as the games would retain some of these quirks. For example, her next appearance in Mortal Kombat 4 would not only give her a ponytail and hat, but would focus more on her military background. The pieces were always there, but I just think that a lot of the previous concepts became more realized through the version from MK (1995). 

Linden Ashby's Johnny does certainly achieve a similar influence in the same vein as Bridgette Wilson's Sonya where the direction becomes more realized. And now that I think about it, Mortal Kombat 1's version of Johnny wears a very similar looking shirt and slack combo that resembles Linden Ashby's portrayal. I never really thought about it until now, but that's actually a crazy reference. And it shows how iconic this movie was for the series. 

Obviously, the biggest takeaway from Johnny in MK (1995) was how he got his groove back. The fight against Scorpion (Played by Chris Casamassa) stands the test of time as the coolest part of this film. A brutal fight in a world filled with corpses that can only be rivaled by Liu Kang vs Reptile. Not to mention the iconic Nut Punch making it into the Goro (Voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson) fight. Johnny still remains a shithead, but he does mature a bit. A win's a win.

But as iconic and defining as the main cast was, there would be no doubt as to who shaped and molded the future of their characters more than Trevor Goddard and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa would. I know that I talked a bit about this earlier, yet in cannot stated enough. Kano never came across as Australian before, but you better believe he never shed that part of his character after. Not to mention, Goddard plays the character like an absolute bastard. I love the way he eats when talking to Goro. Just gross and devoid of any etiquette, as noted by Shang Tsung in the movie. It's a shame that Sonya kills him part way through, as I could've watched a whole film with just Kano. 

And the same goes for Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa. To see the character actually just become the actor that portrayed him in one movie was crazy. Shang Tsung has always been cool and mysterious, yet Tagawa added a much needed swagger and cadence. Every line read was perfect, every look more menacing than the last. It almost felt criminal to kill the character off after how captivating Tagawa made him. And obviously NetherRealm Studios understood this when they kept referencing him, and eventually casted him again. Not to mention, the newest Shang Tsung design still keeps the same style. If there was anything that broke containment from this movie into the mainstream, it was Tagawa as Shang Tsung. It's not the role that defined him, it's him that defined the role. You can have many other actors play Shang Tsung, but you can only have one actor play that Shang Tsung. And that actor was Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa.

What MK (1995) was able to accomplish now feels like a flash in the pan, as fighting game movies have never been able to achieve the same since. MK Annihilation and Mortal Kombat (2021) both failed to capitalize on what made this movie so magical. It's the actors, the score, the set design, it's the whole damn enchilada. And trying to cut those corners just makes for a dull experience. It's that same feeling I get when I see anything about that new Street Fighter Live-Action. The looks are certainly there, but where is the soul. You can't have a movie work as well as MK (1995) without soul. And for that, my soul is theirs. 

And remember to Free Palestine, Free Congo, Free Sudan, Free Venezuela and to Free Lebanon from the onslaught of their oppressors. Never stop talking about them. They think that we don't care, but we see everything. Never forget that. They are trying to suppress our voices because they matter, remember that. There may have been a ceasefire in Gaza, but Palestine still needs to be completely free.