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Mortal Kombat: Annihilation

Score: 35%
Rating: PG-13
Publisher: Warner Brothers Home
                  Entertainment

Region: 1
Media: Blu-ray/1
Running Time: 95 Mins.
Genre: Action/Martial Arts
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
           (English); Dolby Digital 2.0
           (Spanish)

Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish

Features:

  • Mortal Kombat Game Trailer
  • Theatrical Trailer
  • Digital Copy
  • Code for "Classic" Jade Character Skin

Mortal Kombat was a lackluster movie, but at least attempted to provide some sort of narrative to go along with the fights. It's sequel, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, doesn't even bother with plot or, really, anything else.

I'd love to at least offer some shred of a plot synopsis, but it's hard to see the movie as anything other than a quick cash-in on the Mortal Kombat name. To its credit, Annihilation attempts to follow the game's mythology. However, it also tries to fit in every single character and plot thread from the series (not just one game). It's more akin to Street Fighter film than the original Mortal Kombat. Though by no means a great movie, the original at least managed to keep the narrative tight by only following three core characters. The same isn't true for Annihilation.

Annihilation sort of follows Liu Kang (Robin Shou, one of the few returning cast members from the original) as he attempts to keep Outworld from invading the Earthrealm. Although Kang won the tournament, Shao Khan (Brian Thompson) somehow found a way to cheat the system and merge the two realms. From here, the film spins completely out of control, ejecting viewers from one pointless fight to another, attempting to cram in some sort of plot wherever it can. It's just bad to the point of becoming unintentionally funny.

Fight sequences were a massive plus in the original and one of the few reasons to watch. Annihilation provides even more action sequences than its predecessor, though more isn't always better. There's one or two really good sequences, while the rest are merely passable. Worse still, the visuals are a massive nosedive from the original's already low benchmark. Even the Blu-ray transfer looks bad.

If Annihilation has any positives, it's James Remar, who replaces Christopher Lambert as Raiden. Its not that I think Lambert is a terrible actor, but Remar is actually looks like he's trying to stretch himself, whereas Lambert was playing the same character he always plays. Remar is also one of the few performers in the film to actually show some sort of energy. Everyone else is just going through the motions, blandly jumping from one bad line to another.

Annihilation is just as light on the extras as the original. There's a trailer for the new game, as well as special code for a "Classic" Jade character outfit for the PS3 version. A digital copy and trailer for the movie are also included.

Mortal Kombat: Annihilation is a movie to avoid at all costs. It's an outright bad movie that not only fall well short of the low bar set by the original, but manages to sink below most videogame to film adaptations.



-Starscream, GameVortex Communications
AKA Ricky Tucker

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