New On Netflix: Mortal Kombat

Summer 1995 ended with bloodthirsty cries of “Mortal Kombaaaaaat!” when this cheesy yet undeniable rousing low-budget take on the mega-popular video game franchise hit theaters. Could bringing Mortal Kombat to the screen have been done better? Of course it could have — by far, actually — but back then, you were so wrapped up in the excitement of actually seeing characters like Kano, Liu Kang, Rayden, Johnny Cage, Scorpion, Sub-Zero and Sonya (if you just heard and/or sang the theme song after reading that particular order of the characters, ten points for you) come to life that any shortcomings (and oh, there are many) just didn’t matter. This is the kind of movie you need to see on opening night with a crowd of teenage boys, the kind of audience that cheers when Reptile suddenly shows up out of nowhere (complete with a “Reptile!” voiceover cue from the Mortal Kombat voiceover guy) and laughs when Christopher Lambert as Rayden (huh?) says “I don’t think so!” whenever he’s challenged. As far as watching it 16 years later by yourself on Netflix Instant… well, maybe nostalgia will win a flawless victory and keep you from realizing just how, uh, not good this thing really is. Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson, Mortal Kombat is actually a million times more entertaining than any of his later Resident Evil movies.