Conventional wisdom said Mortal Kombat was the first good video game movie. My heart will always be with Street Fighter but for me, the day I reviewed Mortal Kombat in 4K was Tuesday!
The matte foregrounds in the Outworld scenes really stand out as their own elements. Throughout the film, these are sets, man. Scorpion’s world of ladders and cobwebs was built for Linden Ashby and Chris Casamassa to fight in. Goro is a suit and animatronics so you can see all the texture. His silhouette is also striking in the 4K shadow, as are the deep voids in the caves, under the ship, Johnny Cage’s movie and even Liu Kang (Robin Shou)’s apartment.
Explosions don’t overdo it in surround sound, except Scorpion’s huge fatality. It’s the supernatural whirring beams of light and electricity they emphasize more.
Arrow got a nice sampling of talent for both films. Ashby represents the cast and cinematographer John Leonetti speaks about filming the first and directing Annihilation. Producer Lawrence Kasanoff is refreshingly honest about rushing Annihilation.
New commentaries by Dave Baxter really offer a deep dive on the video game and production, down to the Senate hearings on video games. I appreciate the context of Pit Fighter and Night Trap and a lot more detail on the potential Van Damme version of the game.
Annihilation is a darker film, so some shadow there. Some sets too but a lot more wonky composites that don’t quite blend seamlessly. Actual outdoor scenes look good. I’ll give it that J.J. Perry is doing impressive moves in that Cyrax costume. Fights are quicker cut with closeups and once they do animalities, it’s just animated characters fighting.
Musetta Vander is the actor profiled from this movie and she has an interesting dance background from South Africa. Composer George s Clinton is interesting that Mortal Kombat fights didn’t work with orchestral score. J.J. Perry also talks about all the stunt work he did on beloved low-budget movies. Baxter spends most of this commentary explaining the backstories of all the characters throughout the games.