History Film / MortalKombat

* ''Film/{{Mortal Kombat|2021}}'' (2021)

[[redirect:Film/MortalKombatTheMovie]]

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mortal-kombat-heroes_3859.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:Let Mortal Kombat begin!]]

-> ''"I have looked into their souls... and yours. One of you three will decide the outcome of the tournament. The fate of billions will depend upon you. Heh heh heh heh... sorry." ''
-->-- '''Raiden'''

''Mortal Kombat'' is a 1995 film directed by Creator/PaulWSAnderson. Based on the long running ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' fighting game franchise, it incorporates elements from the series' first two games, with a decided emphasis on the first game.

Martial artist Liu Kang (Robin Shou), U.S. Special Forces agent Sonya Blade (Bridgette Wilson), and Hollywood superstar Johnny Cage (Linden Ashby) meet each other as they travel to an uncharted island for an underground fighting tournament. The [[PhysicalGod God of Lightning and Thunder]], Raiden (Creator/ChristopherLambert), tells them about the tournament's true purpose: Mortal Kombat will determine Earth's fate in the face of an invasion. Outworld, a realm that exists parallel to Earth's, requires victories in ten consecutive Mortal Kombat tournaments -- each tournament held once a generation -- to open a portal that would let Outworld's forces invade Earthrealm and conquer humanity. With nine straight victories thus far, Outworld stands ready to wage a war that Earthrealm cannot possibly win.

The three protagonists each have a personal reason for competing: Liu Kang wants to avenge his brother's death, Sonya seeks to bring a violent killer to justice, and Johnny desires validation of his skills as a martial artist. Raiden serves as their mentor and guide throughout the tournament, and the trio soon finds a sympathetic voice from Outworld in Princess Kitana (Creator/TalisaSoto). But Outworld's forces did not come unprepared for a challenge: sorcerer [[BigBad Shang Tsung]] (Creator/CaryHiroyukiTagawa), his [[TheDragon chosen champion Goro]] (Creator/KevinMichaelRichardson), elite soldiers Sub-Zero (François Petit) and Scorpion (Chris Casamassa), and Sonya's nemesis Kano (Trevor Goddard) all seek to win the tournament and help Outworld start its invasion.

It has a sequel, ''Film/MortalKombatAnnihilation''.

----
!! ''Mortal Kombat'' kontains examples of the following tropes:

* AdaptationalEarlyAppearance: [[invoked]] This movie adapted the events of [[VideoGame/MortalKombat1 the first game]] features two characters[[note]] Shao Kahn doesn't appear until after Shang Tsung is killed at the end (thus being the end of ''[=MK1=]'''s story) as a SequelHook, and thus doesn't count.[[/note]] that didn't debut until ''VideoGame/MortalKombatII''. While Jax only makes a cameo appearance, which in turn serves as an EarlyBirdCameo in relation to ''Film/MortalKombatAnnihilation'', Kitana plays a prominent role as [[BigBad Shang Tsung's]] personal assassin who does a HeelFaceTurn to aid the heroes in defeating the EvilSorcerer. Though it is interesting to note that when ''[=MK1=]'' was being developed, her prototype character, named "Kitsune", was going to be in the game as the daughter of Shang Tsung, but was scrapped from the final version. Thus, her appearance in the movie doubles as both an adaptational early appearance and a DevelopmentGag.
* AdaptationalHeroism: In the first game, Raiden was a neutral character, who in his ending, wound up destroying the world once he got bored of mortal competition and took on gods instead. The film keeps his gods-above-mortals attitude, with a snarky yet jovial tint, but here is unequivocally heroic as a mentor for Earthrealm's warriors as well as the realm's protector.
* AdaptationalPersonalityChange: In the first game, Liu Kang fought in the tournament for no other reason than to save the world and was the most unambiguously heroic of the protagonists. In the film, he suffers from a case of ItSucksToBeTheChosenOne, quitting the Shaolin Temple before the events of the film. His only motivation to enter the tournament is to avenge his brother's death and he doesn't seem as concerned with saving the world, at first. He also feels guilty for not saving Chan but overcomes this through CharacterDevelopment.
* AllAsiansWearConicalStrawHats: Raiden wears one at the beginning of the film, even though he's played by a white actor. However, despite his physical appearance, his name and role in the film implies that he's the Japanese and/or Chinese god of thunder. Despite the straw hat being a trademark of the character, Raiden only wears it for his initial scene at the Temple of Light, ditching it for the remainder of the film.
* AllThereInTheManual: In the novelization of the film, Art Lean is given a bit more backstory, more background appearances, and was potentially the strongest Earthrealm fighter going into the island. However, strength wasn't the only thing that mattered, though.
* AmazingTechnicolorPopulation: When Shang Tsung drains someone's soul, the body turns blue when he's done.
* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: Johnny Cage lost his best friend in the tournament to Goro in a match, watched Shang Tsung consume said friend's soul when Goro presented his corpse as tribute, and the shokan smashed his sunglasses at the start of their fight. It's the last one he brings up right before he kills Goro:
-->'''Johnny Cage:''' Those were $500 sunglasses, asshole!
* AsYouKnow:
** Used believably in the form of a taunt:
--->'''Shang Tsung:''' ...until we reach the island, where you have no dominion.\\
'''Raiden:''' My dominions are well known to me, sorcerer! Thank you.
** Done much more clumsily later on as Shang Tsung explains to Goro, who should know the hierarchy of Outworld as well as the backs of his four hands:
--->'''Shang Tsung:''' Princess Kitana is ten thousand years old, and the rightful heir to the throne of Outworld.
** "Grandfather, get up! This isn't your god of thunder and lightning!"
* AssKickingPose: The heroes assume this in the last shot of the film when [[spoiler:Shao Kahn shows up.]]
* AudienceSurrogate: Johnny asks the obvious questions about the weird world he's suddenly inhabiting:
-->If this guy is so powerful, why doesn't he just invade us?
-->''[after overhearing Shang Tsung warning Goro about Liu Kang]'' What's so special about you?
* AwesomeButImpractical: Scorpion's Spear doesn't snare anything successfully and Sub-Zero's frozen barrier takes so long to charge up that it gives Liu Kang all the time he needs to defeat him.
* BadassLongcoat: Shang Tsung wears one for most of the movie, [[TheCoatsAreOff taking it off]] only for his fight with Liu Kang.
* BadassNormal: The Earthrealm warriors for as long as the tournament has existed; as Raiden explains, the tournament is designed to give humans a chance to fight for their world against realms with greater powers, which keeps them in check so the strongest ones simply cannot invade the less powerful ones at will:
-->'''Sonya:''' A handful of people on a leaky boat are gonna save the world?\\
'''Raiden:''' Exactly! The essence of Mortal Kombat is not about death, but life. Mortal men and women defending your own world.
* BBCQuarry: Outworld is oddly gravelly, and the background is CG'd out "darkness". The set was built out of an abandoned steel mill, so they only needed to add things for flavor like the statues. This had the side-effect of making the set ''absolutely huge'', and at least one pilot flying over the area when it was properly lit and smoked up called the nearest tower to make sure he hadn't hit some sort of Bermuda Triangle.
* BetweenMyLegs: Art Lean meeting Goro before their match.
* BigDamnHeroes: When Sonya refuses to face Shang Tsung in the final battle, he goes to inform the powers that be that Earthrealm will forfeit due to her noncompliance. She claims out loud that her friends will come for her. It's then revealed they're already there, leaving Shang with no escape.
* BigNever: Shang Tsung in his fight with Liu Kang.
* BigNo: Both Sonya and Johnny let one out after [[spoiler:Goro defeats Art Lean.]] Sonya's is a little odd as it's far more passionate than Johnny's even though she hadn't even shared a scene with [[spoiler:Art]] before that match.
* BigYes: Raiden when Cage gets his GroinAttack nut-shot on Goro, giving him the early advantage. He also socks the shoulder of a mook and immediately apologizes.
* BlackDudeDiesFirst: Mild subversion, as the first character shown to die in the film is actually [[spoiler: Liu Kang's brother]]. However, the black fighter Liu Kang fights and defeats is the first combatant to die in the tournament itself after Shang Tsung takes his soul. Additionally, Art is the only ''named'' Earthrealm fighter to die in the tournament, though other unnamed fighters lost to Goro.
* BloodlessCarnage: The games are rated M, the game world's equivalent of R; the film is rated PG-13. This was a pretty unavoidable consequence of that fact. As such, there is exactly one drop of blood in the entire film: It appears on Shang Tsung's bottom lip during the beginning of the final fight [[spoiler: with Liu Kang]], just before his verbatim "YouFool" (Scorpion ''possibly'' averts it, but the substance coming out of him seems to be more lava than blood).
* CanonForeigner: For named characters, Chan Kang and Art Lean.[[note]]Liu Kang does have a brother in the games, but his name is Chow Kang.[[/note]] For others, there's the unnamed black fighter who is Liu Kang's first opponent and has his soul stolen, and all of Shang's spirit fighters he summons forth in the final fight.
* CatchPhrase:
-->'''Raiden:''' ''I don't think so.''
-->'''Shang Tsung:''' ''{{Your soul is mine}}.''
* CharacterDevelopment: Blatantly outlined, but it works well enough as each character had room to grow.
* ChekhovsGun: During the middle of the movie, Raiden informs the heroes that at any point, Shang Tsung has the right to enter the tournament himself as a former Kombat champion.
* TheChosenOne: Liu Kang.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Raiden, who has a penchant for theatrics and laughing at completely inappropriate times, as seen in the page quote.
* CompositeCharacter: In this movie, Liu Kang is a descendant of the Great Kung Lao. Additionally, he also takes Kung Lao's storyline of entering the tournament to avenge the death of a loved one.
* CreatorCameo: Scorpion is actually voiced by Ed Boon, co-creator of the ''Mortal Kombat'' series.
* CurbStompBattle:
** Shang Tsung vs. Chan.
** Liu Kang, Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade vs. Shang Tsung's mooks.
** Every fight Goro participates in prior to fighting [[spoiler: Johnny, who delivers one to Goro himself.]] Especially tragic when Liu, Sonya and Johnny watch this happen to [[spoiler: Art Lean, their new friend.]]
* CuttingTheKnot: After getting his ass kicked by Scorpion, Johnny manages to get a small window of offense then vaults to a higher platform to create separation. Scorpion just kicks off one of the platform's legs and sends Johnny hurtling all the way to the ground back to him:
-->''GET DOWN HERE!''
* DeadpanSnarker:
** Johnny:
--->''"I'm in a hostile environment. I'm totally unprepared. And I'm surrounded by a bunch of guys who probably want to kick my ass... it's like being back in high school!"''
** Raiden:
--->''"The fate of billions will depend upon you. Heh heh heh heh! ...sorry."''
** Raiden again, walking away after telling Johnny and Sonya which of their fears will trip them up:
--->'''Liu:''' ''Wait! What about me?''\\
'''Raiden:''' ''Oh, you.''
** Goro, of all... uh... creatures, gets in on the act as well:
--->'''Kano:''' l'm kind of an underworld boss. Well... l mean, back home.\\
'''Goro:''' How lucky for them... "back home".
* DeathGlare: Sub-Zero gives a particularly [[{{Pun}} chilling]] one towards Liu Kang, with his mask suddenly covered in frost, after being knocked to the ground by him.
* DeclarationOfProtection: Johnny lets Sonya know that he's challenging Goro so that Goro won't have the chance to kill her. Although she's not happy about this, it eventually leads to her warming up to him.
* DefiantToTheEnd: Even with Earthrealm in the balance ready to be lost, Sonya refuses to accept Shang Tsung's challenge and give him the satisfaction of her acquiescing. Also, Shang Tsung, who claims that he still owns the souls he possesses even as they're leaving him.
* DemotedToExtra: Sub-Zero and Scorpion are two of the most involved characters in the games' mythology from its inception, and yet, they are reduced to being Shang Tsung's muscle with no individual character or backstory of their own.[[note]]Scorpion gets about nine words total, all one-liners, and Sub-Zero doesn't even speak.[[/note]] The movie all but lampshades this when Shang Tsung introduces them with what amounts to a HandWave, saying that they are the "deadliest of enemies, but slaves under my power" and leaves it at that.
* DirtyCoward: Shang Tsung uses every trick in the book to keep Liu Kang from being in a position to win Mortal Kombat, from stacking the tournament against him to fleeing into another realm to nearly violating the kombat rules to force Sonya to face Shang Tsung instead. Even when this is thwarted, he then challenges Johnny before Liu puts an end to the nonsense.
* DisneyVillainDeath:
** [[spoiler: Goro]], at the hands of [[spoiler:Johnny.]]
** [[spoiler: Shang Tsung]] dies this way, but the film clearly shows [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice the impact and aftermath]].
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: [[Film/EnterTheDragon A martial artist and two quasi-allies travel to a mysterious island to compete in a fighting tournament...]]
** Look at the tip of Scorpion's chain. [[FreudWasRight particularly how it looks emerging from his hand]]..
* TheDragon:
** Goro and Reptile to Shang Tsung.
** Shang Tsung to [[spoiler:Shao Kahn.]]
* DontYouDarePityMe:
-->'''Liu:''' All those souls and you still don't have one of your own. I pity you, sorcerer!\\
'''Shang Tsung:''' Save your pity for the weak!
* DramaticThunder: All the time. For example, when Raiden explains to Liu Kang that Shang Tsung stole the souls of thousands of opponents. Of course, Raiden ''is'' a thunder god with a penchant for theatrics, so he's [[JustifiedTrope probably doing it on purpose.]]
* DressingAsTheEnemy: [[spoiler: Liu, Johnny, and Kitana disguise themselves as Shang Tsung's monks in order to get close enough for a confrontation and save Sonya.]]
* DullSurprise: Kitana.
* EasterEgg: At the ''very'' end of the end credits, you'll hear [[spoiler:Shao Kahn's]] voice from ''VideoGame/MortalKombatII'':
-->"Excellent! Muhahahaha!! [beat] Flawless victory."
* EurekaMoment: When Shang Tsung morphs into Chan and tries to use Liu's guilt against him, hearing Chan blame Liu for his death is what finally gives Liu the right state of mind of who is really to blame:
-->''No... it wasn't my fault! Chan chose his own path... [[CallBack every man is responsible for his own destiny]]. SHANG TSUNG KILLED MY BROTHER!''
* EvilTowerOfOminousness: Shang Tsung's Black Tower in Outworld.
* FaceYourFears: Raiden talks to Sonya, Johnny and Liu Kang about confronting their own fears: fear to admit the need of help, fear of being a fake, and fear to face one's destiny, respectively.
* FauxActionGirl: Sonya had one tournament fight against Kano (which was proven to be fairly tough) and everyone was involved with the group fight against the mooks earlier. But as soon as Shang Tsung gets her in a hammerlock, she stops even trying to fight back. Compared to the ''very long'' fight scenes of Johnny (who kills Scorpion and Goro) and Liu Kang (who has five fights throughout the movie, including the one against Shang Tsung himself), Sonya didn't get much of a chance to really prove herself. Justified as Sonya was the only one of the main trio whose actress [[RealLifeWritesThePlot didn't know how to fight]] and was a last-minute replacement, which would have been blatantly obvious if they had given her more fight scenes.
* FauxAffablyEvil: Shang Tsung is this, hosting the tournament as if it is a respectable event, talking in polite tones to Raiden and the heroes, but there's no mistaking that all of it is a facade for someone who is evil to the core.
* FlexibleTourneyRules: Justified since the tournament is in Shang Tsung's corrupted power, so he can do almost anything he pleases. Some competitors (Liu) fight more than others, locales can vary (Cage being transported to Scorpion's underworld), etc.
* TheGhost: Up until the final scene, [[spoiler:Shao Kahn]] is never seen in the movie. Even his name goes unmentioned, with characters referring only to him as "The Emperor".
* GoGoEnslavement: Sonya goes through this after Shang Tsung captures her and takes her to the Outworld.
-->'''Johnny:''' Nice dress.
* GreaterScopeVillain: [[spoiler:Shao Kahn.]]
* GroinAttack: Johnny does the leg splits against ''Goro'', in order to buy him time to lead him to the cliff and kill him. Amusingly, even Goro's nads are tough enough that Johnny hurts his hand doing it! This is especially satisfying since Goro was immune to that particular attack in the game.
* HarmlessFreezing: Completely averted, in stark contrast with the source material. Sub-Zero's ice powers are treated as a devastatingly lethal OneHitKO. When he resorts to them in his fight with Liu Kang, the latter has to [[HoistByHisOwnPetard quickly find a way to turn the tables]].
* HeldGaze: Liu Kang and Kitana hold several, including the first time they see each other, which does not go unnoticed:
-->'''Johnny:''' You know, when a woman looks at you like that, it usually means something.
* HereWeGoAgain: The end of the film.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard:
** [[spoiler: Sub-Zero is impaled when Liu Kang throws water into his ice barrier, turning it into a giant icicle.]]
** [[spoiler:Shang Tsung is sent onto the spikes he himself raised at the end of the battle with Liu Kang]].
* HowDidWeGetBackHome: Twice: when Johnny somehow escapes Scorpion's dimension, and at the end when the heroes somehow escape Outworld.
* HowDoYouSay: Shang Tsung pulls this when telling Raiden that Johnny's challenge of Goro and deal with Shang Tsung is binding:
-->''Too late, Lord Raiden. The rules are quite clear. It's...how do you say...'a deal's a deal'.''
* HumanAliens: Most of the non-protagonists, namely, Shang Tsung, Kitana, Liu Kang's first opponent, the generic mooks and possibly also Scorpion and Reptile. This is made clear to audiences less familiar with the games in Liu Kang's first fight with the nameless mook. He looks perfectly normal, but startles Liu by growling like a tiger.
* IHaveTheHighGround: Johnny tries this on Scorpion, but Scorpion simply [[CuttingTheKnot cuts the knot, or rather, the entire platform]].
* IHaveYouNowMyPretty: Every time Shang Tsung mentions Sonya, it's with glowing praise for her beauty, or mentioning he has "great plans" for her, making it clear that he lured her to the island for reasons ''other'' than her fighting prowess.
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice:
** [[spoiler:Sub-Zero]], courtesy of being HoistByHisOwnPetard.
** How [[spoiler:Shang Tsung]] meets his end in the final kombat.
* IronicEcho:
** Liu Kang calling Raiden a "simple beggar."
** Liu Kang saying "Flawless Victory" against [[spoiler:Shang Tsung]].
** When Sonya tries to radio for backup:
--->'''Johnny:''' ''While you're at it, why don't you call my agent?''\\
'''Sonya:''' ''Do I look like your secretary?''\\
(a few minutes later)\\
'''Sonya:''' ''Where ''are'' we?''\\
'''Johnny:''' ''Do I look like your travel agent?''
** During Johnny's intro fight, to a "mook" who turns out to be an extra in the scene he's filming. Later repeated to Goro [[spoiler: as he's hanging off a cliff]]:
--->''"[[ThisIsThePartWhere This is where you fall down]]."''
* ItSucksToBeTheChosenOne: Why Liu left home; he couldn't bear the responsibility of saving Earthrealm to the point that he grew cynical about the whole prophecy. His brother being killed gives him enormous guilt about abandoning home and he initially only enters the tournament to get revenge on Shang Tsung, which Raiden warns will only bring an end to him and the world.
* JoinTheArmyTheySaid: How Johnny got into the tournament thanks to his old instructor, [[spoiler:who's actually Shang Tsung in disguise]]:
-->"Come to a little tournament, he said. Good for the career, he said. Yeah, right..."
* KickTheDog: Shang Tsung's [[FinishingStomp finishing stomp]] on poor Chan (while he was [[KickThemWhileTheyAreDown down]], no less) is a pretty early indicator of [[BigBad his ruthlessness]], even before he starts taking souls. And then there's what he does to [[spoiler:Art Lean]] after Goro kills him.
* KickThemWhileTheyAreDown: The villains love this: Shang Tsung does it to Chan, Kano does it to Sonya, and Scorpion does it to Johnny.
* LargeAndInCharge: Goro is this throughout the movie [[spoiler:until Johnny defeats him]]. The animatronic suit that was created specifically for him emphasize this even more.
* LargeHam: Every talking bad guy, and Raiden when he's not snarking. There's even some [[AccidentalInnuendo three-way]] HamToHamCombat with Kano, Goro, and Shang Tsung in the banquet hall.
* {{Leitmotif}}: Kitana has one of wooden flutes during her initial scenes before making contact with the heroes.
* LiteralCliffHanger: Goro is left clinging to a platform at the end of his fight with Johnny. Eventually, he does lose his grip and falls to his death. The novelization portrays the scene differently: in the film, Johnny snarks, "This is where you fall down," just before Goro loses his grip, but in the novelization, Johnny offers his hand to help Goro back onto more solid ground. Goro, however, refuses and falls to his death willingly rather than acquiesce in ''any'' fashion to his opponent.
* LivingStatue: Reptile spends most as a lizard creature but after he lands on one of the Outworld statues, the statue absorbs him and it transforms into Reptile's more traditional green ninja look.
* LoopholeAbuse: Shang Tsung uses Johnny's offer to subvert the tournament structure in combination with his championship right to enter the tournament to essentially force Sonya to fight him for the right to Earthrealm in an attempt to lock out Liu Kang. It doesn't work. Then, he tries summoning some of the souls inside him to team-up on Liu Kang. It technically works, but Liu Kang wins anyway.
* LotsOfLuggage:
** Johnny brings several large suitcases to the dock for the trip to the tournament. After [[MistakenForServant asking Liu Kang]] to carry them onboard, Liu dumps one suitcase into the bay:
--->'''Johnny Cage:''' (after watching his luggage sink) Huh. Thank god I didn't ask him to park the car.
** Upon landing at the island, Johnny, weighed down by all his luggage, faceplants right into the water when he tries to disembark, and then, as the tournament participants are climbing a humongous staircase, he falls and drops a couple of bags, prompting Liu to ask "Do you need help with those?"
* MauveShirt: The group makes friends with another human fighter named Art Lean in the tournament, only to watch Goro take him apart, prompting Johnny to take Goro on in the very next fight to avenge him and keep him from killing anyone else.
* MookChivalry: Inverted, though not on purpose. When Reptile attacks Liu Kang, Johnny, who was standing not thirty feet away, conveniently remains offscreen instead of helping. This is because Johnny's actor wasn't present when they filmed the scene, but it stands out as a bizarre choice nonetheless.
* {{Mordor}}: The film's depiction of Outworld.
* MrFanservice: Liu Kang and Johnny Cage. Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa's buff Shang Tsung references the second game's younger version of the character, although he's much older than ''MKII'''s 19-year-old character.
* MsFanservice: The battle outfits of Kitana and Sonya with more emphasis on the latter, where Brigette Wilson spent the movie's second act in a black tank top and skimpy shorts, and later a slave dress.
* MultiarmedAndDangerous: Goro. Used to devastating effect against one opponent, with Goro grabbing the man's arms with his lower set of hands and then pummeling him with the upper set.
* MurderousThighs: Sonya, in the most literal way possible. She gets Kano in a headscissor and then snaps his neck by twisting her legs.
* MyFavoriteShirt:
-->'''Johnny:''' ''Those were $500 sunglasses, asshole.''
* MyGreatestFailure: Liu feels enormous guilt over abandoning home, leaving him unable to protect his brother from Shang Tsung. Raiden lets him know that Liu cannot possess the strength to win if he cannot absolve himself and let it go, and that Chan made his own way as should he.
* MyNameIsInigoMontoya: "I am Liu Kang, descendant of Kung Lao!"
* MythologyGag:
** In the aftermath to the Johnny vs. Scorpion battle, there's a headshot photo signed "To my greatest fan" landing in the debris, a nod to Johnny's Friendship in ''[=MK2=]''.
** Reptile is "hidden" in the dark background of Outworld, where in the first game he's also a hidden boss character.
** [[SpikesOfDoom The spiked floor]] in the film's final battle is a reference to the the spike-filled Pit where the losing fighter falls and gets impaled onto.
** Just before the final battle, Shang Tsung summons several mooks to fight Liu Kang, mirroring the grueling Endurance battles in the first game before fighting the final bosses.
** Sonya being captured and chained on a pillar is the character's exact predicament in Shao Kahn's arena from the second game.
** Sub-Zero and Scorpion's rivalry was briefly mentioned by Shang Tsung upon their introduction, saying they are "deadliest of enemies".
* NobleDemon: Goro. Emphasized in the novelization, particularly the scenes where he [[SympathyForTheHero feels bad about killing Art]] and [[FaceDeathWithDignity accepts his fate at Johnny's hands]], but still present in the movie with his disgust at Kano's loutish personality.
* OhCrap:
** The way Art Lean immediately stops his pre-match warmup when Goro walks up, and again [[spoiler: right when Goro's about to kill him.]]
** Sub-Zero's facial expression when he sees [[spoiler:a huge icicle coming towards him during his fight with Liu Kang]].
** Liu Kang when Shang Tsung morphs back into himself and attacks ("You're mine!")
* OneHitPointWonder: Most of Shang Tsung's minions in the final battle go down from a simple kick or two.
* OnlyICanKillHim: When Sonya is abducted, Raiden tells the other two heroes that only Liu is capable of defeating Shang Tsung.
* OrchestraHitTechnoBattle: The infamous titular theme song from The Immortals. Also, "Control" from Traci Lords during the fight scene with Reptile.
* PluckyComicRelief: Johnny, and he's also a very skilled fighter.
* PragmaticAdaptation:
** Raiden becoming a mentor to the others instead of a fellow combatant was seen as an acceptable change by the fans. To some degree, it has even become RetCanon. ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'', for example, takes place back in the time of the first three games. Raiden doesn't participate as a combatant until the final boss fight, instead advising others. A similar theme shows up in ''Defenders of the Realm'', in which Raiden typically stays in his [[MissionControl Batcave]].
** Changing Scorpion's Bloody Spear into a snake-like creature hidden in his palm meant that they could have the move resemble the video game more closely than the classic kunai & rope combo.
** Shang Tsung in the original game is a decrepit old man. In ''II'', he's been physically rejuvenated to be about 19. The film went for a middle ground and cast the mid-40s Cary Hiroyuki-Tagawa.
** Johnny Cage is HeroicNeutral in the original game, TheLancer to Liu Kang in the sequel, and never really shows any arrogance or comic timing. The film made him a JerkWithAHeartOfGold with [[SmallNameBigEgo a massive ego]], changed his friendship with Liu Kang to FireForgedFriends, and gave him BelligerentSexualTension with Sonya. The new personality was so well-received that this was also adapted into the games.
** Sub-Zero and Scorpion are DemotedToExtra, becoming Shang Tsung's henchmen in order to streamline the plot and focus more closely on the PowerTrio.
* PreAssKickingOneLiner: Johnny gets a couple:
-->''"Alright, [[LetsDance let's dance]]."''
-->''"Those were $500 sunglasses, asshole!"''
* PreMortemOneLiner:
** The finish to the fight between Sonya and Kano:
--->'''Kano:''' (while Sonya is holding his head in a leg-lock) ''No, Sonya, don't! C'mon, gimme a break!''\\
'''Sonya:''' ''Okay.'' (breaks Kano's neck with her legs)
** And later (edging into BondOneLiner territory, as Goro is already barely hanging onto the edge of a cliff):
--->'''Johnny:''' ''This is where you fall down.''
* ProsceniumReveal: Johnny is introduced beating up a bunch of guys in a warehouse, but it turns out that he is only filming a scene for a movie.
* ProudWarriorRaceGuy: Goro. Emphasized in the novelization to make him a bit more sympathetic, downplayed but still present in the movie.
* PunctuatedForEmphasis: "I can see into your soul. You. Will. Die."
* RaceLift: Raiden is curiously white for an Asian deity. Likewise, as mentioned below, Kano went from Japanese to Australian background.
* RetCanon: The reception of the movie caused these elements to be carried over to the games themselves:
** Trevor Goddard's interpretation of Kano was so well received that Kano was made into an Australian in the games following this movie.[[note]]Ironically, Goddard himself wasn't actually Australian, but British.[[/note]] He has also in at least one game had a move called "Ear to Ear", named after a line in the movie.
** The rivalry between Johnny and Goro.
** The love interest angle of Kitana and Liu Kang, as well as Johnny Cage and Sonya. By the new timeline established by ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'' and ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX'', [[spoiler:Johnny and Sonya have a daughter while Liu Kang and Kitana (while brainwashed) rule the Netherrealm together.]]
** Details like a realm having to win 10 tournaments in a row.
** Raiden being established as a {{mentor archetype}} to the heroes rather than being a fellow combatant with his own agenda. Even minor changes like Raiden's white hair were made canon (it was originally brown, but never seen).
* {{Revenge}}: What fuels all three protagonists much to Raiden's chagrin: Sonya avenging her partner on Kano, Liu avenging Chan on Shang Tsung, and eventually Johnny [[spoiler: avenging Art Lean on Goro]]. Raiden's main task in the movie is to get them to fight for the right reasons instead of their selfish ones:
-->'''Raiden:''' ''That's why you left the temple and ran away, isn't it? The Great Tournament was too much responsibility. But vengeance... [[SarcasmMode that's so much simpler.]]''
* RoarBeforeBeating: An odd example. When Liu Kang, Johnny, and Sonya are wandering around the island toward the start, they see Goro's silhouette as he's walking down the hall. Goro lifts his arms and roars, but he doesn't seem to have actually seen the trio. Apparently Goro just stops to roar at the world in general every once in a while. He does play it straight once Shang Tsung releases him into the tournament.
* SarcasticClapping: Raiden after Liu Kang, Johnny and Sonya beat up Shang Tsung's mooks:
-->'''Raiden:''' Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. So tell me...what do you plan to do about...''them''? (cut to more mooks ready to charge)
* SceneryPorn: The set designs are gorgeous, especially the Cage vs. Scorpion fight.
* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: Johnny basically puts an end to the tournament himself by offering a deal with Tsung to face Goro, to which Tsung offers a subsequent stipulation that he could face anyone he chooses for the final fight. Raiden acts appalled at this at first, but once Johnny walks away, he shows a pleased nature at Cage's fortitude:
-->'''Raiden:''' What did you do?\\
'''Johnny:''' I made a choice. It's our tournament, remember? ''Mortal'' Kombat; ''we'' fight it. *leaves*\\
'''Raiden:''' *chuckles* Good. At last, one of them has understood.
* SequelHook: Merges right into a [[CliffHanger cliffhanger]].
* ShapeshifterGuiltTrip: Shang tries this by morphing into Chan. Although Liu knows this isn't really Chan (Shang morphed right in front of him), he's hesitant to attack until he hears Shang!Chan saying he forgives Liu for letting him die. Although Liu blamed himself for Chan's death, he knew that Chan [[OutOfCharacterAlert wouldn't]], as confirmed by Raiden earlier. This makes Liu call out Shang Tsung, who morphs back.
* SheWillComeForMe: Sonya's story arc completes when she is imprisoned by Shang Tsung. She refuses to indulge in Shang Tsung's gambit for her to face him for Earthrealm, claiming that her friends will come for her, a 180 from the self-reliant character she was at the start. Her faith is rewarded:
-->'''Sonya:''' My friends will come!\\
'''Johnny:''' *removes monk's hood* They're already here.
* SmugSnake: Shang Tsung. This ranges from him taunting Liu Kang just before he kills Chan to taking [[spoiler:Art's soul]].
* SparedByTheAdaptation: In the novelization, Sonya doesn't go through with killing Kano and arrests him instead.
* StandardFemaleGrabArea: Sonya is completely subdued by a hammerlock from Shang Tsung. At least he bothered with the hammerlock instead of just dragging her by the arm, though.
* SympathyForTheHero: In the novelization, Goro, who is portrayed more as an honorable ProudWarriorRaceGuy, shows this to [[spoiler:Art Lean]] just before he obeys Shang Tsung's command to kill him.
* TerrorHero: Shang Tsung makes no secret to his own allies that Liu Kang is their most serious threat, and ducks Liu at every opportunity until he is forced to face him.
* ThisIsThePartWhere: Done twice by Johnny, once to a stuntman who botches a take while filming a fight scene, and an IronicEcho as noted above, to Goro while he's hanging onto the ledge of a pit.
* TitleScream: "MORTAL KOOOOOMBAT!" The juxtaposition of classical music, the scream and techno make this one of the best examples of MoodWhiplash on film.
* TranquilFury: Johnny when he decides to fight Goro.
* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: Johnny sees a ninja summon ice and literally shatter a mook to pieces, and his response is to crack wise to Art. In his defense, he'd already seen it earlier in the day, though not the full extent of it.
* VitriolicBestBuds: Johnny, Liu and Sonya [[FireForgedFriends slowly become friends]], but none of them are above mocking each other.
* TheVoiceless: Sub-Zero never speaks, while Scorpion only says his catchphrases, "Get over here!" and "Come here!"
* WholePlotReference: OK, so a Shaolin monk journeys to a hidden island to compete in a tournament held by the island's owner, with the tournament a front for the owner's sinister goal. Once there, he becomes friends with a few other fighters, all there for their own reasons, and faces off against the owner's henchmen while trying to get to the bottom of his nefarious scheme. While adding some supernatural elements, the film takes about 90% of its plot points and cues from ''Film/EnterTheDragon''.
* WouldHitAGirl: Kano lands some pretty heavy-duty shots on Sonya, including a full on kick to the ribs while she's down.
* WouldntHitAGirl: Liu Kang's fight with Kitana consists entirely of exchanging armlocks before Shang Tsung calls it off. Kitana was more or less controlling that fight completely. One does not tend to pop someone in the mouth when they're actually trying to help you, after all. Shang Tsung didn't allow her to be killed because she was the princess, so there's that too.
* WrestlerInAllOfUs: With Sonya, that's a given. Liu Kang, on the other hand, pulls off a Frankensteiner on Reptile.
* YourHeadAsplode: [[spoiler: Happens to Scorpion as part of his death. Then the rest of his body goes with him.]]
* YourSoulIsMine: This incarnation of Shang Tsung is the TropeNamer.

----

* AllThereInTheManual: In the novelization of the film, Art is given a bit more backstory, more background appearances, and was potentially the strongest Earthrealm fighter going into the island. However, Strength wasn't the only thing that mattered, though.

* BlackDudeDiesFirst: Mild subversion, as the first character shown to die in the film is actually [[spoiler: Liu Kang's brother]]. However, the black fighter Liu Kang fights and defeats is the first combatant to die in the tournament itself after Shang Tsung takes his soul.

* CompositeCharacter: Liu Kang in the movie is a descendant of the Great Kung Lao similar to Kung Lao in the games. He also takes Lao's storyline of entering the tournament to avenge the death of a loved one.

* CompositeCharacter: Liu Kang in the movie is a descendant of the Great Kung Lao similar to Kung Lao in the games. He also takes Lao's storyline of entering the tournament to save loved ones.

* AdaptationalEarlyAppearance: This movie adapted the events of [[VideoGame/MortalKombat1 the first game]] features two characters[[note]] Shao Kahn doesn't appear until after Shang Tsung is killed at the end (thus being the end of ''[=MK1=]'''s story) as a SequelHook, and thus doesn't count.[[/note]] that didn't debut until ''VideoGame/MortalKombatII''. While Jax only makes a cameo appearance, which in turn serves as an EarlyBirdCameo in relation to ''Film/MortalKombatAnnihilation'', Kitana plays a prominent role as [[BigBad Shang Tsung's]] personal assassin who does a HeelFaceTurn to aid the heroes in defeating the EvilSorcerer. Though it is interesting to note that when ''[=MK1=]'' was being developed, her prototype character, named "Kitsune", was going to be in the game as the daughter of Shang Tsung, but was scrapped from the final version. Thus, her appearance in the movie doubles as both an adaptational early appearance and a DevelopmentGag.

* AdaptationalHeroism: Raiden in the original game was a neutral character, who in his character ending, wound up destroying the world once he got bored of mortal competition and took on gods instead. The film keeps his gods-above-mortals attitude (with a snarky yet jovial tint), but here is unequivocally heroic as a mentor for Earthrealm's warriors as well as the realm's protector.

* AllAsiansWearConicalStrawHats: Raiden wore one at the beginning of the film, even though he was played by a white actor. However, despite his physical appearance, his name and role in the film implies he is the Japanese and/or Chinese god of thunder. Despite the straw hat being a trademark of the character, Raiden only wears it for his initial scene at the Temple of Light, ditching it for the remainder of the film.

--->'''Shang Tsung:''' ''...until we reach the island, where you have no dominion.''\\
'''Raiden:''' ''My dominions are well known to me, sorcerer! Thank you.''

--->'''Shang Tsung:''' ''Princess Kitana is ten thousand years old, and the rightful heir to the throne of Outworld.''

-->''If this guy is so powerful, why doesn't he just invade us?''
-->(after overhearing Shang Tsung warning Goro about Liu Kang) ''What's so special about you?''

** Raiden in the original game was also a neutral character, who in his character ending, wound up destroying the world once he got bored of mortal competition and took on gods instead. The film keeps his gods-above-mortals attitude (with a snarky yet jovial tint), but here is unequivocally heroic as a mentor for Earthrealm's warriors as well as the realm's protector.

** Raiden in the original game was also a neutral character, who in his character ending, wound up destroying the world once he got bored of mortal competition and took on gods instead. The film keeps his gods-above-mortals attitude, but here is unequivocally heroic as a mentor for Earthrealm's warriors as well as the realm's protector.