(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the kind of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“A group of martial-arts warriors must save the Earth from an extra-dimensional invasion.”
As I strongly alluded to in my review of 1995’s Mortal Kombat (found here), Hollywood loves a phenomenon, so much so that they’ll stop at nothing to rush a like-minded adaptation into production without so much as pausing a heartbeat to think about whether or not such a project is worth its weight in … well … in gold, I guess. In an era where money talks, it was only natural for a studio to leap aboard the burgeoning Kombat I.P. and strip mine it for all it was worth; and that’s largely all the consumer gets with Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. Google.com reports that – on the heels of the first picture amassing an incredible $122 global box office haul – New Line Cinema rushed to keep up the momentum. And why not? Who could blame them for seeing a good thing and making it happen?
Well …
Therein lies perhaps the biggest part of the problem: it’s suggested that New Line moved so quickly that they couldn’t even lock down a few of the biggest names of Mortal Kombat! Directed Paul W.S. Anderson – perhaps the guy who best needed to be there for the follow-up – was already working on other projects, so he couldn’t re-up in the cinematic universe. Stars Linden Ashby, Christopher Lambert, and Bridgette Wilson – three of the big four – were either tied up in stuff in production and (as some reportage alleges) found the script unsatisfactory. Think what you may but losing so many familiar faces both in front of and behind the camera rarely – RARELY – bodes well; and I think it’s safe to suggest that Annihilation was a game perhaps left in development limbo rather than rushed out to the multiplexes.
In any event, New Line forged ahead. They hired first-time director John R. Leonetti (he’d already had modest success in genre entertainment as a cinematographer) to marshal the project through the stages; and they replaced Lambert’s spiritual leader of the group Raiden with veteran character actor James Remar, a talented fellow but not exactly someone whose face was a recognizable as his predecessor. Swiss actress Sandra Hess stepped into the boots of high-kicking Sonya Blade. Thankfully, Robin Shou returned as Liu Kang – as did Talisa Soto as Kitana – and Wikipedia.org reports that principle photography on the Martial Arts / Thriller began in October 1996 and lasted through March 1997. The finished film hit the silver screen in November of that year.
As I explained also in my review of Kombat, I was never much of a gamer, so the films were, at best, viewed as passable entertainment at the time. (I had a few friends who were shoulders-deep in the mythology, and I had probably some superficial understanding that alleviated some of the confusion.) Things unspool in both Kombat and Annihilation at a pretty heavy pace; and the script here credited to Brent Friedman and Bryce Zabel doesn’t go to great lengths to explain much of these new additions, nor precisely how these glowing ball cages are used to travel between the various domains of the Outworld. Whereas the first film had a bit more nuance and made some effort, Annihilation feels very much like producers wanted to capitalize more on the fighting aspect: after all, who comes to a project like Mortal Kombat expecting all that much exposition?
Picking up damn near where Kombat left off, Annihilation opens with a gangbusters action sequence: Emperor Shao Kahn (reliable screen heavy Brian Thompson) and his minions have opted to ignore the overriding game rules, and these nasties have set their hopes on invading Earth (though there’s really no overarching reason given for why Kahn suddenly set his sights on our planet first). A surprising death to one of our fighters forces the good guys to retreat if for no other reason that they’ll be needing allies to wage this unanticipated war. Naturally, Kahn believes he can dispatch assassins to take down our heroes while chaos reigns (ever so slightly); and – as one might guess – this is the narrative backbone around which so much of Annihilation’s action unfolds.
Once more, screenwriters Friedman and Zabel pretty much go back to the existing game canon to flesh out a few more combatants, no that any of these would need much introduction to those schooled in the property. Jax (played by Lynn Red Williams) – Sonya’s longtime Special Forces partner – is in the midst of his own genetic and cybernetic upgrade, so he’s a natural choice to step into the conflict. Kitano’s mother Sindel finds herself promoted amongst the ranks of the truly evil; and yet the script teases in a few spots that villainy might not exactly run through her veins. Of course, there are a few more; but in a theatrical incarnation where everyone knows the big names are never going to die these new faces don’t quite last as long as they might because signature deaths really took up a lot of playtime in the Kombat game. Some last longer than others, but rest assured: our heroes will be there in the final reel to seal the deal as only they could.
As probably expected, New Line threw a bigger cache of money into the sequel. Google.com reports that Annihilation cost around $30M (as compared to Kombat’s $20M); but – sigh – one wouldn’t know it if they were watching screens closely. As with the first one, Annihilation’s effects are horrifically dated – I’m surprised they even made the cut back then – and it would seem that the only significant addition here was to the running time. Kombat barely cracked an hour, and rematch clocks in at roughly 95 minutes. Mind you: there was a lot of film expended on closing credits (in both films), but the sequel feels incredibly small and almost too unimportant to be worth whatever effort it took. Mostly, it’s the fight sequences that make or break a film of this sort; and – for whatever this might mean – a few of the fisticuffs just go on much longer than necessary.
Regardless, Annihilation is rather obviously the weaker film. Thompson hams it up a bit too much in spots – perhaps that’s to be expected here – and the returning faces just didn’t quite have the same luster they did in their introductory effort. Shou – a bona fide action star – did what he could to shoulder the pace, but – dare I say? – this replay wasn’t exactly heaven sent.
Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997) was produced by New Line Cinema and Threshold Entertainment. DVD distribution (for this particular release) has been handled by the fine folks at Arrow Films. As for the technical specifications? While I’m no trained video expert, I can still assure fans that those seeking the upgraded purchase are most likely going to be thrilled with how it all looks and sounds … yes, that goes for even those dated special effects bits. As for the special features. Once again, there are two commentary tracks – the one from podcast host Dave Baxter is better – along with a solid handful of newly-produced cast and crew interviews. While they’re good, they also kinda/sorta feel like the feature did … that being there just wasn’t quite as much gas to fuel the mayhem in the title bout here.
Mildly Recommended.
My bottom line when it comes to sequels – especially ones that feel as rushed into production as this one is – is to temper my expectations. While I’ll admit I’ve never been any big fan of the Kombat franchise, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation almost feels unnecessary. Picking up exactly where the first one ended didn’t have to be the case, but I suppose that’s how the suits thought it best to proceed (since there was a rather obvious hook). Still, I can’t help but wonder if this one feels so much like an afterthought because New Line wanted it on screens a bit before the match should’ve begun. The first installment had ideas I liked, but it’s very difficult to parse through all that happens here and find that ‘diamond in the rough’ making it worthwhile. Completists will want a copy. The rest of us? Not so much …
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Arrow Films provided me with a complimentary Blu-ray copy of Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (as part of the Mortal Kombat Kollection) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“A group of martial-arts warriors must save the Earth from an extra-dimensional invasion.”
As I strongly alluded to in my review of 1995’s Mortal Kombat (found here), Hollywood loves a phenomenon, so much so that they’ll stop at nothing to rush a like-minded adaptation into production without so much as pausing a heartbeat to think about whether or not such a project is worth its weight in … well … in gold, I guess. In an era where money talks, it was only natural for a studio to leap aboard the burgeoning Kombat I.P. and strip mine it for all it was worth; and that’s largely all the consumer gets with Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. Google.com reports that – on the heels of the first picture amassing an incredible $122 global box office haul – New Line Cinema rushed to keep up the momentum. And why not? Who could blame them for seeing a good thing and making it happen?
Well …
Therein lies perhaps the biggest part of the problem: it’s suggested that New Line moved so quickly that they couldn’t even lock down a few of the biggest names of Mortal Kombat! Directed Paul W.S. Anderson – perhaps the guy who best needed to be there for the follow-up – was already working on other projects, so he couldn’t re-up in the cinematic universe. Stars Linden Ashby, Christopher Lambert, and Bridgette Wilson – three of the big four – were either tied up in stuff in production and (as some reportage alleges) found the script unsatisfactory. Think what you may but losing so many familiar faces both in front of and behind the camera rarely – RARELY – bodes well; and I think it’s safe to suggest that Annihilation was a game perhaps left in development limbo rather than rushed out to the multiplexes.
In any event, New Line forged ahead. They hired first-time director John R. Leonetti (he’d already had modest success in genre entertainment as a cinematographer) to marshal the project through the stages; and they replaced Lambert’s spiritual leader of the group Raiden with veteran character actor James Remar, a talented fellow but not exactly someone whose face was a recognizable as his predecessor. Swiss actress Sandra Hess stepped into the boots of high-kicking Sonya Blade. Thankfully, Robin Shou returned as Liu Kang – as did Talisa Soto as Kitana – and Wikipedia.org reports that principle photography on the Martial Arts / Thriller began in October 1996 and lasted through March 1997. The finished film hit the silver screen in November of that year.
As I explained also in my review of Kombat, I was never much of a gamer, so the films were, at best, viewed as passable entertainment at the time. (I had a few friends who were shoulders-deep in the mythology, and I had probably some superficial understanding that alleviated some of the confusion.) Things unspool in both Kombat and Annihilation at a pretty heavy pace; and the script here credited to Brent Friedman and Bryce Zabel doesn’t go to great lengths to explain much of these new additions, nor precisely how these glowing ball cages are used to travel between the various domains of the Outworld. Whereas the first film had a bit more nuance and made some effort, Annihilation feels very much like producers wanted to capitalize more on the fighting aspect: after all, who comes to a project like Mortal Kombat expecting all that much exposition?
Picking up damn near where Kombat left off, Annihilation opens with a gangbusters action sequence: Emperor Shao Kahn (reliable screen heavy Brian Thompson) and his minions have opted to ignore the overriding game rules, and these nasties have set their hopes on invading Earth (though there’s really no overarching reason given for why Kahn suddenly set his sights on our planet first). A surprising death to one of our fighters forces the good guys to retreat if for no other reason that they’ll be needing allies to wage this unanticipated war. Naturally, Kahn believes he can dispatch assassins to take down our heroes while chaos reigns (ever so slightly); and – as one might guess – this is the narrative backbone around which so much of Annihilation’s action unfolds.
Once more, screenwriters Friedman and Zabel pretty much go back to the existing game canon to flesh out a few more combatants, no that any of these would need much introduction to those schooled in the property. Jax (played by Lynn Red Williams) – Sonya’s longtime Special Forces partner – is in the midst of his own genetic and cybernetic upgrade, so he’s a natural choice to step into the conflict. Kitano’s mother Sindel finds herself promoted amongst the ranks of the truly evil; and yet the script teases in a few spots that villainy might not exactly run through her veins. Of course, there are a few more; but in a theatrical incarnation where everyone knows the big names are never going to die these new faces don’t quite last as long as they might because signature deaths really took up a lot of playtime in the Kombat game. Some last longer than others, but rest assured: our heroes will be there in the final reel to seal the deal as only they could.
As probably expected, New Line threw a bigger cache of money into the sequel. Google.com reports that Annihilation cost around $30M (as compared to Kombat’s $20M); but – sigh – one wouldn’t know it if they were watching screens closely. As with the first one, Annihilation’s effects are horrifically dated – I’m surprised they even made the cut back then – and it would seem that the only significant addition here was to the running time. Kombat barely cracked an hour, and rematch clocks in at roughly 95 minutes. Mind you: there was a lot of film expended on closing credits (in both films), but the sequel feels incredibly small and almost too unimportant to be worth whatever effort it took. Mostly, it’s the fight sequences that make or break a film of this sort; and – for whatever this might mean – a few of the fisticuffs just go on much longer than necessary.
Regardless, Annihilation is rather obviously the weaker film. Thompson hams it up a bit too much in spots – perhaps that’s to be expected here – and the returning faces just didn’t quite have the same luster they did in their introductory effort. Shou – a bona fide action star – did what he could to shoulder the pace, but – dare I say? – this replay wasn’t exactly heaven sent.
Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997) was produced by New Line Cinema and Threshold Entertainment. DVD distribution (for this particular release) has been handled by the fine folks at Arrow Films. As for the technical specifications? While I’m no trained video expert, I can still assure fans that those seeking the upgraded purchase are most likely going to be thrilled with how it all looks and sounds … yes, that goes for even those dated special effects bits. As for the special features. Once again, there are two commentary tracks – the one from podcast host Dave Baxter is better – along with a solid handful of newly-produced cast and crew interviews. While they’re good, they also kinda/sorta feel like the feature did … that being there just wasn’t quite as much gas to fuel the mayhem in the title bout here.
Mildly Recommended.
My bottom line when it comes to sequels – especially ones that feel as rushed into production as this one is – is to temper my expectations. While I’ll admit I’ve never been any big fan of the Kombat franchise, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation almost feels unnecessary. Picking up exactly where the first one ended didn’t have to be the case, but I suppose that’s how the suits thought it best to proceed (since there was a rather obvious hook). Still, I can’t help but wonder if this one feels so much like an afterthought because New Line wanted it on screens a bit before the match should’ve begun. The first installment had ideas I liked, but it’s very difficult to parse through all that happens here and find that ‘diamond in the rough’ making it worthwhile. Completists will want a copy. The rest of us? Not so much …
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Arrow Films provided me with a complimentary Blu-ray copy of Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (as part of the Mortal Kombat Kollection) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
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