58 hidden details in Mortal Kombat (1995)
Paul WS Anderson’s Hollywood debut saw him adapting successfully “Mortal Kombat”, the infamous videogame arcade of the early 90’s. Considered by many now an under-rated and cult gem of martial arts, during the film’s 25th anniversary (August 2020), “Mortal Kombat“ (1995) has got a serious re-evaluation.
Rotten Tomatoes wrote a championing editorial to alter its rating (originally at 35%, now sitting at a rather more comfortable 47%) whereas its Metacritic score remains a solid 60, followed by an 8.3 user rating! Officially recognized as peak 90’s creation, its re-evaluation has included a wider acceptance of its groundbreaking soundtrack, tongue and cheek approach, respect to the source material and aggressive martial art sequences that remain novel so many years later. Bringing for the first time, wire-fu sequences in Hollywood, it proved unexpectedly to be a massive hit (for a genre film), spending three weeks at the top of the US box office and showcased tremendous (for the time) visuals with an exotic flair.
What is most surprising though is the effort that was put into this production as noted by the famous film critic Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune and it shows. There are so many nicely hidden details which could escape the common eye. Here are 58 hidden details from the movie adaptation of “Mortal Kombat”.
11. Shang Tsung dresses only in black (Darkness) whereas Raiden in white (Light) no matter the setting (beach, temple, club, forest) or time of the day (day, dusk, dawn, night).
13. The banners throughout Shang Tsung's island are written in Mandarin and they actually spell Mortal Kombat!
14. Throughout the film, you can see hooded figures - the silent monks. These are taken directly from the videogame. They are called silent because their lips are stitched together. However, since the film had a PG-13 film, this detail was considered to be gruesome so it was omitted (bottom left still).
21. Sets are lifted entirely from the videogame's fight arenas - Scorpion's lair, Shang Tsung's palace gardens, Goro's lair, Shang Tsung's throne room.
32. The same beach is the now famous Railay beach (packed with tourists).
45. Paul WS Anderson kept close up shots for Shang Tsung due to the expressive facial features of Cary Hiroyuki Tagawa.
46. Cary Hiroyuki Tagawa almost never blinks in the entire duration of the film to give his character an otherworldly feeling and a snake like charm.
47. Liu Kang wears less clothes as the film goes on - his outfit is a leather mid waist jacket, a long sleeve polo shirt, a singlet, a pair of pants and shoes. During the first fight with Shang Tsung's henchmen in Goro's lair, he has ditched the leather jacket. During his fight with the other tournament combatants, he wears only the singlet. By the time he fights Shang Tsung, he wears only pants and shoes.
49. Just before their fight, Liu Kang and Shang Tsung pay respects to each other, a common gesture in martial arts sparring matches. If you listen closely though, you can hear Shang Tsung's medication grunt engulfing the surround system when he is doing his salute.
58. The film incorporated 18 special moves, finishers, brutalities and friendships throughout its duration. Here is the full list:
Johnny Cage's shadow kick
Johnny Cage's friendship move (signed autograph)
Johnny Cage's crotch punch
Stage Fatality (spikes)
Liu Kang's fireball
Liu Kang's bicycle kick
Brutality (Liu Kang to Shang Tsung)
Raiden's teleportation
Reptile's acid spitting
Reptile's camouflage
Scorprion's spear
Scorpion's teleportation
Scorpion's first fatality (flaming skull)
Shang Tsung soul sucking fatality
Shang Tsung morphing into various defeated opponents
Shang Tsung teleportation
Sonya Blade's leg grappler
Subzero's ice ball fatality