An unappreciated score for sure, Paul WS Anderson’s Hollywood debut and the first film to break the videogame adaptation curse sees composer George S. Clinton crafting bold and memorable sounds for this mid 90s motion picture blending traditional orchestral music with electronic dance elements.

Described by Clinton himself as a techno-driven score (or “Techno-Taiko-Orcho“) with a few guitar riffs (by Buckethead) and drums (by Braim) thrown in for good measure to emphasize the movie’s pulse pounding fights, Clinton creates an audio landscape that captures brilliantly the supernatural atmosphere of Outworld (“Staircase“, “The Garden“, “Evening Bells“, “Monks“). Asian musical instrumentation through Taiko drums, shakuhachi flutes, bells, chimes, didgeridoos (technically Indigenous Australian) and Tuvan throat monks (yes, really) is present almost in every track. The slick production further accentuates this sentiment making excellent use of unique ambient acoustics (“It has begun“, “Hand and Shadow”) avoiding repetition of other motifs and musical themes (excluding the use of throat monks for Shang Tsung). Considering the source material and the target audience, some might think his compositions are more mature than they have any right to be.

Clinton opts out from using a conventional philharmonic approach electing to implement a testosterone one with lots of brass, violas and cellos to dress the perilous plot but leaving room though for quieter moments (“On the Beach”, “Farewell“) which bare a sense of poignancy even though his occasional synths might bother those who prefer a more academically oriented production. Some choices are peculiar. “Goro Vs. Art” includes lots of solid work from Buckethead but feels remarkably one sided in its execution despite an energetic resurgence at the end while “Zoom” and its screeching string crescendo yet offers nothing more than a stylistic and over-simplified 30 second track.

The lack of common themes could also alienate purists who could dismiss it as a 90s experimental and noisy score. In addition, for all the world-ending stakes and loyal servants of Satan, there is a surprising lack of choral elements too stripping the soundtrack from a sense of urgency. The closest thing you might get in terms of actual orchestration is the 6-minute “Flawless Victory”, easily the standout of all the action cues (“Liu Vs. Kitana“, “Johnny Vs. Scorpion“) and the album as a whole. Relying heavily on extensive percussion populated sections, it does a great job showcasing Liu Kang’s uphill battle with Shang Tsung ending at a thunderous 30-second and now famous, Taiko and cymbal heavy climax that reflects the on-screen brutality perfectly.

Overall, Clinton’s 40 minute something score captures the essence of Anderson’s flick despite missing large (atmospheric) cues from the film that remain to this day unreleased. It might lack thematic cohesion but is rich nonetheless in novel sounds that complement exquisitely on the on-screen skirmishes and endure the test of time within their innovative application.