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Parents' Guide to

Mortal Kombat: The Movie

By Brian Costello, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Cheesy and very violent adaptation of '90s video game.

Movie PG-13 1995 101 minutes
Mortal Kombat: The Movie Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 12+

Based on 7 parent reviews

Cool Stuff
Cool Stuff Adult
March 14, 2023
age 8+

Hi, Im a kid. (9yr speaking,).

i lied. im no adult. anyways, i love gore. (JUST TO LET YOU KNOW,) video games dont cause violence. when i see real gore i freak the heck out. im a mature kid. Anyways, (review!) thinking this was going to be a kick butt gory bloody guts movie, im suprised! great for a younger audience. (like to introduce them to the franchise). has so hand do hand kombat but nothing wrong. (you seen what i did there, right?) its just like a star wars for a little bit older audience. if your kid is not mature, 9-12 and up would be good. but if your kid is MATURE, they can watch. its not that bad. only hand to hand, and some demonic imagery, (ITS NOT EVEN DEMONIC! ITS JUST A SKELETON BREATHING FIRE), He also bleeds fire but no gore, just leaking fire. its really fine. LUV IT MUCH BETTER THAN THE 2021 REEBOOT blech spit blech gag uahue

This title has:

Too much violence
1 person found this helpful.
CodyHH
CodyHH Adult
April 25, 2021
age 15+

Great watch.

Stays true to the spirit of the game based of with excellent fight sciens great music and good special effects a satisfying watch for anyone liked action with fitting story line.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
See all 7 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In MORTAL KOMBAT: THE MOVIE, to prevent Outworld from winning their 10th Mortal Kombat competition and thus allowing them to invade and take over Earth, Raiden (Christopher Lambert) finds and sends a Shaolin monk eager to get revenge for the death of his brother, a vain Hollywood actor, and a tough-as-nails military officer (Bridgette Wilson) to Shang Tsung's island to fight to the death against evil fighters of the earthly and alien realms. While they initially more than hold their own, true danger emerges in the form of Prince Goro, a four-armed half-human, half-dragon who will stop at nothing to defeat them. And even if they defeat Goro, they still must find a way to defeat Shang Tsung, save Earth, exact their revenge, and prove their worthiness in both the Earthly and Outworldly realms.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (7 ):
Kids say (10 ):

Much like the video game on which it's based, Mortal Kombat: The Movie is endlessly violent, with only the barest of narratives and simplest of character motivation to justify the violence. The acting is subpar at best, and the dialogue is an endless cliché of the "We've got company!" variety. No one is very likable -- the "good guys" seem good only because they don't look monstrous or speak in demonic voices. Even the fight scenes aren't terribly interesting, especially compared to martial arts movies that actually have likable characters and engaging storylines.

By the time the movie reaches its climax, you don't care who wins or even if the Earth survives, just so long as all this seemingly endless fighting stops already. Action in action movies is supposed to be entertaining, not exhausting. And over 20 years after its initial release, the style, special effects, and overall mood of the movie result in '90s entertainment that has not stood the test of time.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about movie adaptations from popular books, TV shows, and video games. Why do you think successful books, TV shows, and video games get adapted into movies? What are some other examples of movie adaptations?

  • Did the violence in this movie seem necessary to the story, or did it seem like it was done purely for the sake of gratuitous entertainment?

  • Why do you think there were only two women in this movie?

Movie Details

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