Overview of Mortal Kombat w/ Cameron Esposito (Classic)
In this How Did This Get Made? episode, Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael, Jason Mantzoukas, and guest Cameron Esposito dissect the 1995 film Mortal Kombat as both a movie adaptation and a baffling standalone action film. The group spends much of the conversation unpacking the movie’s incoherent tournament rules, campy performances, early CGI, and aggressively repetitive soundtrack, while also revealing that June had somehow not realized the film was based on a video game until watching it.
Main Discussion Points
A movie that works less as a story and more as a series of fights
- The hosts struggle to understand the actual rules of the Mortal Kombat tournament.
- They note that the movie never clearly explains:
- who is officially in the tournament,
- how the brackets work,
- what “winning” really means,
- or why some fights seem to count while others do not.
- The structure feels to them like “good guys vs. bad guys” with no real logic behind the matchups.
June’s video game revelation
- A major running bit is June not realizing Mortal Kombat was a game-based movie.
- This leads to a broader conversation about their different relationships to video games growing up.
- Jason and Paul explain the game’s cultural impact, especially its violence and the infamous “Fatality” finishers.
The film’s violence is the whole point — but the movie softens it
- The hosts note that the original game was known for graphic violence and was a key reason video game ratings became a thing.
- They argue the movie should have fully embraced that brutality, especially since it was reportedly intended to be R-rated at one point.
- Instead, they feel the film pulls punches and becomes oddly restrained for a property defined by excess.
Standout characters and performances
- Christopher Lambert as Raiden is a huge topic of discussion:
- his accent is wildly indecipherable,
- his wig/hairline is memorable in the most distracting way,
- and his role as mentor feels underwritten and strangely passive.
- Johnny Cage is praised as the most amusing character:
- his vanity,
- his movie-star ego,
- and his tabloid-driven motivation are all played as jokes.
- Sonya Blade is discussed as both badass and oddly mishandled:
- she is a strong fighter,
- but the movie repeatedly treats her like a damsel anyway,
- which the hosts read as unintentionally sexist.
- Shang Tsung is described as over-the-top, villainous, and confusing in his soul-stealing powers.
Effects: charmingly bad, but fascinating
- The group loves how messy the film’s visual effects are.
- Goro becomes a focal point:
- part CGI, part suit, part miniature, part stunt double,
- and clearly assembled from multiple techniques.
- The hosts also enjoy the bug-and-worm monster imagery and the ridiculous staging of soul absorption and creature effects.
The soundtrack is unforgettable
- The “Mortal Kombat!” chant is treated as both iconic and exhausting.
- They joke that the song dominates a huge chunk of the movie and becomes the film’s true engine.
- Despite the teasing, they acknowledge how iconic and successful the soundtrack was.
Notable Takeaways
- The movie is widely viewed as bad, but in a weirdly entertaining, nostalgic way.
- The cast and production design create a uniquely dated mid-’90s fantasy-action feel.
- The hosts agree the film is best appreciated as a strange artifact rather than a good adaptation.
- June’s non-gamer perspective becomes one of the episode’s funniest running threads.
Trivia and Production Facts Mentioned
- Release year: 1995
- Budget: about $18 million
- Opening weekend gross: about $23 million
- Worldwide gross: about $122 million
- The Mortal Kombat soundtrack reportedly went platinum in under two weeks.
- Casting trivia discussed:
- Cameron Diaz was originally cast as Sonya Blade but injured herself.
- Sharon Stone was considered for the role.
- Jean-Claude Van Damme passed on Johnny Cage to do Street Fighter.
- Brandon Lee and Dina Meyer are also mentioned in casting changes.
- They mention that the American Humane Association reportedly commended the production for its treatment of animals and insects, which is darkly ironic given the movie’s violence.
Recommended Viewing / Final Verdict
- The hosts generally do not recommend watching the full movie unless you’re curious or nostalgic.
- If you want the highlights, they suggest:
- watching the most infamous scenes,
- especially the Goro fight and the brother reveal,
- or skipping to better martial arts/action films like The Raid or Haywire.
- Their consensus: Mortal Kombat is a chaotic, silly, often-bad but culturally significant movie that is more fun to talk about than to actually sit through.