We’re getting a new Mortal Kombat movie sometime next year. James Wan is producing it, and it’s likely to be pretty cool. However, the original Mortal Kombat film, from 1995, still holds a special place in the hearts of many people.
In fact, the movie celebrated its 25th anniversary not long ago. To celebrate this occasion, the website Gamespot went over some of the movie’s easter eggs. They even combed through the movie commentary that director Lawrence Kasanoff and visual effects supervisor Alison Savitch did.
Keep in mind, this commentary is only available on the laserdisc, and not on the DVD or Blu-Ray versions of Mortal Kombat. Here are some of the highlights of what they found out in their detailed research.
Jax Has A Cameo
At a point in the movie, Sonya Blade calls out to a character named “Jax”. This is, of course, Jax from the Mortal Kombat games, played by Gregory McKinney. He doesn’t have a role in the movie beyond this, though.
The Order Of Light’s Temple Is A Real Location
The Order Of Light’s Temple as shown in the movie is actually a real-life location. It’s the Wat Chaiwatthanaram temple from Thailand.
Enter The Dragon Reference
Bruce Lee’s Enter The Dragon was clearly a huge reference on Mortal Kombat as a whole. The stories of both films are quite similar. There’s also an interaction between Liu Kang and Johnny Cage on a ship, where Johnny Cage mistakes Liu Kang for a luggage handler. Liu Kang throws his luggage into the water in response. This is similar to something Bruce Lee does in Enter The Dragon, too.
Christopher Lambert’s Ad Libbed Laugh
Christopher Lambert’s little awkward laugh as Raiden is one of the most recognisable moments from the movie. Turns out that Lambert improvised it. That laugh wasn’t in the script.
The Movie Uses The Game’s Catchphrases
Mortal Kombat catchphrases like “Get over here!”, “Finish him!” and “Flawless victory” are sprinkled throughout the movie.
Mortal Kombat 3 Code
If you look closely at the wall during Liu Kang and Reptile’s fight, you’ll notice some symbols. Question Mark; Goro; MK Logo; Question Mark; Goro; MK Logo. This is a reference the code for Mortal Kombat 3’s arcade machine, which selects random characters for the player.
Spikes In The Pit
The Pit Stage in the game gives the player the option to kick an opponent into some spikes, instead of using their fatality. That’s exactly what Liu Kang does to Shang Tsung at the end of the movie.
Liu Kang’s Iconic Moves
We also see some of his iconic moves in the film, such as his bicycle kick and fireball.
Johnny Cage’s Iconic Moves
Johnny Cage’s Shadow Kick and Low Blow are also part of the movie’s fights.
Reptile’s Iconic Moves
The same applies to Reptiles’s ability to turn invisible and spit poison out of his mouth.
