All 7 Mortal Kombat Movies Ranked From Worst to Best| Purgatory Film Rankings

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It’s been 30 years since Midway Games released the first installment of the now-iconic Mortal Kombat gaming franchise. The game was an instant success with fans, making tons of money for its company, spawning 11 sequels, and remains one of the most critically acclaimed fighting games of all time.

But, as with anything that gains such immense popularity and a loyal fanbase, it’s only a matter of time before Hollywood smells the money and tries to get its claws on some of that cash. And we all know what that means.

Movies!

So, in this article, we will put the games aside for now, and look at Mortal Kombat’s contribution to cinema. There are currently 7 official Mortal Kombat movies made and we’ll rank them all from worst to best, depending on how good the story, the acting, and the fight scenes are, as well as the overall enjoyment the film provides. So, without further ado, let’s get into it!

This one failed to make anyone happy. While the first one is a cult classic that satisfied the game fans, the successor has fewer redeeming qualities.

The film starts by killing off the most entertaining character in the first movie, Johnny Cage, and it all goes downhill from there. Furthermore, almost the entire cast from the original film has been replaced, with only Robin Shou and Talisa Soto reprising their roles as Liu Kang and Kitana respectively.

Annihilation is a collection of bad acting and terrible dialogue, not held together by a great story. There are some decent fight scenes here and there, but overall, it’s a disappointment compared to the original.

It was supposed to be the second movie of a planned trilogy, but due to its underperformance at the box office, the third film was canceled, and we didn’t get to see another live-action Mortal Kombat movie for another 24 years.

Best fight: Rayden vs the two Reptiles.

Finally, one of Mortal Kombat’s most entertaining characters, the narcissistic and hilarious Johnny Cage, gets his own movie! It’s Cage’s story before he meets all the other characters, making this a prequel to the animated series. In this version of Los Angeles, Johnny has to fight demons, evil gods, satanic cults, goblins (so just regular Los Angeles), and save the earth from one of the series’ most iconic villains – Shinnok.

The story is OK and the fight scenes are decent, but, for the most part, it seems that Cage has to carry the entire movie all by himself, which can get a bit too much for one character. The movie is also significant for being the last credited role of iconic comedian Gilbert Gottfried who passed away in 2022.

Best Fight: Johnny Cage vs Shinnok

Although not quite as good as Scorpion’s Revenge, Battle of the Realms managed to keep the fans happy, for the most part.

After losing the first tournament, Shao Kahn petitions the Elder Gods for another “final” tournament set in Outworld, while the Elder God, Shinnok, tries to get an artifact that could help him revive “The One Being” and destroy all of creation.

We get lots of entertaining fights like Liu Kang vs Shang Tsung and Raiden vs Shao Khan, and we are also introduced to some cool, fan-favorite characters like Sektor, Cyrax, and Smoke.

Although one could argue that the plot was a bit too much (trying to win the tournament by defeating Shao Khan and preventing Shinnok from getting the artifact could’ve easily been two separate movies), it all works out well in the end, making Battle of the Realms a much better sequel than the live-action Annihilation.

Best fight: Scorpion and Sub-Zero vs Sektor, Cyrax, and Smoke.

The first Mortal Kombat movie was not a favorite among professional movie critics, but it managed to please the fans who finally got to see their favorite characters on the big screen for the first time.

The acting and the writing are not exactly the work of a genius, but the movie redeems itself with some excellent fight scenes. The CGI was a bit underwhelming and cringe, but, then again, this was the 90s, and not every movie could be Terminator 2.

Now, let’s see what this movie brings to the table.

Cristopher Lambert is arguably the most iconic Rayden so far, and actor Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa is an excellent villain and a much more memorable Shang Tsung than Ng Chin Han (who plays Shang Tsung in the 2021 version). Some great classic fight scenes include Liu Kang vs Sub-Zero, Johnny Cage vs Scorpion, and Liu Kang vs Reptile. We also get to learn some important life lessons like: “conquer your fears,” “always fight with honor,” and, most importantly, “don’t ever mess with Johnny Cage’s $500 sunglasses.”

Fun fact: The role of Rayden was first offered to Sean Connery, however, he turned it down. Another fun fact: Johnny Cage is based on Belgian actor and martial artist Jean-Claude Van Damme, particularly the character he plays in the movie Bloodsport (1988).

Best fight: Liu Kang vs Reptile.

Decades after the events in Battle of the Realms, Snow Blind continues the story of a much older Sub Zero as he mentors Kenshi – a character first introduced in the Mortal Kombat games in 2002 (Deadly Alliance), and who, after 20 years since his introduction, finally makes his first film appearance here.

Featuring a “Mad Max-like scenario” in the Mortal Kombat universe, the film was well-received by both fans and critics, with praise for the plot and character development. Making Kano the main villain was also a good decision. A worthy addition to the series.

Best Fight: Sub-Zero, Scorpion, and Kenshi vs Kano, Kabal, Kira, Kobra, and Tremor

After more than two decades, fans were happy to know that they were finally getting another live-action Mortal Kombat film. However, the 2021 reboot got somewhat of a mixed reception. The filmmakers took some creative liberties with the 2021 version, and by doing so, they polarized the fan base.

Firstly, the film introduces Cole Young–an original character created by screenwriter Greg Russo–and makes him the main protagonist. Some fans applauded the filmmakers for trying something new and original, but lots of people were left confused, asking “Who is this guy they never heard of and what the hell is he doing in their favorite series?”

Furthermore, the writers also made some major changes to the plot by having (spoilers ahead) Sub-Zero kill Scorpion and his family, while, according to the original story, sorcerer Quan Chi is the one responsible for the murders (although he uses magic to appear as Sub-Zero).

There were some excellent fight scenes in the film, especially the first and the last battle, and even though the original plot was altered, Sub-Zero is excellent as a villain and is perhaps the best villain in any Mortal Kombat film up until this point.

But, the best thing about the movie is definitely Kano. He may be a back-stabbing son-of-a-b@#$, but he is also by far the most entertaining character of them all. Every one of his lines is comedy gold and he alone is reason enough to watch the film.

Best fight: Cole Young and Scorpion vs Sub-Zero.

For the most part, fans and critics agree that the animated Scorpion’s Revenge is the best piece of film that the franchise has produced so far.

Rather than focusing on Liu Kang and his efforts to defeat Shang Tsung, the film takes an original approach and follows Scorpion – arguably the most iconic Mortal Kombat character – and his quest to avenge his family (hence, the title).

Unlike the 2021 live-action reboot, the plot here mostly stays true to the original story (spoilers ahead) and introduces the true villain, Quan Chi as Scorpion’s main opponent.

We get excellent fights, dialogue, and character development, and, as always, Johnny Cage is here to make everyone’s day with his childish behavior and funny one-liners. If you have to watch just one Mortal Kombat movie, let it be this one.

Best Fight: Scorpion vs Quan Chi.

So, there you have it! I know many of you will inevitably disagree with the ranking, and that’s perfectly fine! There will be more Mortal Kombat Movies coming in the future, and this article will be updated accordingly. So, have a nice day, and thank you for reading.