Mortal Kombat: Annihilation is a 1997 action film/video game adaptation--the sequel to the 1995 video game film, Mortal Kombat, and stars Robin Shou, James Remar, Talisa Soto, and Brian Thompson. It is directed by the cinematographer of I Know Who Killed Me, and written by one of the guys who wrote Foodfight!
The movie was universally panned for numerous reasons, including but not limited to: cramming every Mortal Kombat character they could possibly think of into the film, godawful special effects, and pointlessly retconning the previous movie at several points.
This was also the subject of one of James' earliest written Tirades reviews.
Plot[]
A loudmouthed moron in a skull mask threatens to conquer Earth while the governing forces of the MK tournament sit around with their thumbs up their asses. Also, the hero from the first MK movie turns into a completely helpless idiot.
Notable characters[]
- Liu Kang
- Princess Kitana
- Raiden
- Shao Kahn
- Sonya Blade
- Shinnok
- Elder Gods
- Nightwolf
- Sub-Zero, the younger
- Scorpion
- Rain
- Sheeva
- Jax
- Sindel
- Jade
- Motaro
- Mileena
- Cyrax
- Ermac
- Johnny Cage
The Episode[]
- Despite numerous hiatuses over the years, this episode is recognized as the official "Third Anniversary" episode of the Tirades podcast
- It is the third "Blast from the Past" episode (one covering a movie that was previously reviewed in written form)
Scores[]
James - Clusterfuck (this is the same word James gave when he retconned all numeric scores from all Written Tirades after Episode 17)
Damien - Victory
Highlights[]
- Mortal Kombat Red Tape
- Damien's Mileena rant
- James workshops the Shao Kahn/Jade "plan"
- Megatron turns into Godzilla's son
- Damien's Barney Fife voice
- Why fighting games almost never translate to film, and why they are some of the best games
- "Brief Ermac tangent"
References[]
- Street Fighter Red Tape
- Mr. T
- Words With Friends
- WWE Supercard
- Street Fighter
- Tekken
- Street Fighter X Tekken
- Amy Jo Johnson
- Heroes of Wrestling
- Mortal Kombat: Armageddon
- Battlefield Earth
- The Room
- Showgirls
- Highlander 2
- Mortal Kombat
- Yor: The Hunter From The Future
- Christopher Lambert
- Mortal Kombat (film)
- KMFDM
- Dead or Alive
- The Legend of Chun-Li
- Linden Ashbey
- The Crow: Wicked Prayer
- Tone Loc
- WCW Nitro
- American Gladiators
- Wonder Woman
- PBS
- The Odyssey
- Alone in the Dark
- Godzilla
- John Cena
- Choose Your Destiny
- Captain Morgan
- GWAR
- KISS
- PaRappa
- Right Said Fred
- Bloodrayne
- Ben Kingsley
- Star Wars
- Revenge of the Fallen
- Dark of the Moon
- Godzilla's Revenge
- The Andy Griffith Show
- Jeopardy
- Reptile
- Reptar, King of the Ozone
- Paula Cole
- Shawn Colvin
- Cher
- Knuckles the Echidna
- The X-Men
- Legend of the Hidden Temple
- The Secret World of Alex Mack
- Triple H
- Steve Austin
- Will Smith
- Jesus Christ: Vampire Hunter
- Bloodrayne
- Dragonball: Evolution
- The Indian in the Cupboard
- Back to the Future
- Bai Ling
- Juno Reactor
- I Dream of Genie
- Mortal Kombat: Conquest
- Rocky 4
- Billy Idol
- Ed Boon
- Ray Park
- Tony Jaa
- The Hummer Angle
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
- Daniel Bryan
- Motorhead
- The Undertaker
- Meatloaf
- Battlefield Earth
- A Talking Cat
- H.R. Gieger
- King of Fighters
- Machinima
- Metallica
- Khristina Logan
- Jamie Priesley
- Mortal Kombat: Trilogy
- Star Trek 5
- Val Venus
- D. Lo Brown
- For Your Ears Only
- Shake and Blake
- Hey An Actor
- Twice As Bright, Half As Long
- The Simpsons
- The Jungle Book
- WWF RAW
- Jiu Jiri
- Extra Lives
- Beauty and the Beast
- Reb Brown
- Captain America
- Space Mutiny
- MST3K
- Battlestar Galactica
- SharkRanchula
- Fanta
- Surge
- Sonic the Hedgehog
- Bloodrayne
- Age of Extinction
- New Moon
Tiradesverse tropes[]
- Protagonists? - Absolutely everyone on the hero side except Jax
- Real protagonist - Jax
- Ben Kingsley Paycheck - James Remar
- Eric Roberts Paycheck - Brian Thompson, Talisa Soto, Musetta Vander, Litefoot...ah, hell, the entire rest of the cast
- Box of kittens - Shao Kahn
- Clusterfuck Syndrome - This was the movie from which this trope was coined, after all
- Edited at gunpoint
- Plot convenience
- The ridiculous gyro ball tunnel system under the earth
- Scorpion reappears (despite being killed in the first movie), kidnaps Kitana and is never seen again
- Sub-Zero's little brother appears out of nowhere to save Liu Kang and Kitana
- Jax can just rip his cybernetics off with no repercussions
- The Elder Gods arbitrarily appear in the nick of time to stop Shinnok from killing Liu Kang
- Casio Keyboard
- Foot sweeps
- Finer Cronies and Goons, Inc. - All of Shao Kahn's generals, as well as his legion of fiery flip ninjas
- Evil group laughter
- Seinfeld Plot Hole
- Shao Kahn could have killed Kitana at any point and won.
- Also, Jade could have killed Liu Kang at any point and the bad guys would have won.
- Needlessly cryptic -
- Raiden, for no reason, withholding the fact that he is Shao Kahn's brother until revealing it with like 20 minutes left in the movie
- Nightwolf's entire spiel to Liu Kang, and then disappearing without finishing Kang's tests
- Sub-Zero disappearing, never to be seen again, after telling Liu Kang he isn't ready for what lies ahead
- Killing Your Own Guys - Kahn, on a ridiculous level
- Who lit all these fucking candles? - The Temple of the Elder Gods
Ending song[]
God of Thunder - Kiss
Before and After[]
Previous episode: Episode 35 - Yor, the Hunter from the Future
Next episode: Episode 37 - Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation