Mortal Kombat 1995 Director Explains Why The Movie Was So Successful

One of gaming’s most beloved franchises will soon make its return to the big screen.

Based on NetherRealm’s long-running series of the same name, director Simon McQuoid’s Mortal Kombat will be the first live-action adaptation to hit theaters in more than two decades when it arrives in the spring and will once again retell the events of evil sorcerer Shang Tsung’s titular tournament. Barring the mysterious absence of Johnny Cage, every hero of Earthrealm you’d expect to make an appearance – Sonya Blade, Jax, Liu Kang, etc. – is present and accounted for this time around, though these certainly aren’t the same iterations as seen in Paul W.S. Anderson’s original 1995 movie.

Despite the fact that no connection between old and new exists, though, fans will undoubtedly find themselves making comparisons between the two, especially as Anderson’s contribution continues to maintain a massive cult following. As for why that is, the veteran filmmaker – whose credits include other video game projects such as Resident Evil and Monster Hunter – attributes the long-lasting success to a genuine love of the source material.

When quizzed on the subject in a recent interview with ComicBook.com, Anderson said:

I genuinely love the source material and I’ve made sure that that love of the source material gets, gets kind of built into the fabric and the DNA of the movies I make. So hopefully, you know, the fans see that and they know it. Going all the way back to Mortal Kombat, the fans knew that that movie had been made by somebody who played and loved Mortal Kombat, because you could see it, it was in the essence of the film.

This year’s installment has some big shoes to fill, then, but from what we’ve seen so far, it would seem that the crew responsible for bringing back Scorpion and Sub-Zero are enamored of the world created by Ed Boon and John Tobias as much as anyone.

Mortal Kombat releases in theaters and on HBO Max from April 16th. If you’ve yet to give the trailer a watch, we recommend you do that now by heading over here, or, if you’re looking for a breakdown of its contents, including Easter eggs for unconfirmed characters, head this way.