What is the best order to watch the Mortal Kombat movies?

Ever woken up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, wondering how many Mortal Kombat movies there are?

No?

Oh. Well, have you ever contemplated what is the best order to watch the Mortal Kombat movies?

Yes?

Then this is the post for you!

Although, this post also covers the question of how many MK movies there are too.

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The animated movie

OK, first up is the animated Mortal Kombat movie. Yep, before Mortal Kombat was made into a live-action film series, it was turned into a cartoon.

Produced as a 2D/3D animated movie, Mortal Kombat: The Journey Begins features a number of iconic MK characters (Subzero, Johnny Cage, etc) and is… truly awful. The film – which runs to just under 40 minutes – was initially conceived as a straight-to-VHS tie-in to the live-action movie (more about this in a moment), but in reality is simply a standalone tale.

Should you want to watch this film (and trust me, you don’t) then check out:

• Mortal Kombat: The Journey Begins (1995)

Should you watch this film?

No. Hell, no. It’s dire and will not improve your life in any way.

Moving on…

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The live-action ‘90s movies

In 1995, the first live-action Mortal Kombat hit cinema screens. Directed by Paul W. S. Anderson, the film starred Christopher Lambert, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Linden Ashby, Bridgette Wilson, and Frank Welker.

Upon release, Mortal Kombat received mixed reviews, however, due to the popularity of the MK brand it was a huge financial hit, scooping up more than $122 million from a budget of $18 million. At a time when studios were struggling to make a success of game-based movies (Super Mario Bros., Double Dragon etc) this was a big win for New Line Cinema/Warner Bros.

Due to the success of Mortal Kombat a sequel followed in 1997 called Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. However, this film was not the box office titan its predecessor was and the series was brought to an abrupt end.

The best order to watch the ‘90s Mortal Kombat movies is as follows:

• Mortal Kombat (1995)
• Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997)

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The live-action short

In 2010, writer/director Kevin Tancharoen co-wrote, co-produced, and directed a live-action Mortal Kombat short called Mortal Kombat: Rebirth. The mini-movie, which ran eight-minutes in length, was conceived by Tancharoen as a way to convince Warner Bros. to green light a new MK movie.

Released on YouTube, the film starred Michael Jai White, Jeri Ryan, Matt Mullins, James Lew, Lateef Crowder, Ian Anthony Dale, and Richard Dorton, and was well-received by fans. However, Warner Bros. decided against taking this version of Mortal Kombat to the big screen and instead gave Tancharoen the go-ahead for the web-series, Mortal Kombat: Legacy.

Should you wish to watch this version of Mortal Kombat, then view:

• Mortal Kombat: Rebirth (2010) + The two seasons of Mortal Kombat: Legacy (2011-2013)

And as a side note, should you want to watch Mortal Kombat: Legacy, you should know that the series produced 19 episodes across the course of its two seasons. The first season comprised nine episodes, while the second ran for ten.

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The new Mortal Kombat animated movies

Back to animation now, for three feature-length tales. The first movie focuses on one of the most iconic characters in the gaming series, Scorpion, while the next two are follow-ups.

If you want to watch these animated adventures, then check out:

• Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge (2020)
• Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms (2021)
• Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind (2022)

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The Mortal Kombat reboot

In 2011, due to the positive response to Mortal Kombat: Rebirth/Legacy, New Line Cinema green lit Mortal Kombat – a reboot of the film series. Kevin Tancharoen was initially attached to direct the movie, but he dropped out in 2013 when the project entered development hell.

The movie remained in development until 2019, when production finally got off the ground with director Simon McQuoid calling the shots. Mehcad Brooks, Tadanobu Asano, Ng Chin Han, Josh Lawson, and Ludi Lin feature amongst the cast.

Only one movie is in this series (so far) and it is:

• Mortal Kombat (2021)

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Mortal Kombat movies in production order

And finally, should you simply wish to watch all of the Mortal Kombat movies in production order, then follow this list:

• Mortal Kombat: The Journey Begins (1995)
• Mortal Kombat (1995)
• Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997)
• Mortal Kombat: Rebirth (2010)
• Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge (2020)
• Mortal Kombat (2021)
• Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms (2021)
• Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind (2022)

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I hope this information on the Mortal Kombat movie series has proved useful. For more geek-filled posts, check out the recommended reads below.