Mortal Kombat Kollection - Arrow 4K

The first Mortal Kombat was one of the first movies I remember feeling the need to own. In 1995, I saved up my $20 to buy the VHS. I didn’t want to just rent it, I needed to own it. But it never showed up on the shelves, despite being available to rent. It was my first lesson in delayed release tactics from the studios (now we’re teased with the expensive streaming option before a film is released on physical media or on one of the subscription streamers). This little trip into my dorky childhood is simply meant to illustrate that the first Mortal Kombat was an important movie for me (Annihilation, not so much), so when Arrow announced the Mortal Kombat Kollection (out now), I knew I had to check it out. 

Mortal Kombat 

This movie is kind of a miracle. There’s just so much going against it. It was a PG-13 version of a famously gory game. Video game movies had famously been awful because the simplistic video game premises of the time needed too much fleshing out. Honestly, how do you make a live action Mario or Double Dragon movie that doesn’t look like a peyote hallucination come to life? But Mortal Kombat kept things simple, and that made it work while still being objectively silly. 

There isn’t a huge focus on back story or anything in Mortal Kombat. Characters are given one thing they want, and that one thing can be achieved through fighting in a martial arts tournament held in a different dimension. Good enough for me. But there was still the gore problem. You can’t have Sub-Zero ripping off a dude’s head with the spinal cord still attached, or Kano ripping out a still-beating heart, etc. If blood was off the table, then Paul W.S. Anderson knew that the fighting had to be great. The choreography is impressive in this film, but most importantly, Anderson insisted on shooting the scenes in master shots, giving them a similar look to the video game. My favorite shot in the film is when Liu Kang and Sub-Zero square off, and the beginning of the fight looks like the video game came to life. Sure, there are still cuts and wacky moves and nut shots (though the nut shot is game accurate), but overall the fighting is great.

But the most important factor is in your face from the beginning of the movie. When “Mortal Kombat!” rings out and that techno score starts, it awakens something inside me. The energy of that score coupled with the competent fighting scenes made me forget all about the gore. That’s why I still enjoy this one more than the 2021 version, even though that one features all the gore. There’s an energy and silliness to this film that transcends decapitations. And I’m so glad that Arrow has given it the 4K treatment.

Transfer and Special Features

It’s Arrow, so it looks great. Though the better the technology gets, the worse some of the CG looks, so Reptile looks a little rough, but the Goro puppet makes up for it.

The commentary with Anderson is fine. He just seems like a nice dude who enjoys his job, so it’s about as traditional a commentary as you’re going to find.

The interviews and archival stuff is interesting, with Linden Ashby’s interview being the most interesting. He reveals that a lot of the comedy was improv, which surprised me. He also acknowledged that they knew they weren’t making serious art, but they were still devoted to make as entertaining a movie as they possibly could.

Random Thoughts / Favorite Quotes

Imagine enjoying yourself at a heavy metal show in Hong Kong and Brigitte Wilson-Sampras walks by and cracks you in the head with a shotgun for no fucking reason.

Those metal-heads are hardcore. They aren't phased at all when a dude fires an uzi into the crowd or when that dude gets blasted with a shotgun.

Fuckin’ Kano has to make an exaggerated grunt when lifting off an air grate. Love that guy.

“Now listen, Peter Jason, we need you to walk just like Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, and that man walks like a 2×4 is stapled to his back! You can't be slouching like you do in Carpenter's movies.”

Sure, Christopher Lambert is an odd choice for Raiden, but it’s less crazy than Liu Kang wearing a leather jacket in Thailand.

“Okay, so you guys just got done roasting all the chickens and whatnot for hours and setting up dinner for all the fighters? Great. Okay, minions, go fuck up all the tables and let Sub-Zero kill one of you.”

Goro: *other-worldly guttural groans and roars for no reason*

Cage: “Sonya, you go ahead, find out what that was. Liu and I will wait right here.”

Cage: “So where's my fight? The same beach-type setting that Liu and Sonya got?”

Shang Tsung: “No no no no, you will fight Scorpion in an eerie forest setting that seems like it's from a different movie. But if you're quick, you can follow him to a haunted pirate ship realm!”

Cage: “Fuck. Okay, but Liu's next fight is going to be harder, right? That first guy he fought didn't even get his name announced.”

Shang Tsung: “He'll be straight up on the beach for his next fight, but it will be against Kitana.”

Cage: “I guess that's better. She's a thousand years old so she'll be tough to beat.”

Shang Tsung: “Oh, no, it will be more like an exhibition match during which she will give tips and riddles about how to win his next fight.”

Cage: “Fuck off! For a tournament that decides the fate of all mankind this is all planned out pretty willy-nilly.”

That “Noooooo!” Sonya lets out when Art Lean dies is a bit much. I mean, did she even ever get properly introduced to him?

Mortal Kombat: Annihilation 

To begin, the most impressive thing about this set is that it got me to watch Annihilation for the second time this year (Blank Check covered it on Patreon a few weeks ago), a movie I swore I would never watch again but have now seen four times. I really hope this is the last time, though, because this film is not growing on me. I know, like all shitty movies from ten years or longer ago, people start to defend it, but I’m not getting on board.

I guess if this came out when I was younger I would feel more fondly about it. But everything just feels watered down this time. The music isn’t as good, the costumes are cheaper, and, worst, the fighting is a downgrade. The re-casting of some characters hurt, as well, and the whole thing is just too slapdash and silly for me. But I guess it’s cool to see so many video game characters get tossed into the mix. 

But four viewings is enough for me, though I’m happy it got the same treatment as the first film for the deluded fans of this one.

Transfer and Special Features

The Sindel lady has some not shocking delusions about the movie, talking about its continued popularity in terms of people just enjoying a good vs. evil story. 

I was surprised by the interview with the composer for two reasons. First, I didn’t know there were two George Clintons involved with music, and at first I thought the famous one composed the music for these films, which, of course, is wrong. Second, I thought for sure the sequel had a different composer since I found the music to be weaker this time around. I honestly don’t know why they didn’t just completely use the first film’s score for this one.

The stunt dude, J.J. Perry, was interesting, or maybe I was just excited because he talked about Van Damme a bit. He’s one of those stunt guys that clearly loves his work, so his interview was the most interesting due to his enthusiasm and memory of his work.

I gave up on the commentary after the director, John Leonetti, claimed that Linden Ashby was in the film. And he also gave a bit of a non-answer when asked why Brigitte Wilson-Sampras didn’t come back. He did admit that Lambert didn’t return because he wanted $2 million. Honestly, I was looking for a reason to bail on this commentary. I don’t think I could ever look my children in the face again if they found out one day that I watched Mortal Kombat: Annihilation with the director’s commentary. 

Random Thoughts / Favorite Quotes

“A brief period of peace.” I'll say; it was literally less than a minute.

“Too bad…YOU…will die.” It's nice that this meme happens in the first five minutes, so you can skip the rest.

“You would never let one of your precious humans die.” Well, we couldn't get Linden Ashby back, so his replacement can die, I guess.

“We must travel quickly. Get in the magic hamster balls and stand crotch-to-crotch with me.”

I remember watching the end of the first film and seeing a giant Shao Khan, and then he's just some stupid dude in this. Don't get me wrong, it's Brian “Buffalo Bob from Joe Dirt and axe-cult leader from Cobra” Thompson. But it’s still underwhelming. 

I always thought the cyborgs in the game were silly. Their presence here did not change my mind.

All of this is admittedly silly, but Scorpion yelling “Suckers!” is just an ice bridge too far.

Final Thoughts

Fans of these two films couldn’t ask for a better set. Along with the special features I already mentioned, there is also a book with new essays about the films, multiple reversible posters and sleeves, all with newly commissioned artwork. Even if you’re like me and only truly love the first film, this set is worth it.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Trilogy - The Arrow 4K Set

I’ve owned the first two Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies in different formats since they were first released on VHS in the early ‘90s. I’ve upgraded to DVD, then Blu-ray, and now, with Arrow’s new release of the trilogy: 4K UHD. There’s no doubt that yet another format will come along one day, but for now this new release should last for many years as the best way to own these three movies. 

Before I get into the special features and whatnot, I wanted to get into the movies themselves and what they’ve meant to me over the years. The trilogy of live action TMNT movies serves as a kind of metaphor for my fandom over the years. I was a huge fan of the Turtles growing up, and watching the first film in theaters at age six is one of my earliest memories in a movie theater. I remember loving it, but it was only after the second one came out just a year later that I realized how dark that first film truly was.

Perhaps “dark” is the wrong word, but compared to the much sillier Secret of the Ooze, the first film is downright brooding. At the time, though, I loved them both. When I got the VHS tapes, I tended to pick the second film to watch over the first. The second one is simply more kid-friendly, intentionally so. The Turtles use their weapons sparingly, there’s a lot more pizza-eating, it’s brighter, and there are no overly sad or frightening moments.

The first film, by contrast, is literally darker, and the main focus is Shredder’s Foot Clan recruiting New York City’s youth into a crime syndicate, luring them in with the promise of videogames, gambling, skateboard ramps, and cigarettes (“regular or menthol” as offered by Sam Rockwell in an early role). The city is in turmoil, and when the Turtles get involved, people get hurt. Splinter is captured, and Raphael is beaten so badly, it seems like he might die for a long chunk of the film. This makes for a better movie overall, but when you’re six or seven, the fun one is an easier watch. But even back then I knew this was a higher quality film, even if it had slower moments. 

As for the third film, I think it’s absolute trash for two reasons. First, it just is. Second, it came out two years after Secret of the Ooze, and I was nine and starting to move on from the Turtles. I didn’t even watch this one in the theater. And when I eventually watched it on VHS, it was one of the first movies to make me realize that movies could be bad, which is a devastating thing to learn when you’re little. 

Some people defend the third film, but I can only assume it’s a Hook situation, and they just happened to be the right age at the right time to enjoy such garbage. As for me, I have tried to watch it a couple times as an adult, and it just gets worse each time. In fact, I only watched five minutes of it this time so I could check the transfer quality, and I turned it off as soon as I could.

I still enjoy the first two films, though I will admit that the first one is the only one I could seriously call “good.” The second one is nostalgic fun for me, and I do believe it is objectively better than the third film, but had I only watched the second film as an adult, I would probably not care for it much. 

And this brings me to the full circle moment with these films. My kids are now old enough to be fans of the franchise (the latest animated Turtles film was a big hit with all of us), so I’ve gladly introduced these films to them, especially my son, who has taken more of a liking to the franchise. Just like me as a child, I can tell he likes the first one well enough, but it’s the second one that keeps his attention. As he gets older, I look forward to watching the first one again with him to see if he likes it more. And as for the third one, I’m going to do my best to convince him that it doesn’t exist.

The Transfer

I’m relatively new to 4K physical media, so I’m not the best judge of what a good transfer is. In fact, I’m still dealing with the fact that most of these new 4K releases are meant to restore the film to how it looked theatrically rather than making them all superficially crisp, as a lot of Blu-ray releases have done over the years. In other words, a lot of 4K stuff is grainier than previous releases, and the first two Turtles movies are no exception. It’s not overly grainy, but if you’re expecting a pristine look, then you should stick with the Blu-ray or streaming releases. 

But the grain is actually a benefit with this series. Since the films, especially the first one, feature a lot of underground and shadowy scenes with actors in rubber suits. Grain can keep things realistic. The third film is perfect evidence of this. It’s the crispest transfer of the three, but the suits are comically worse than the first two films. Without a little grain, it is distractingly obvious that the suit budget was slashed for the third movie. In the first two films, it’s easy to accept Splinter and the Turtles as real characters. In the third film, they all look like animatronics from a theme park. Little kids probably won’t mind, but for an adult dork like me it made an already crappy movie practically unwatchable. 

Special Features

There are plenty of cool collectible items included in this set like a Roy’s Pizza loyalty card, some posters, a booklet with new articles about the films, etc. If you’re into that stuff, it’s great. There’s not much to say about it, so I’ll focus more on the special features included on the actual discs.

Most of the new stuff consists of interviews with the cast and filmmakers of each film. The first film gets the most material, and it descends from there with the third film, rightfully so, receiving the least attention.

The interviews for the first film from Judith Hoag, Steve Barron, and Brian Henson are the most enlightening. I had no idea that the film was pretty much taken away from Barron in the editing process. But I kind of get why. Barron himself admits in his interview to taking the film to Disney in the hopes they would give him more money for reshoots in return, I assume, for distribution rights. I can imagine Golden Harvest, the studio that made the film, was not happy with this. It’s honestly a wild thing for Barron to try to do, but it doesn’t seem like they had the best relationship even before this as Henson claims that both he and Barron were fired from the film more than once.

There’s also an alternate ending that is worth watching just to hear the stunt guys doing the voicework. 

Both of the first films have special features dealing with the whole “ninja” controversy of the series. There are alternate cuts that retitle the film Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles, and apparently nunchuks were a real problem in the UK in the ‘90s, as there are edits of all the films toning down any nunchuk use.

The archival 1991 doc is nice just to see how popular the series was back then. And it features an interview with Eastman and Laird. There's plenty of behind the scenes stuff from the second film. I can't tell who this was made for, though. It seems promotional, but it kind of gives away everything that happens in the second film. The narration has the tone of something aimed at kids, but I’m not sure how kids would have come across this back then. I don't remember ever seeing this, and I was definitely the target audience back then.

There are also plenty of commentaries that I’m sure go into much more detail than the interviews, but I had to draw the line somewhere so I could finally write this, so I have not listened to them. But come on, you’re either a commentary person or you’re not at this point; nothing I say will change that.

This is certainly the definitive version of this trilogy to own, and I can’t imagine that will change any time soon.