movies based on video games , such as street fighter or mario bros . , have never generated much interest at the box office . 
but when the first mortal kombat movie came out in 1995 , it did surprisingly well . 
with a simple story , a pulsating soundtrack , and lots of awesomely choreographed fight scenes , the movie moved quickly and displayed lots of energy . 
it got my vote for 'the movie where i expected the least and got the most' . 
and , if you haven't had the opportunity , i would definitely recommend that you see it on video . 
in the world of mortal kombat , based on the popular arcade game , dark forces from outworld try to infiltrate earth's realm with the ulimate goal of total conquest and the destruction of humanity . 
the mortal kombat refers to a competition , fought by human mortals against outworld's minions , which if won , will guarantee earth's safety for another generation . 
mk2 picks up almost immediately after the humans return victoriously from competition . 
despite their victory , however , a gateway has somehow opened , and outworld continues in its quest to conquer earth . 
outworld's warriors include an impressive collection of fighters , including shao kahn , mintoro ( a centaur ) , sheeva ( a four-armed ogre ) , and sindel . 
earth's mortal warriors , under the leadership of the benevolent god , lord rayden , includes liu kang , princess kitana , sonya blade and jax , who must fight against outworld's forces . 
it's an easy enough premise , but unfortunately ( very unfortunately ) , the writers try to do too much with the movie . 
it is only a video game , after all , but the on-screen version tries to go beyond it's comic book boundaries by adding depth , a conceptualization of self-worth , and worst of all , a love story . 
this becomes very awkward , because all of the players are fighters and nothing more . 
they are likable and impressive when they are showcasing their martial arts and fighting skills , but look extremely awkward and uncomfortable when they are required to actually act . 
this becomes embarrassingly apparent , for example , as the movie tries to develop a romantic bond between liu kang and princess kitana . 
the original mk was smart in letting the players do what they do best . 
they spoke little , but fought a lot . 
thus , the movie was easy to digest . 
however , mk2 tries to give these players a certain amount of depth , an element that was lacking in the first movie , but the attempt here fails miserably . 
this uneasy feeling is readily apparent , for example , whenever you hear lord rayden speak . 
not only does he talk in riddles and offer enigmatic ( e . g . 
useless ) advice , but he speaks so slowly as if to simulate infinite wisdom . 
try reading this half as fast , and you'll hear what i mean . 
but the movie is not a complete fatality . 
fight scenes are well-choreographed , highlighted by terrific acrobatics and agility . 
and players of the game will be rewarded with the inclusion of practically every character from the video game , although their screen time amounts to nothing more than a cameo . 
even if you're not familiar with the video game , each fighter has their own costume and unique weaponry to easily differentiate themselves . 
but it's just too little of what movie-goers and especially fans of the game will expect . 
oddly , the inclusion of the human element actually pollutes the purity of the mortal kombat essence . 
and the poor acting results in a muddled movie that offers the viewing audience little chance for survival . 
 ( i am now talking very slowly as if to simulate infinite wisdom ) . 
rent the first one , but the sequel is for kombat fans only .