20 Things You Didn't Know About Mortal Kombat

18. The Original Script Was R-Rated

By far the biggest complaint about the movie is its PG-13 rating, which runs entirely counter to the infamous brutality of the video game series, defined so thoroughly by gory fatalities as it is.

However, the original script for Mortal Kombat was actually a lot more faithful to the game in general, and particularly as it pertains to violent content.

Unfortunately, the producers had a deal with New Line Cinema ensuring the film needed to be rated PG-13 so it could be marketed to teenagers, and so there was no choice but to strip the more adult elements out.

Even then, the producers had to consult with the MPAA throughout shooting to ensure they didn't film scenes that would be deemed objectionable at PG-13.

The prevailing guidance was that scenes showing on-screen human death would trigger an R rating, but monsters could die on-screen no problem - hence why most of the human deaths occur off-screen while Goro's doesn't.