10 Movie Re-Castings That Ruined Iconic Characters

Original - Christopher Lambert

Recast - James Remar

Paul WS Anderson's Mortal Kombat was ripped apart by critics even though fans of the violent franchise loved it. With its head-bopping theme song, the top-notch animatronics, and the astounding fight choreography, Mortal Kombat is still regarded as among the best live-action video game adaptations.

Sadly, everything that made it special was absent from the abhorrent sequel, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. The sporadic editing made it impossible to follow what was going on. The CGI was so atrocious, The Lawnmower Man's special effects are Oscar-worthy by comparison. Half the performers ham it up while the other half sound like they're reading from the script.

However, the film could've been a lot more tolerable if Christopher Lambert reprised the role of Raiden. Even though the thunder god was only in the original film to churn out exposition, the French actor's ability to flip between acting stoic and comedic on a dime made him entertaining as hell.

Sadly (but logically), Lambert had the common sense not to return to Annihilation, causing James Remar to be cast in his stead. Even though Raiden gets to fight this time around, he's mindbogglingly boring due to Remar's monotone delivery.