10 Promising Films Ruined By Changing The Director
8. Mortal Kombat: Annihilation
The first Mortal Kombat movie is hardly a cinematic masterpiece, but it was one of the few (possibly only) entertaining video game adaptations at that time. With a PG-13 rating, it lacked the blood-soaked violence of the games, and some of the graphics definitely dont hold up by todays standards. But despite all that, director Paul W.S. Anderson still managed to deliver a fun film to watch. The movie also ended on a cliffhanger, with the successful Kombatants celebrating their victory over Shang Tsung, only to have Shao Khan appear and declare hes come for their souls. The cliffhanger provided the perfect set-up for a sequel, but what we got instead was Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. With only Robin Shou and Talisa Soto returning for the second film, the entire cast was revamped. Johnny Cage was immediately killed off, Sandra Hess replaced Bridgette Wilson as Sonya Blade, and the great Christopher Lambert was replaced by James Remar. Anderson opted out of Annihilation, instead choosing to direct Event Horizon (a far superior movie). John R. Leonetti replaced him and tried to replicate Andersons style in the first film. But it was a complete mess overloaded with terribly-written characters portrayed by even worse actors.
Percival Constantine is the author of several novels and short stories, including the Vanguard superhero series, and regularly writes and comments on movies, comics, and other pop culture. More information can be found at his website, PercivalConstantine.com
