10 Video Game Movies That Made ONE Huge Mistake
7. The PG-13 Rating - Mortal Kombat (1995)
Paul W.S. Anderson's Mortal Kombat is actually a pretty solid effort as early video game adaptations go - it's slick, stylish, boasts a killer soundtrack and touts top-notch casting for most of its central kombatants.
The one big problem, though? That dreaded PG-13 rating.
Given that Mortal Kombat's chief attribute above all else is its nauseatingly brutal violence, to strip that away for the sake of a more teen-friendly movie was both massively cynical and hugely disappointing.
This ensured that the plentiful action lacked the eye-popping, gut-wrenching zing of its inspiration.
It doesn't fully sink the movie because there's thankfully plenty else to like here, but Mortal Kombat would've been even better if it featured the grisly fatalities fans understandably expected from it.
Thankfully this issue was remedied in 2021's reboot, which while lacking the charm of the Anderson movie, nevertheless made the absolute best of its R rating with some truly gnarly kill sequences.