8 Video Game-To-Movie Adaptations That Get Way Too Much Hate
3. Mortal Kombat
![prince of persia movie](https://d2thvodm3xyo6j.cloudfront.net/media/2016/05/22faa3d6cebd73f8-600x338.jpg)
Whereas the sequel was all iconography and terrible one-liners, the original Mortal Kombat had a fully-realized world chockfull of grimy locales, oversized personalities, and inventive martial arts choreography. It may have come off as cheesy, but at least everyone involved was dedicated to their cheese.
Mortal Kombat is to video game movies what Tim Burton's Batman was to comic book movies: A unique, somewhat gritty take on the genre that spawned a handful of imitators.
The acting may not be Oscar-worthy, the dialogue occasionally hurls itself into cornball territory, and the plot follows some predictable beats, but it also presents itself with the ideal blend of gravity and cheekiness.
Yes, we're supposed to be genuinely terrified of the four-armed monster that shows up halfway through the film, but it's also okay to laugh when Goro gets uppercutted in the taint by Johnny Cage and groans like...like...well, like someone who just got uppercutted in the taint.
Because, you see, entertainment is not always serious business.
That doesn't stop the director from trying to shoehorn in some lofty allegories about the importance of overcoming your own fears and "vanquishing the enemy within." But that's not the stuff anyone's paying attention to. Really, you just can't wait until Scorpion shows up in all his glory. Which is reasonable.