Anderson directed the fantasy martial arts video game adaptation Mortal Kombat in 1995, from a script written by Kevin Droney, that was based on the first couple of video games of the same name by Midway Games, and starring an ensemble cast that includes Robin Shou as Liu Kang and Christopher Lambert as Raiden. Anderson became interested in the film because he played the video game a lot at the arcades, and the producer hired him based on the accomplished visual flair of Shopping, on a very low budget. Anderson, who admits knew nothing about visual effects or fight scenes, had to study hard every book about the subject of visual effects he could find, and learned about shooting the fights while they were filming, from the more experienced people on the set, such as Shou. The film went under big reshoots to add additional fights based on feedback from screenings with fans of the video games, and it was decided to release it in August 1995, in the hopes of becoming a summer hit. While the prior video game adaptations Super Mario Bros., Double Dragon, and Street Fighter had received particularly negative reviews and bombed at the box office in the case of the first two of these films, Mortal Kombat was better received by critics, who gave it a mixed to negative reception. Critics praised the atmosphere, visuals, and fighting sequences, but criticized the plot, dialogue, and acting. The movie fared better with audiences and fans of the video games, and scored a high A- on a CinemaScore poll. As a result, the film spent three weeks as the number-one film at the US box office, earning over $122 million worldwide, on a budget of $18 million, proving to be a major success for Anderson, and becoming recognized as the first successful video game adaptation. Anderson and most cast members, including Lambert, declined to return for the sequel, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, which, when released, was critically panned and under-performed on the box office.
Paul W. S. Anderson Biography, Age, Height, Wife, Net Worth, Family
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