Wild Johnny Cage Theory Explains Why Mortal Kombat: Annihilation Sucks

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Mortal Kombat: Annihilation is often remembered as one of the worst sequels ever made, but an interesting fan theory regarding Johnny Cage has an in-universe explanation as to why the movie is so bad. While video game movie adaptations have always been difficult for Hollywood to pull off, the 1995 Mortal Kombat was a solid film that worked both for those who knew the games and new audiences, especially if compared with contemporary productions like 1993’s Super Mario Bros. However, not only did Mortal Kombat: Annihilation fail to replicate what made the first movie work, but it also felt more like a Mortal Kombat parody than a true sequel.

One of the reasons why the 1995 Mortal Kombat movie worked is because it told a relatively simple, straightforward story. The Mortal Kombat lore, despite the simplicity of the first few games, was already big enough at that time – with countless characters and potential stories for the movie adaption to pick up. In hindsight, that was one of Mortal Kombat: Annihilation’s biggest problems, as the sequel tried to expand the scale and the scope of the first movie in almost every matter. Mortal Kombat (1995), on the other hand, played safe by following Liu Kang, Johnny Cage, and Sonya Blade heading to the first Mortal Kombat tournament in ages while Raiden lectured the audiences about the lore and rules of that world.

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In theory, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation was right in expanding the world of the first movie. The 1995 Mortal Kombat had already established the main characters and the rules of the Mortal Kombat, plus featured a tournament from beginning to end. Bringing Shao Kahn at the end of Mortal Kombat to be the