Mortal Kombat: The Journey Begins (cover)
Mortal Kombat: The Journey Begins is a 1995 animated film released by Turner Home Entertainment and Threshold Entertainment as an unofficial tie-in and prequel to the feature film that debuted the same year. It features traditional animation, motion capture and CGI to explain the origins behind some of the movie's main characters, as well as a 15-minute behind-the scenes documentary of the theatrical release.
The film was released straight to home video on VHS and Laserdisc, with a running time of fifty-four minutes. It was included as a bonus on the Mortal Kombat Blu-ray released in April 2011.
Synopsis[]
The film features Liu Kang, Johnny Cage, and Sonya Blade - also the three main characters in the live action movie - traveling on a mysterious boat to battle in the Mortal Kombat tournament. On the way, they meet Raiden, who provides them with some hints about how to survive the tournament and defeat Shang Tsung and his army of Tarkatan minions. Upon arriving at the island where the battles takes place, Raiden retells the origins of Shang Tsung, Goro, the Great Kung Lao, Scorpion, and the elder Sub-Zero in between fight scenes.
Cast[]
- Jeff Glen Bennett - Johnny Cage, Scorpion
- Jim Cummings - Shang Tsung, Sub-Zero
- Ron A. Feinberg - Raiden, Goro
- Jennifer Hale - Sonya Blade
- Randy Hamilton - Liu Kang
Trivia[]
- Despite their prominent roles in the live action movie, Kano, Kitana and Reptile do not appear in The Journey Begins. However, Kano is mentioned (although no name is given) as the "wanted man" that Sonya Blade is searching for on Shang Tsung's ship.
- A number of Tarkatan warriors appear in the movie, although none of them are recognized as Baraka. Instead, they are referred to as "Nomads".
- The Great Kung Lao mentioned in the flashback is the Kung Lao with the razor-rimmed hat, even though in the games, The Great Kung Lao, and the Kung Lao with the razor-rimmed hat are 2 different characters.