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Mortal Kombat is a 1995 American martial arts fantasy film based on the video game franchise by Ed Boon and John Tobias. It is the first installment in the Mortal Kombat film series. It was directed by Paul Anderson and stars Linden Ashby, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Robin Shou, Bridgette Wilson, Talisa Soto, and Christopher Lambert. The film follows a group of heroes who participate in the eponymous tournament to protect Earth from being conquered by malevolent forces. Its story primarily adapts the original 1992 game, while also using elements from the game Mortal Kombat II (1993).
Development of a Mortal Kombat film adaptation began shortly after the release of Mortal Kombat II when independent producer Lawrence Kasanoff acquired the rights from Midway Games. Newcomer director Anderson was hired based on the strength of his debut Shopping, with a screenplay written by Kevin Droney. Filming took place primarily in Thailand, with fight sequences supervised by Shou and Pat E. Johnson.