'Mortal Kombat Kollection' 4K UHD Review
- Connor Petrey
- Jun 30
- 5 min read
Physical Media Release Date: 06/30/26.
Label: Arrow Video.
Form of Release: 4K UHD Limited Edition.
The Verdict: A Must-Buy
Finish Him!
A high-impact fusion of martial arts mayhem, fantasy spectacle and video game mythology, the Mortal Kombat films brought arcade combat to the big screen with bone-crunching action, iconic characters and pure 90s attitude, helping turn a controversial fighting game into a global pop culture phenomenon.
Kicking off in 1995, Mortal Kombat, directed by Paul W.S. Anderson, delivers a fast paced, crowd-pleasing adaptation that pits Earth's greatest fighters against the forces of Outworld in a no-holds-barred tournament for the fate of humanity. Featuring unforgettable characters like Liu Kang, Sonya Blade, Johnny Cage and the thunderous Raiden, the film blends martial arts choreography, fantasy world-building and a now legendary electronic soundtrack to create one of the most influential video game movies of its era. The saga continues with 1997's Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, expanding the scale and mythology as the battle spills beyond the tournament into an-all out war between realms. With higher stakes, new fighters, monstrous adversaries and epic confrontations, the sequel embraces the franchise's operatic excess and supernatural chaos, pushing the Mortal Kombat universe into full fantasy spectacle.
Restored and packed with extras, this two-film collection celebrates the brutal fun, stylised combat and mythic world of Mortal Kombat, a landmark franchise whose unparalleled high-octane action embodies the adrenaline-fuelled spirit of the 90s in all its spectacular glory!
Technical Review + Personal Opinion:
Mortal Kombat gets a 1.85:1 widescreen 2160p transfer on this disc, with Dolby Vision. The audio comes in DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround and 2.0 Stereo English form with optional SDH English subtitles. Mortal Kombat has seen a 4k restoration for this release, and the image is clear and sharp, colours are rich and consistent, and detail levels are excellent. The stylised production design and sets are really served well by the transfer, and there’s no sign of print damage or age. There is a fine layer of film grain which is never obtrusive, except maybe in the darker scenes, which is as you would expect. The action comes across well, and the film now asks the “how much resolution is too much resolution” question. In the forest for the first part of the Scorpion versus Johnny Cage battle, you can now see a car drive past the forest in the background of the image. I never saw that before. I opted for the surround audio and it’s pretty good, letting you appreciate the action and that techno soundtrack, but I did find the dialogue to be a little low in the mix; I was riding the remote for the duration. I’ve said it before, but nothing dates faster than CGI, and what might have been cutting edge in 1995, now looks little more than pre-vis 30 years down the line.
The film itself… is a remarkably cheesy but satisfying videogame adaption that highlights the strength of Paul W.S. Anderson. While unfortunately the PG13 holds the aspirations of the film’s concept back by not showcasing the brutal fatalities the games are known for. It manages to end in such a way that promises more of the same from the sequel… well shucks.
Mortal Kombat Annihilation also gets a 1.85:1 widescreen 2160p transfer with Dolby Vision, with DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround and 2.0 Stereo English and with optional SDH English subtitles. I have no complaints about the transfer again, on just the third live action UHD I’ve ever seen. There’s no sign of compression. Detail levels are excellent, the film is clean, stable and there is no banding or aliasing. You can see that I’m tiptoeing around the elephant in the room. Mortal Kombat Annihilation doesn’t look good in terms of the source material. Sure, Sheeva’s four arms are accomplished a lot more realistically and effectively than Goro’s were two years previously, but maybe they blew the special effects budget on that, because the rest of the film looks extremely low budget in comparison to the first film. The effects look terrible. The compositing work on the opening action scene is embarrassingly obvious, and the fighting action is messy and disjointed. Only the Sub-Zero versus Scorpion fight impresses in the sequel. They also don’t bother trying to conceal the stand-ins, or this is another case of 4k being 2k too many. Ray “Darth Maul” Park is much better at martial arts than James Remar, and it’s easy to tell the difference between the two Raidens. Having said all that, the locations in the film are really impressive. There’s a fair bit of globetrotting involved here. The audio does what it needs to, getting the action across well while keeping the dialogue mostly clear, although the sequel does go a lot harder on the techno music, and it does feel a little random.
The film itself… is everything the first film is not, somehow implementing a higher budget yet offering worse effects. Replacing notable character actors from the first with miserably miscast choices. It’s almost so bad it’s enjoyable, but it never quite reaches those heights.
Special Features:
DISC 1: Moral Kombat 4K UHD
Brand new audio commentary with director Paul W.S. Anderson
Brand new audio commentary with comic book expert and podcast host Dave Baxter
Cage Match, a newly filmed interview with with actor Linden Ashby
Leveling Up, a newly filmed interview with cinematographer John R. Leonetti
Quarters to Millions, a newly filmed interview with producer Lawrence Kasanoff
The Heavyweight, a newly filmed interview with designer and suit performer Tom Woodruff
Mortal Kombat: A Journey Behind the Scenes featurette
On-set interview bites with the cast and director and B-roll footage
Theatrical trailers
Image gallery
DISC 2: Mortal Komabt Annihilation 4K UHD
Brand new audio commentary with director John R. Leonetti moderated by filmmaker Gillian Wallace Horvat
Brand new audio commentary with comic book expert and podcast host Dave Baxter
The Queen of the Night, a newly filmed interview with actor Musetta Vander
Techno, Taiko, Orcho, a newly filmed interview with composer George S. Clinton
The Man of a Thousand Deaths, a newly filmed interview with stunt performer J.J. Perry, who played Cyrax, Scorpion and Noob Saibot
On-set interview bites with the cast and director and B-roll footage
Theatrical trailer
Image gallery
Rotten Tomatoes Scores:
Mortal Kombat (1995)
Tomatometer: 44% (as of 08/27/26)
Popcornmeter: 58% (as of 08/27/26)
Mortal Kombat Annihilation (1997)
Tomatometer: 4% (as of 08/27/26)
Popcornmeter: 24% (as of 08/27/26)
Physical Release Specs & Other Details:
MPAA: Rated PG13
Runtime: 196 minutes
Original Release: 1995 / 1997
Video
Codec: HEVC / H.265
Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Audio
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Subtitles
English SDH
Discs
4K Ultra HD
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BD-100)
Digital
Not Included
Packaging
Slipbox
Reversible Covers
Physical Bonuses
Collectors' perfect-bound booklet featuring new writing on the films by Simon Ward and John Torrani
Reversible sleeves featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Matt Griffin
Two double-sided foldout posters featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Matt Griffin
Playback
4K Blu-ray: Region free
Positives and Negatives
- Negative Critical and Audience Reception
+ A Nostalgic Classic and the Other One
+ A Beautiful Collector's Edition of the 4K UHD Double Feature
+ 4K restoration of the film from the original camera negative by Arrow Films approved by director Paul W.S. Anderson
+ 4K restoration of the film from the original camera negative by Arrow Films approved by director John R. Leonetti
+ x03 Physical Bonuses
+ x20 Special Features
+ x4 Audio Commentaries
- NO Digital Code Included
