Mortal Kombat: Annihilation 1997

John Petrakis, Chicago Tribune: The first sequel to 1995's highly successful Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat Annihilation adds little to the development of the saga except for a truckload of martial arts sequences and a whole mess of bigger and louder special effects. Read more

Bob Heisler, Los Angeles Times: Quite serious, charmless and critic-proof. Read more

Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: Never -- at least not since the first Mortal Kombat -- has tedium been so loud, so full of backward flips and flying fists to the kissers of centaurs from another realm. Read more

Melanie McFarland, Seattle Times: The video game is much more fun, of course. Read more

Lawrence Van Gelder, New York Times: Here's the lowdown on the latest chapter in Mortal Kombat: deadly dull. Read more

Lisa Alspector, Chicago Reader: The most stimulating, satisfying aspect of this action fantasy is the theme music. Read more

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: Fragmented and monotonous, without a semblance of the gymnastic cleverness that at least made the first Mortal Kombat film into watchable trash, Mortal Kombat Annihilation is as debased as movies come. Read more

Jami Bernard, New York Daily News: It wastes no time getting to the punching, kicking, stomping and zapping that passes for a cinematic event. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: It's just an excuse for a series of tedious, repetitious fight scenes that have been staged with no hint whatsoever of originality. Read more

Peter Stack, San Francisco Chronicle: Its dazzling special effects make its combatants flip and fly, spin and soar, all the while punching and kicking each other like jackhammers, only to leave viewers utterly unmoved. Read more

Derek Adams, Time Out: It's a toss up which aspect of this drivel is worst. Read more

Daniel M. Kimmel, Variety: Pic consists largely of choppily edited fight scenes (usually involving somersaults and back flips) combined with various computer graphic effects. Read more