For this essay, I'm looking at the explosion of martial arts filmmaking in the International cinema. I saw movies from five continents, displaying how combat and choreography go hand-in-hand. In doing so, we look at how this shapes a martial arts film's aesthetics. This essay was written as part of a course. I started the course with Katherine Dunham's Ag'ya (1936, 1947) fieldwork films from Martinique that reinforced the idea that dance and combat have always been intertwined. After this, I was introduced to the Bruce lee's work in Green Hornet (1966-67), Enter the Dragon (1973), and The Dragon Lives Again (1977). Unfortunately, Bruce Lee passed away before he could enjoy or reap the benefits of the success of his last film. The Dragon Lives Again proved that was demand for movies with choreographed fight sequences was evident and despite their poor direction, such films could thrive.
From Big Trouble in Little China (1986) to Mortal Kombat (1995), I could see how Hollywood started reimagining martial arts through humor, fantasy, and special effects. In Cleopatra Jones (1973), I saw how hollywood blended blaxploitation with martial arts along with strong Black female character. Recent works like Kung-Fu Zohra (2021) revisited that legacy with a modern French lens. In El puño del cóndor (2023) and Santo el Enmascarado de Plata vs. La invasión de los marcianos (1967), I saw how martial arts could be fused into Latin American traditions, especially in the former movie. By the time I watched Ninja Batman tai Yakuza League (2025), which was the last film in this course, I could in some sense, see how martial arts, an art form usually associated with East Asia (Kung-Fu, Karate, etc) or Latin America (for example, Brazilian jiu-jitsu), could be adapted beautifully across different genres. Martial arts cinema does not belong to one country or language or region, but it can allow stroytelling about strength, discipline and philosophy.
It has begun!
For this essay, I will be providing my analysis of Mortal Kombat (1995), directed by Paul William Scott Anderson. It's a film that combines and delivers on fantasy, incredibly choreographed fight sequences, and video game aesthetics. This film had all the ingredients of a martial arts-fantasy storyline: a tournament structure, stylized characters, great punchlines, and most importantly an iconic soundtrack. The idea for the film adaptation of Mortal Kombat began after the release of the Mortal Kombat II game, with the idea of bringing the game's characters and universe on to a big screen.
Despite having only directed one feature film before, Paul W.S. Anderson was chosen to direct the movie. Paul was a fan of the video game, which meant that he approached the adaptation with authenticity and seriousness. This connection is evident not just in the film adaptation but also in its production process. There were early screenings held specifically for fans of the game, and based on their feedback, two major fight sequences were added: Johnny Cage vs. Sub-Zero and Liu Kang vs. Reptile. This ability to listen to and work on the fans' feedback is reflected in the perception of this movie even thirty years later.
The narrative structure of Mortal Kombat can be best described using the "The Hero's Journey", a storytelling approach from Joseph Campbell. While the film introduces three leads namely, Liu Kang, Johnny Cage, and Sonya Blade, it is Liu who clearly is the central protagonist in the film.
Liu begins his journey (in the Ordinary World) mourning his younger brother's death and questioning his life's purpose. The Call to Adventure comes in the form of the Mortal Kombat tournament, a battle that will determine the fate of Earth. At first, he refuses the call, thinking that this battle does not exist. However, he gets persuaded by his mentor (Grandfather), partly by the Raiden, but the most important reason is to seek vengeance for his brother's death and kill Shang Tsung. The Raiden plays the role of Wise Mentor archetype.
After accepting the call, Liu crosses the threshold when he boards the ship to Shang Tsung's island. Once there, he faces a series of tests, allies, and enemies. He also slowly builds alliances with Sonya Blade and Johnny Cage, who each have their own motivations for entering the tournament. Sonya seeks vengeance of her partner's death (at the hands of Kano) and Johnny wants to prove his legitimacy as a true martial artist. Liu also confronts his enemies like Scorpion, Reptile and ultimately, Shang Tsung.
Liu's abyss (death & re-birth) occurs when he fully accepts that the fate of Earth realm depends on him. He realizes that he is no longer fighting just for vengeance but for something larger than himself. His atonement is the final battle against Shang Tsung, where he confronts not only a powerful opponent but also his internal doubts and guilt over his brother's death. The movie ends with the return to Earth realm, which is shown in the final shot. Therefore, the structure of the film closely mirrors the Hero's Journey. This shows screenwriters, even today, taking inspiration from this classic storytelling framework and adapting it to this martial arts-fantasy film setting.
One of the film's greatest strengths lies in the fact that it understands its audience. It successfully captures the essence of the video game and gives the fans an enjoyable cinematic experience. The filmmakers (especially the director) retain all the core elements that are loved by fans. For example, the iconic one-liners like “Flawless Victory” and “Finish Him!”. Even though the film adopted a PG-13 rating (it was initially R-rated staying true to the game's violent approach), it didn't compromise on the energy of the fight scenes.
If knowing what the audience wanted was one part of the success, delivering on the fight sequences was the other (also, the most important). The video game, at its core, is a combat game. Robin Shou (Liu Kang) brought his Hong Kong martial arts background and choreographed several of his own fights, most notably the Liu Kang vs. Reptile fight sequence. Other fights like Johnny Cage vs. Sub-Zero were choreographed by Pat E. Johnson (who has also worked on The Karate Kid series). I believe the Hong Kong-style fight choreography and aesthetics also inspired the fight sequences in later movies like The Matrix (1999). In Mortal Kombat, longer takes and wider shots can be observed in the fight sequences.
The fight sequences were meticulously choreographed keeping the character in mind. Johnny Cage's fights were flashy and borderline cheeky (like the low blow to Goro) and Liu's fights were technical and skillful. And then there's Goro, the four-armed champion. Goro wasn't portrayed by a computer graphics model (as he would be done today), but by an animatronic puppet that was operated by 13-16 puppeteers. We can see the influences of Goro's character even today. In the 2015 sports-action film Brothers, a similar character, Luca, a fighter who is notorious for brutally knocking out his opponents but is limited by this movement is presented. The protagonist's win over Luca mirrors the fight sequence of Johnny Cage vs. Goro.
Most of martial arts films (like Enter the Dragon) kept fight sequences silent, such that one could hear the punches and kicks. But Mortal Kombat incorporated choreographing the fight sequences to the EDM. The iconic "Techno Syndrome" track by The Immortals became immediately recognizable and from personal experience, occupies your thoughts for the next couple of days. While it wasn't the very first film to do this, its influence can be observed in The Matrix (1999). The soundtrack of the movie didn't just support the movie's fight sequences but also it gave its fans that adrenaline rush.
In Mortal Kombat, Paul WS Anderson respects the essence of the game while adapting it for a wider audience. In doing so, he achieves this perfect balance of appealing to the fans and at the same time drawing in new audiences. If I may cheat a little, I'd argue that in this course, we also touched Australia (not directly). The Mortal Kombat movie, released in 2021, was primarily shot in South Australia. More importantly, the influence of the actor who played Kano (Trevor Goddard) in the 1995 movie cannot be denied. Trevor intended to portray the character of Kano with a Cockney English accent, but got misinterpreted as Australian. This led to the character of >Kano being retconned as Australian in the future games and movies. At this point, the only continent left is Antarctica. Perhaps, it is time for a martial-arts film from there.