New Line Television/Threshold Entertainment, 1997-1998
By the time Mortal Kombat: Conquest hit the airwaves in 1998, the eponymous fighting game series had hit the big time. The games were already at the fourth entry and two movies had been released. So, what to make then of the live-action television show that brought kombat to the small screen after professional wrestling? If you like Mortal Kombat – which you probably do if you’re reading this review – you’re probably going to find some intrinsic value in the prequel lore of Conquest. Otherwise, it’s just going to be similarly named vaguely familiar characters fighting.
Conquest starts out recounting the victory of the Great Kung Lao. For the uninitiated, Great Kung Lao was the champion of Earthrealm in the Mortal Kombat Tournament 500 years before the first game we know as Mortal Kombat 1992. Kung Lao saved the realm from certain subjugation by the Outworld Emperor Shao Kahn. For the act of losing the Tournament and letting Earthrealm slip through his grasp, Shao Kahn had the erstwhile sorcerer and defeated Tournament champion Shang Tsung imprisoned in cobalt mines. Conquest then follows Kung Lao’s life as he prepares for the next Tournament to be held 50 years later and Tsung’s machinations to escape his confines. The story is very close to the established lore of the games, enough that you could watch this and immediately know the difference between Great Kung Lao and his often seen and playable descendant in the later games. Other familiar faces make appearances such as Scorpion and Sub-Zero, though it’s assumed that these are ancestors of the characters we know in modern times.
With a solid story that doesn’t try to break new ground, the acting is left to draw focus, and thankfully, it’s passable. This isn’t going to set your TV on fire with Emmy-winning performances but it’s decent quality that won’t run you off, either. Paolo Montalban, Daniel Bernhardt, and Kristinna Lokken are quality leads, while Bruce Locke gives a decent turn as the scheming Shang Tsung. A solid recurring cast featuring some now-big names helps the acting legitimacy tremendously.
It’s too bad that Conquest only lasted one season, because it wasn’t terrible. It was just good enough to get you through episodes for a story that we basically already know and give a glimpse into the story of the games that had only been hinted at in the first and second game’s attract mode. While it didn’t conquer the small screen, Conquest was a nice lore gap filler.
Like the games: 8
Acting: 6
Story: 9
Total: 23 out of 30 or 7.6
HOW WE GRADE
We score the properties in three categories: Casting (or voice acting in cases of animated), plot and similarities to its source material. Each category receives points out of the maximum of 10 per category and 30 overall. The percentage is the final score.