It wasn't exactly Oscar-caliber cinema, but the first MK film was a solid popcorn flick. Good fights, awesome soundtrack, cheesy-yet-delightful acting with some great one-liners, serviceable effects by 1995 standards. It was entertaining through and through. I saw it in theaters twice. It's rare that I go see a movie twice in theaters, especially for something that doesn't have "Star Wars" in the title, but the first MK movie got that distinction.

Now MK: Annihilation... Holy shit, did that movie ever suck. I wanted my money back after that abomination. Atrocious effects, dull fights, acting that didn't even try to get to "fun cheesy" levels, and a far less memorable soundtrack. It was like someone fused Power Rangers with Mortal Kombat, sucked out all the fun, and had a bunch of random MK cosplayers selected to replace most of the cast from the first movie and play characters not in the first one.