Mortal Kombat: Annihilation is a 1997 American martial arts fantasy film directed by John R. Leonetti in his directorial debut. Based on the Mortal Kombat video game franchise, it is the second installment in the Mortal Kombat film series and a sequel to the original 1995 film, of which Leonetti served as cinematographer. Largely an adaptation of the video game Mortal Kombat 3 (1995), Annihilation follows Liu Kang and his allies as they attempt to stop the malevolent Shao Kahn from conquering Earthrealm. It stars Robin Shou as Liu, Talisa Soto as Kitana, James Remar as Rayden, Sandra Hess as Sonya Blade, Lynn Red Williams as Jax, and Brian Thompson as Kahn. Only Shou and Soto reprise their roles, with the rest of the characters recast from the previous film.

 

Released to theaters by New Line Cinema on November 21, 1997, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation was panned by critics, with criticism for its story, characters, and special effects. It was also a commercial failure, grossing $51.3 million against a $30 million budget. Due to the film's poor critical and commercial performance, a direct sequel was cancelled. A third Mortal Kombat film languished in development hell for nearly two decades until the series was rebooted with a 2021 installment.