By Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Sun-Times
September 14, 1995
The one-two punch of the “Mortal Kombat” video game and the film of the same name – the nation’s No. 1 movie – is being followed with a live tour that zeroes in on martial artistry.
The $4 million interactive show – at the Rosemont Horizon Friday through Sunday – is to be 90-minutes of nonstop action, combining martial arts and gymnastics with lasers, special effects, illusions and, of course, “Kombat” characters Liu Kang and Sonya Blade.
“The martial arts sequences you see in this tour are unbelievable,” said former World Karate Champion Pat Johnson, who has worked with Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Steve McQueen and choreographed the fight scenes for both the “Mortal Kombat” film and live tour. “When we did the movie, only one of the actors (Robin Shou) was a champion martial artist, so there were limitations as to what could be done.
“But with the exception of one person in each of our two touring troupes, each athlete in the show is a world-class martial artist.”
The tour is just part of the Mortal Kombat craze, which started with the popular video game series.
“The Ultimate Guide to Mortal Kombat” will be available on CD-ROM next month, as will the “Mortal Kombat 3” video game (which enthusiasts can play in arcades now). And for fans who want to get a head start on “Mortal Kombat 3,” tour producers promise that the show will reveal “kombat kodes,” or clues that will help players reach higher levels in the video game.
“It’s kind of interesting how all the facets of Mortal Kombat have been working together,” said tour director Jeff Lee, whose credits include “Cats.” “As the game progresses, the creators of the game have been changing the (look of the characters) around a little to look more like the actors in the film.”
