Fight Films: Original Mortal Kombat, Karate Kid coming to Netflix in July

For fans of more recent action movies, the streaming giant also offers Snowpiercer, among others

Summertime is the perfect time for action movie goodness, something Netflix knows well, and so it is offering fans a nice slate of new movies to choose from this July. Whether you’re interested in some nostalgia (Karate Kid), a more recent addition to the pantheon of action greats (Snowpiercer), or a new release (Gunpowder Milkshake) there are options for a wide variety of tastes.

1. Karate Kid trilogy - In a natural selection for the new home for the hit series Cobra Kai, current Netflix stars Ralph Macchio and William Zabka can be seen in the 1984 movie that kicked off not just a film and television franchise, but an American cultural institution that helped popularize martial arts. Here’s the original trailer:

2. Mortal Kombat (1995) - Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson, the original Mortal Kombat was a commercial success and a big hit with the fans, even if reviews were mixed. The 2021 reboot did not match the success of the first film, which spent three weeks at the top of the box office.

3. Snowpiercer (2013) - You don’t judge a book by its cover or for that matter, a movie by its title. While the name Snowpiercer isn’t evocative of all that much, the Bong Joon Ho film is a post-apocalyptic movie with excellent action and fight choreography and is well worth the watch. Starring Chris Evans, Jamie Bell, and Tilda Swinton, the film is based on the graphic novel Le Transperceneige. Bong Joon Ho clashed regularly with producer Harvey Weinstein, who demanded the auteur remove his favorite scene, which involved a fish. Ho told Weinstein it was an homage to his dead father, who was a fisherman. Upon hearing this, Weinstein relented, but later Bong Joon Ho said in an interview, “It was a f—ing lie. My father was not a fisherman.”

4. Gunpowder Milkshake (2021) - Clearly inspired by John Wick, this action-packed, femme fatale take on the stylized assassin flick stars Lena Headey and Karen Gillan, with veterans Carla Gugino, Michelle Yeoh, and Angela Bassett featured. The original feature will be released July 14th on Netflix.

Netflix is also offering several foreign language action films, from the historical fantasy Dynasty Warriors (2021) to horror The 8th Night (2021), giving fans plenty of martial arts movies to fill the long summer days.