Released: April 2021
Director: Simon McQuoid
Run Time: 110 Minutes
Rated R
Distributor: Warner Bros./New Line Cinema
Genre: Action
Cast:
Lewis Tan: Cole Young
Joe Taslim: Bi-Han/Sub-Zero
Jessica McNamee: Sonya Blade
Josh Lawson: Kano
Mehcad Brooks: Jax
Hiroyuki Sanada: Hanzo Hasashi/Scorpion
Tadanubo Asano: Lord Raiden
Chin Han: Shang Tsung
Ludi Lin: Liu Kang
Max Huang: Kung Lao
When Midway’s Mortal Kombat hit the arcades back in 1992, it took the world by storm. Not only was it ground-breaking visually, but also in its use of violence. This game caused a massive uproar with parents and politicians. So much, in fact, that this was the game that led to the creation of the ESRB, or Entertainment Software Ratings Board. Yet, the controversy over the game’s violence only led to it becoming more and more popular. In fact, it would rival Capcom’s flagship fighter, Street Fighter II. Personally, I drifted more towards Mortal Kombat than Street Fighter, even though I enjoyed that one as well. The franchise has had its ups and downs over the years. The original game, while groundbreaking, doesn’t quite hold up as well, mechanically and visually. In fact, most people would point to Mortal Kombat II as being the best in the series, and they’re not wrong. It had more characters, more violence, but it also expanded the franchise’s lore exponentially. While the franchise would hit bumps like Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero, Mortal Kombat 4, and Mortal Kombat: Special Forces, the good games far outweighed the bad. But the franchise would get rebooted in 2009 with the simple title of Mortal Kombat. This would add a story mode that was surprisingly good and would span the original three games. It was followed up by the stellar Mortal Kombat X and Mortal Kombat 11. The story in those games were absolutely incredible, but the gameplay remained unchanged with the use of combos and fatalities that made the game incredibly popular in the first place.
On the film side of things, New Line Cinema released the original live-action Mortal Kombat to theaters in 1995 to mostly mixed but positive reviews, despite having a PG-13 rating. Unfortunately, THAT movie was followed up by a more expensive yet even worse film in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. I’ve reviewed the film, and let’s just say that it’s so bad, it’s good. It’s entertaining in all the WRONG ways. We would also get a live-action series that only lasted one season, but was supposed to last for two, an animated series, and a web series that ran for two seasons. The less said about the shitty Mortal Kombat: The Journey Begins animated film, the better. There was a recent animated film called Scorion’s Revenge which focused on one of the series’ most famous characters, Scorpion. It wasn’t that bad actually, and contained all the blood and guts that the series was known for. Mortal Kombat, as a franchise, is still going strong, and I would not be surprised to hear that Mortal Kombat 12 will be announced in the next two years. It’s a prediction, so don’t take my word for it. Like the games, the film side of Mortal Kombat would also see a reboot, and that is what I’m reviewing today.
Mortal Kombat opens in 17th century Japan, as famed Shirai Ryu ninja Hanzo Hasashi and his family is attacked by the ruthless Chinese warrior Bi-Han. Ultimately dying at the hands of Bi-Han(Sub-Zero), the surviving infant child of Hanzo is rescued by the thunder god, Raiden. Centuries later, MMA fighter Cole Young gets beaten to a pulp in the ring when he meets Jax, a special forces agent sent to find him because of a mysterious dragon marking that Cole has. As it turns out, the marking is an invitation to a mystical fighting tournament called Mortal Kombat, and Cole has been chosen to fight for Earth against the evil forces of Outworld, a ruthless world hell-bent on universal domination. After being attacked by Sub-Zero, Cole finds Sonya Blade and learns about Mortal Kombat, but also discovers that there are other champions of Earthrealm, with Jax being one of them. Unfortunately, Outworld, led by the evil sorcerer Shang Tsung, has been quietly assassinating the champions of Earthrealm to gain an advantage in the next tournament, so Cole and company have to find Raiden and train to be the last line of defense for Earth. Honestly, the story is needlessly complex. A lot of it just seems unnecessary and the cheating from Outworld? We already saw that with Mortal Kombat: Annihilation and that didn’t the movie any favors. What’s the point of all the rules, if your opponent is going to cheat anyway? The real story of the film should’ve been the rivalry between Scorpion and Sub-Zero, since that story actually bookends the movie. Scorpion’s quest for revenge against Sub-Zero has been a part of Mortal Kombat’s mythology since the original game, and is the most compelling part of the new movie. Honestly, if you look at this film’s posters and images from over the years, you would see that Scorpion and Sub-Zero are the literal face of Mortal Kombat. They have been since the original game. Truthfully, if they were to make a movie specifically about Scorpion and Sub-Zero, I would jump on that in a heart-beat. But as I said, Scorpion and Sub-Zero’s story bookends the film, with everything in between just being filler, and not always good filler.
As a fan of Mortal Kombat, I would like to go over what works and doesn’t work here. I’m going to start with the positive, as there is quite a bit of good things this movie does provide. Let’s get the obvious out of the way: This is a very violent movie. This new movie was intended to be R-rated featuring the gory fatalities from the games, and it delivers on that front. It’s gory. It’s highly stylized, but funnily enough, it really works here, like it does in the game. People get eviscerated and sliced in half in all their bloody glory. The first 13 minutes of this movie are some of the best opening scenes I’ve ever witnessed in a movie. It shows Scorpion before he becomes the demon ninja as he takes on his rival Sub-Zero. It’s brilliantly choreographed, and I really loved the use of the rope spear that Scorpion fashions. When Sub-Zero uses his powers, it’s unlike anything I’ve seen before. It looks frigid, but organic the way he uses ice. Speaking of Sub-Zero: They made this guy MEAN. He’s scary. He’s powerful, ancient, and incredibly fast. Joe Taslim from The Raid and The Swordsman was perfect casting here. His Sub-Zero is definitely a monster. Like-wise, Hiroyuki Sanada’s Scorpion is a very tragic character, witnessing the murder of his family and dying at the hands of Sub-Zero. His fight with Sub-Zero at the beginning and end of the film are the best fight scenes in the movie. You can definitely feel Scorpion’s rage as he takes on Sub-Zero. Josh Lawson almost steals the show as the mercenary Kano. He’s definitely the comic relief of the bunch and he is funny. The character’s a dirt-bag, but Lawson makes you like him anyway, especially when he gets his laser-eye.
Now, let’s talk about the bad, and there’s quite a bit of THAT as well. Outside of Scorpion, Sub-Zero, and Kano, everyone else is just…there. I’m not really going to bad-mouth the character of Cole Young, as he’s supposed the audience’s surrogate into the bonkers world that is Mortal Kombat. I think Lewis Tan did pretty well for a character that wasn’t particularly well-written, but he’s not even close to being the worst part of the movie. Let’s meet the villains first. The leader of the Outworld assassins is a soul-devouring sorcerer named Shang Tsung. The character is supposed to be this shape-shifting villain that needed to be intimidating, but this film’s version of Shang is incredibly weak. I’m not blaming Chin Han for his performance, as he does what he can with what he’s given, but what he’s given is pretty awful. The character is all talk and doesn’t really do anything. At least Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa’s version DID stuff, like steal souls and…fight. He was also far more charismatic. You’ve also got second-tier villains like Kabal, Nitara, Reiko, and Mileena. Mileena didn’t need to be in this movie. They should’ve kept her for the next one. Reiko is just a typical over-sized henchman, while Kabal is a foul-mouthed faceless villain with hook-swords. Again, these characters are from the game, but they aren’t given much to do. On the hero side of things, it doesn’t get much better. Sonya and Jax do more than anyone else, and they’re fine, but they aren’t that compelling. Liu Kang and Kung Lao are I really have problems. I have nothing against the actors, but the way they are written is atrocious. Liu Kang and Kung Lao are some of the most wooden characters you will ever find in a video game movie. Say what you will about the original game, but Robin Shou’s Liu Kang was charismatic, intelligent, and skeptical, which made him a memorable character in the original film. Also, Raiden’s an asshole. Just sayin’.
The dragon markings. Let’s talk about what they’re supposed to do. According to THIS film’s mythology-building, these markings show up on people that are mysteriously chosen to fight in a mystical tournament that’s supposed to determine the fate of the earth. But wait: There’s more. Apparently these markings are also supposed to grant their wearer special powers. I’ve got some problems with this concept. First of all, anybody who isn’t from Outworld that kills someone with this marking will receive it, making them a “chosen one.” It doesn’t make sense. Secondly, the power that the marking is supposed to unlock is called an “arcana.” Why wouldn’t you just call it “chi,” since it apparently amounts to be the same thing? But each person’s arcana grants each person different abilities. Liu Kang’s is the fireball, Jax gets super-strength with his mechanical arms, Kano can fire a laser from his eye and Kung Lao can teleport and toss a hat. Apparently, if you don’t unlock your arcana, you can’t beat Outworlders at all. Um…bullshit? I guess somebody that this was a good idea, so they can ramp up the tension. It doesn’t, actually. It’s just the writers screwing with established mythology. I mean, Cole Young gets body armor and a pair of tonfas. BODY. ARMOR. That’s the best they can come up with? Don’t get me started on the film’s dialogue. It’s atrocious. It’s almost Mortal Kombat: Annihilation levels of bad.
There’s other stuff that’s kind of mixed. The fight choreography is outstanding…when you can see it. The fight at the beginning and the end of Mortal Kombat are the best fights in the film, bar none. Not only can you see what’s going on, but it’s clearly Hiroyuki Sanada and Joe Taslim doing the bulk of the action. Lewis Tan gets some moments to shine, and he’s a respectable martial artist like his father, but the problem with the majority of the fights in the film, is that they are hampered by some really bad editing. There’s not a ton of shaky-cam, thank the gods, but the quick-editing really gets old fast. The visual effects and the CGI are actually pretty top-notch, especially with the four-armed beast-man, Goro. He’s a fully CGI-character, and while you can see that, it allows the character to move in a way that you really couldn’t with a practical puppet. The blood is certainly CGI, but as I mentioned earlier, it’s stylized and it makes for the kind of film that we have here. There’s also some solid practical effects and moments throughout the film that are much appreciated. The cinematography is a bit of a toss-up, I’m afraid. While certain shots look really good, there are moments in the film that are painfully obvious that they are done on a soundstage in front of a green-screen. Also, while the film’s soundtrack DOES include the famous “MORTAL KOMBAT!!!(Techno Syndrome)” theme song by the Immortals, it’s remixed in a way that I really don’t like. For a movie that takes itself so seriously, would it have hurt to include the original version of the theme song?
While it seems like I’m really coming down hard on 2021’s Mortal Kombat, I have to be truthful here: I actually enjoyed it quite a bit. It took me a couple of viewings, but I’ve found that the movie is growing on me. For all the problems that the movie has, there’s a lot to like here, especially for fans. There’s a lot of fan service here, and if you look carefully, there are plenty of Easter-eggs to be found. The film is also paced pretty well. I was never actually bored. For a first-time director in Simon McQuoid and writer Greg Russo, Mortal Kombat is far from the worst thing I’ve ever seen. All you have to do is look at the previous live-action Mortal Kombat film. I think the problem that a lot of people have had, and rightfully so, is that this film is actually a prelude to the actual tournament, which is what everybody wanted to see. From what I understand, Mortal Kombat did well enough on HBO Max and in theaters to warrant getting at least one sequel, even though Warner is planning for three more. That will depend on how well the sequel does. I, for one, am looking forward to seeing it, because it could very well be a proper Mortal Kombat film. I know that Joe Taslim signed a contract for a few more as Sub-Zero, but as with anything in Hollywood, those contracts won’t mean a thing if the films don’t get off the ground. There’s real potential here for an epic tournament-style film, and I think it could happen. But they need a new director and screen-writer to get it done properly.
In spite of Mortal Kombat’s issues, I absolutely would recommend it to fans of the game, but ONLY to the fans of the game. Despite the fact that the lead character, Cole Young, is supposed to be the audience’s entry into the world of Mortal Kombat, there are things in this movie that only fans are going to appreciate. From the character designs to the fatalities and violence, this most likely won’t appeal to a lot of people outside of the main fanbase. But to be fair, that fanbase is huge. The franchise would not be where it is right now without them, that much I know for sure.
My Final Recommendation: GET OVER HERE!…to see this movie. 7/10