Mortal Kombat (2021)

Mortal Kombat (2021)

 6/10

 Starring

Lewis Tan

Jessica McNamee

Josh Lawson

Tadanobu Asano

Mehcad Brooks

 

Directed by Simon McQuoid

 

The story is not great. Anyone who isn’t a fan of the franchise will lose interest easily. The weak plot drops this movie to the level of a B-movie, even though it’s supposed to be top-class. This movie is intended to set the ball rolling for potential sequels, and I just hope the plots in those are better. Since I’m a fan of the franchise and familiar with the plot, it was easy for me to follow—and easy for me to enjoy. The comedy is mainly for fans who’ve played the game, but I felt it should have been done in a way that includes everyone. However, the movie did retain the gory, brutal aspects of the game.

Unfortunately, it failed to entertain in most of the hand-to-hand combat scenes, with some fights becoming boring due to excessive effects. The only fight that really caught my attention was the one between Sonya Blade and Kano. In that fight, Sonya fought with urgency and intelligence to take down a killer, and it stood out from the rest.

The movie is based on the fictional fighting game Mortal Kombat, first released in 1992, which has had numerous installments, with the latest being Mortal Kombat 11 in 2019. The first film adaptation (Mortal Kombat) was released in 1995 and was a hit. Since then, plans for a three-film series have faced many obstacles. The main one was the sequel to the 1995 hit, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, which was a commercial and critical flop. This movie serves as a reboot of the film franchise, keeping the main Mortal Kombat plot while introducing new subplots and twists to the old storylines.

Now, let’s dive into the main plot. In this fictional universe, there are numerous realms controlled by Elder Gods. These Gods are bound by the rules of Mortal Kombat, which prevent them from interfering in the fight for realm domination. The fight occurs between chosen warriors of Earthrealm and those of other realms for control. This movie introduces us to three realms: Netherrealm, Earthrealm, and Outworld.

The movie sets up one of the game’s main rivalries: Sub-Zero versus Scorpion. Sub-Zero kills Scorpion and his family, prompting Scorpion to vow revenge. Shang Tsung, one of the leaders of Outworld, decides to break the rules by sending his warriors to kill all of Earthrealm’s chosen ones before Mortal Kombat can occur, allowing him to seize control.

Earthrealm’s chosen warriors are identified by a dragon mark on their bodies. This mark can be transferred if you kill someone who bears it. Jax and Sonya Blade are searching for people with this mark, trying to figure out its meaning, even though they don’t know much about Mortal Kombat. Their search leads them to Cole, whom Jax saves from Sub-Zero’s attack. Cole later finds Sonya, who has Kano in her custody. Sonya realizes the answers they seek lie in Raiden’s temple, a place only Kano knows. Reluctantly, Kano leads them to the temple, where they meet Kung Lao and Liu Kang. The pair introduces them to Raiden, who explains the rules of Mortal Kombat and the stakes involved before assigning Lao and Kang to train them.

However, Shang Tsung isn’t willing to wait for the training to be completed. He pulls every trick he can to disrupt their preparation and kill them.

This movie isn’t something I’d recommend to just anyone. It’s made for fans who already know the characters and are willing to sit through the story to watch them step up. Speaking of stepping up, the movie has one of the most ridiculous "step up to your warrior status" scenes I’ve ever seen. The characters take a beating throughout the film, then suddenly rise to the occasion when they have something to lose. Most of these fights were unimpressive—except for the Sonya and Kano fight, which I wouldn’t mind watching again.

If the movie makes enough money and draws new subscribers to HBO Max, there might be a sequel. Until then, we can only hope that if one is made, it’ll come with a better script.