Mortal Kombat movie review 2021

MOVIE TITLE: Mortal Kombat

RATING: R (The red-band trailer hit 116 million views in its first week, becoming the biggest red-band trailer of all time.)

LENGTH: 1 hour 50 minutes

IN A NUTSHELL:

The story is about an MMA fighter, Cole Young, who seeks out Earth’s greatest champions in order to stand against the enemies of Outworld in a high-stakes battle for the universe. If that sounds familiar, then you may already be a fan of the original 1995 Mortal Kombat movie or video game.

My 4 sons and I watched and LOVED the original 1995 film, so I was really excited to see this reboot. I’m embarrassed to admit how many times we watched that old film and so I definitely had certain expectations. They played the original 1992 video game for years too. Most fans are saying this new movie is the best adaptation of that video game EVER.

The movie is directed by Simon McQuoid, who seems to really honor the spirit of the game, as well as respect the fans. It will thrill fans but might possibly confuse and disappoint regular moviegoers. It’s not a deep or perfect movie, but pretty doggone entertaining if you’re in to fighters around the universe gathering to kick each other’s butts.

THINGS I LIKED:

You only have to wait mere minutes for the first fight scene. The action begins and you don’t even see the title card for 13 ½ minutes.
The entire cast appears to have real martial artist experience, which really boosts the action sequences and fight choreography.
Some very cool special effects.
Fans of the original Mortal Kombat will immediately recognize many of the lines straight out of that film.
Josh Lawson plays Kano and absolutely steals every scene he’s in.
Unfortunately, Darren Shahlavi was supposed to reprise his role as Kano from the Mortal Kombat Collection: Legacy 1 & 2 Double Feature Blu ray, but he passed away before the production began.
Fun fact: This is the biggest budgeted movie to ever be filmed in Adelaide and South Australia.
Hiroyuki Sanada is the oldest actor to ever play Scorpion. He’s 58 years old.
Max Huang was trained by Jackie Chan as a member of the Jackie Chan Stunt Team!
This is Lewis Tan’s first leading role in a big feature film. He previously did stunt work in The Fast & Furious: Tokyo Drift. His father, Philip Tan, had his Batman career launched by the same studio!
I’m not surprised that the fatalities costumes are way more sophisticated than in the 1994 version. They are pretty dang cool.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

There’s a new character introduced in the film that isn’t in the video game (Cole Young). Some fans are questioning why he’s even in the movie and if his presence adds to the story or not. They’re also wondering why we don’t get to see the actual tournament in the movie! What the what?
The playful banter doesn’t start until 38 minutes into the movie. The original movie felt more playful than this dramatic version.
I wish there had been a training sequence or something when the “good guys” first meet and prepare for the mortal combat.
This is a rare example of a movie with too little exposition. There isn’t nearly enough explaining as there should be for those unfamiliar with the video game or original movie.
There are some changes to characters in the video game. For example, Liu Kang and Kung Lao are simply friends in the game, yet portrayed as cousins in this movie. In real life, the actors both worked on Jackie Chan’s Stunt Team.
Not all of the characters are given interesting backstories or screen time.
So many of the scenes are dark and will be hard to watch on small streaming devices.
You don’t get to hear that classic Mortal Kombat (Original Motion Picture Score) until the rolling credits at the end of the movie.
Some of the music is just pounding sounds.
Some of the dialogue is just dumb, but honestly, it’s pretty true to the source material of the video game.
Some of the scenes and story pieces felt rushed.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

LOTS of violence with brutal deaths, blood-thirsty gore, and massive blood splatters. In fact, Lewis Tan admitted he often felt sick on set because of the gruesome scenes. The 1995 movie was rated PG-13 and WAY more family-friendly. This R-rated version is too excessive for young kids to watch.
Some subtitles to read
Profanity with F-bombs

THEMES:

Teamwork
Identity
Legacy
Good vs. Evil

FUNNY LINES:

* “I also do foot massages.” – Kano (Josh Lawson)

INTERESTING LINES:

“The time has come to begin the combat. Take anything you like but their souls are mine.” – Scorpion/Hanzo Hasashi (Hiroyuki Sanada)
“Death is only another portal.” – Scorpion/Hanzo Hasashi (Hiroyuki Sanada)