Review - Mortal Kombat (2021)

          Hey guys, Chuck here. Well, I just got back from seeing the new movie Mortal Kombat, and well, I have some thoughts on this movie, so let's dive right on in. First off, the reviews for this movie have been all over the place. Its overseas release was met with rave reviews across the board, but reviews from US critics have been much more lukewarm by comparison. I, however, am approaching this movie as a fan of the games, as well as a fan of martial arts films. So, let's get started. 

        The movie opens in 17th century Japan, at the home of Hanzo Hasashi, legendary warrior of the Shirai Ryu. Unfortunately, tragedy strikes as Hanzo and his family are attacked by a clan of Chinese warriors known as the Lin Kuei, with Hanzo and his wife and son all being killed at the hands of Lin Kuei leader Bi-Han, a skilled warrior and dangerous cryomancer. Cut to many years later, and the realm of Outworld is attempting to prevent the upcoming Mortal Kombat tournament by eliminating Earthrealm's chosen fighters, ensuring victory by default, giving Outworld ten consecutive victories in Mortal Kombat. 

      It is here where we meet former MMA fighter Cole Young, who is approached by Special Forces Major Jax Briggs, and the two, along with Cole's wife and daughter, are attacked by Bi-Han, now known as Sub-Zero. Jax sends Cole to find Sonya Blade, who tells Cole about the legend of the Mortal Kombat tournament, and introduces him to the notorious crime boss Kano, who is also a chosen Earthrealm fighter. After the three survive an attack by Reptile, they head to the temple of Lord Raiden, where they meet the God of Thunder, along with two other Earthrealm fighters: Liu Kang and Kung Lao of the Order of Light. As for what happens when the fighters of Earthrealm are forced to face the forces of Outworld, you'll just have to watch the movie yourself to find out.

         Okay, so the plot of Mortal Kombat is very faithful to the video games, but it focuses on the build up to the Mortal Kombat tournament rather than on the tournament itself. And I am totally okay with that. I like the idea of establishing the world first, and saving the tournament itself for a sequel. The acting in this movie is very hit-and-miss, with easily my favorite performances coming from Joe Taslim as Sub-Zero, Mechad Brooks as Jax, Hiroyuki Sanada as Hanzo Hasashi aka Scorpion, Ludi Lin as Liu Kang, and Josh Lawson as Kano. Now, the two major performances that do fall a bit short are Lewis Tan as Cole and Jessica McNamee as Sonya. However, while they aren't the best, I don't hate them in the slightest. Far from it, in fact. But, the two that are just passable enough for me as a fan are Tadanobu Asano as Raiden and Chin Han as Shang Tsung. 

         The visual effects in this movie are easily the best of any live-action adaptation of Mortal Kombat, especially the visual effects use to bring characters like Goro and Reptile to life in this movie. I also liked getting to see characters like Mileena and Kabal, the latter of whom makes his first live-action appearance in this movie. The visual effects used to enhance the abilities of these characters, as well as the other main characters, was really good. I also liked the idea of how they explained the special abilities by calling it arcana. It makes sense for the context of the film, and works well for me as a fan of the game series.

      What is most important to remember is that Mortal Kombat is a martial arts movie. Hence, decent characters, a good story, and top notch visual effects are all for naught if the martial arts fights aren't good. And to be honest, the martial arts fights in this movie are decent. They could be a lot better, but they work pretty well for me. I think that the editing was a bit choppy, with an overuse of jump cuts, but I still enjoyed the fights nonetheless. The biggest highlight, for me, was the music score. Benjamin Wallfisch did an excellent job with the music in this movie, and I especially loved the new version of the iconic theme song "Techno Syndrome." 

       Overall, I think that Mortal Kombat is pretty good for a fan of the franchise. Newcomers might not be as enthusiastic about the movie, as there is a lot of fanservice peppered throughout the movie. For his first directorial effort. Simon McQuoid did an okay job. All that said, I give Mortal Kombat a rating of 4.05/5.

       Now, there are hints of a sequel to this movie, which is set to include fan favorite character Johnny Cage, who sadly does not appear in this movie. I, personally, would also like to see other fan favorite characters like Kitana, Ermac, Kenshi, Skarlet, Cyrax, Sektor, and Smoke also make an appearance in the next film, as well as the return of Hiroyuki Sanada as Scorpion, and maybe have Joe Taslim return in the role of Noob Saibot. Where a second Mortal Kombat movie goes, only time will tell. This is Chuck signing off, and I'll see you guys next time.