Is the new Mortal Kombat a flawless victory for HBO Max?
Please forgive me for the cheesy title but I couldn’t resist. As a 90’s kid, we grew up in the golden age of fighting video games. We didn’t expect much so just being able to hit some buttons and see a character attack the character in front of them was endless entertainment. Mortal Kombat was one of the hottest games in those days so when the movie came out in 1995, though it wasn’t great critically, it was a box office success.
There have been additional movies since then and the game has evolved along with the technology but the legend always goes back to its roots. The new film needed to speak to the people from my era who have grown up with the legend of Mortal Kombat while also being sure to give the new era the graphic finishers that they’ve come to love from the game. So were they successful?
I know most people aren’t tuning into Mortal Kombat to be wowed by the story but let’s start there. We first see a scene from the 1600s where Bi-Han, or Sub Zero, (Joe Taslim, Star Trek Beyond) is out to wipe out Hanzo Hasashi’s, or Scorpion, (Hiroyuki Sanada, Avengers: Endgame) bloodline. This establishes Sub Zero as the main villain while also letting us know how dangerous he is. The scene does get pretty bloody and reminded me of the kung-fu flicks I used to watch with my dad growing up.
We then fast-forward to the present and see Lewis Tan (Into the Badlands) as Cole Young. A washed MMA fighter who can’t defend himself to save his career, let alone his life. We’re also introduced to Mechad Brooks (True Blood) as Jax who apparently has been keeping tabs on Young. Cole has a wife and kid so when Sub Zero shows up to get him, Jax helps him get away. He’s sent to meet up with Sonya Blade, played by Jessica McNamee (Sirens), who gives him the history of Mortal Kombat and explains what they know about the tournament.
Mortal Kombat delivers in its fights and has just enough story to work
Long story short, there are a chosen few champions that are to defend the planet from the champions of the Outworld. Cole bears the dragon tattoo (which marks him as a champion) since birth while the others received theirs by killing someone who had the mark at some point. They travel to find the Temple of Raiden as they still have time to prepare for the tournament, but the Outworld champions are looking to take out Earth’s before the tournament can even begin.
The performances
As much as I love Lewis Tan, I could not get invested in his character early on. The movie takes a huge step in the right direction once Kano, played by Josh Lawson (House of Lies), is introduced as he becomes the comic relief. If a movie like this takes itself too seriously it is ripe for disaster and Kano coming in as an unfiltered Australian mercenary keeps it from doing so.
At the same time, Sonya Blade’s journey becomes something to watch as she’s the only one involved who doesn’t have the dragon mark. You have to assume she’s going to get it at some point but the movie makes you wait to see how. The movie also makes you wait for Jax’s arms and for all of them to unlock their special abilities.
Joe Taslim’s Sub Zero is menacing from start to finish and feels like a real threat and this was the real victory in the movie. Chin Han (The Dark Knight) as Shang Tsung also feels dangerous and is only held in check by Master Raiden (Tadanobu Asano, the Thor trilogy).
Liu Kang and Kung Lao, played by Ludi Lin (Power Rangers) and Max Huang (who has mostly done stunt work in the past) are the final Earth Champions to be introduced and they both come in aware of the tournament and have already unlocked their abilities. The movie makes both characters dope and gives them enough depth to make them matter as well. Kung Lao makes his sharp hat cool as hell and he has the best kill in my opinion.
Does the action really deliver?
YES! I don’t want to spoil a single fight but if you are going for the action you would have to be very picky to find a reason to be disappointed.
Will there be more?
The door was left wide open for there to be sequels. Not only did the movie hold back on introducing some characters, but we are also told that death isn’t necessarily the end for the characters we lost. Most already know that so the only real question is how certain characters might come back and what a sequel might entail.
It wasn’t just resurrection that we’re promised at the end though. After the events have concluded, one of our main characters drops a subtle hint about who we might see next. Just in case that hint doesn’t land though, the movie gives you a visual to confirm what that hint was alluding to before the movie closes.
With action movies, I always say don’t listen to the critics and that does apply here. The critics have not been completely harsh on Rotten Tomatoes, however, with Mortal Kombat registering a 56% Fresh rating (just 4% below the threshold to be actually considered fresh).
The general audience seems to love the film though. At this time the audience rating for Mortal Kombat is 88%. Both numbers are by far the highest of any Mortal Kombat movie.
If you walk into this movie hoping to see some fun fights and to see a movie that pays homage to the games, you will get that. If you’re hoping for a cinematic masterpiece, watch a different movie.
Mortal Kombat is now available in theaters and streaming on HBO Max.