Mortal Kombat (2021)

Video games movies haven’t had the best track record for the longest time, but the efforts of films like Sonic the Hedgehog and Pokémon: Detective Pikachu have helped change that perception. In the past, however, there was the occasional film that broke the stigma, at least among fans, including the PG-13 Mortal Kombat film from 1995. While I haven’t seen that film as of this writing, and have only played Mortal Kombat (2011) and Mortal Kombat X, I like the series enough that I looked forward to Mortal Kombat (2021) and watched it opening day through HBO Max. It doesn’t achieve a flawless victory, but it does show that film adaptations of video games can still be good in the right hands.

In 17th century Japan, Bi-Han (Joe Taslim) leads an attack from the Lin Kuei that kills members of the rival Shirai Ryu ninja clan, including Hanzo Hasashi’s (Hiroyuki Sanada) wife and son. Hanzo Hasashi kills the attackers, but falls against Bi-Han and disappears. In the present, the realm of Outworld has defeated Earthrealm in nine of ten “Mortal Kombat” tournaments, intending to conquer Earthrealm. Due to a prophecy, however, the sorcerer Shang Tsung (Chin Han) intends to kill Earthrealm's champions before the tournament can begin. In Earthrealm, former MMA champion Cole Young (Lewis Tan) is attacked by Bi-Han, now known as Sub-Zero. However, Major Jackson “Jax” Briggs (Mehcad Brooks) rescues Cole and his family, directing them to find his partner, Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee).

Though the film doesn’t have the best story, it’s paced very well, wasting no time in efficiently establishing the stakes and characters to help set up the fight scenes. As I watched it with those who were unfamiliar with any aspect of the franchise’s established lore, I appreciated that the script was written in a way that made it accessible without betraying the spirit of the games. From what I can tell, the backstories of the characters are more or less in line with what the games had established and they translated pretty well to the silver screen (or the TV screen if you watched it through HBO Max). However, Scorpion and Sub-Zero's changed allegiances likely won't sit well with fans.

Liu Kang (Ludi Lin, left) and Kung Lao (Max Huang, right)
make for a good duo.

Where I feel more mixed are how well the characters are portrayed. For the most part, they’re acted pretty well and the actors are matched pretty well with the actual ethnicities of their in-game counterparts. However, the main protagonist, Cole Young, doesn’t stand out too well as a character, especially against already established Mortal Kombat characters like Kano (Josh Lawson), Scorpion, Sonya Blade and Liu Kang (Ludi Lin). Kano also provides good comic relief in the first half while Sonya has an interesting dynamic with the rest of the team, holding her own against Shang Tsung’s forces despite not being a designated Earthrealm champion. By comparison to even Cole, however, Shang Tsung’s forces are fairly one-note with the possible exception of Kabal (portrayed by Daniel Nelson, voiced by Damon Herriman). Their roles are fairly accurate to the source, but they have barely any characterization at best, like with Mileena (Sisi Stringer) and Goro (Angus Sampson), or are just simply there at worst, as with Reiko (Nathan Jones) and Nitara (Mel Jarnson).

While the game series has plenty of fantastical elements, a lot of these are downplayed and explained away as arcana, essentially superpowers granted to those who bear the mark of the dragon. These arcana are incorporated surprisingly well, but can clash a bit with what’s firmly established in the games. For instance, Kano’s laser eye and Jax’s more iconic robotic arms are the result of arcana as opposed to being cyborgs.

The effects help do justice to characters like Scorpion (Hiroyuki Sanada).

Of course, the main draw of Mortal Kombat (2021) would the fight scenes and they do not disappoint. Impressive choreography and special effects help bring many of the character’s iconic special moves to life while retaining the gore the series is known for without going too over the top. Spilling blood also opens up opportunities to recreate some of the more well-known Fatalities and other really cool moves, like having Sub-Zero freeze blood and use it as a knife. It’s also charmingly funny that they also incorporate some of the dialogue from the games, including phrases like “Flawless Victory” and “Test Your Might”, as well as Scorpion’s well-known line, “Get over here!” The soundtrack also fits really well, especially Benjamin Wallfisch’s remix of “Techno Syndrome” by The Immortals, a song heavily associated with Mortal Kombat since its original appearance in the 1995 film.

While not flawless, Mortal Kombat is an accessible martial arts film that largely stays true to the spirit of the games and is worth at least one viewing. Of course, existing Mortal Kombat fans will get a lot more out of it and it may even inspire you to fire up one of the games.