“Mortal Kombat” (2021) Movie Review by Stephanie Chapman : Pop Culture Leftovers

“Mortal Kombat” (2021) Movie Review by Stephanie Chapman

May 12, 2021 8:50 am |

Mortal Kombat is arguably one of the most anticipated films of 2021. Directed by Simon McQuoid and written by Greg Russo and Dave Callaham, this film brings some of our favorite characters from the video game back to the big screen in this live action adaptation.

Audiences will remember the action packed (albeit slightly “campy”) 1995 live action “Mortal Kombat” adaptation that was accompanied by the classic title song with the same name. With advances in CGI technology, this 2021 remake is definitely worth the watch but audiences should manage expectations.

The opening fight scene is truly magnificent and takes place between “Hanzo Hasashi/Scorpion” (played by Hiroyuki Sanada) and “Bi-Han/Sub-Zero” (played by Joe Taslim). It takes its time to set the scene for the fight before drawing the audience to the edge of their seat with a beautifully choreographed and executed fight between the 2 classic characters. In this scene, Bi-Han is fighting to avenge his family and it’s palatable in the way he defeats his opponents with ease. Meanwhile, Bi-Han is a chilling and lethal character that brings the fear of death to any scene he is in.

For some this might be where the excitement ends. The rest of the movie focuses on “Cole Young” (played by Lewis Tan), a natural born fighter who discovers that the tattoo he thought was a birthmark carries a larger significance when “Jax” (played by Mehcad Brooks) finds him and recruits him to fight for Earthrealm.

The cast is then rounded out by many of the characters we know and love, “Sonya Blade” (Jessica McNamee), “Kano” (played by Josh Lawson), “Raiden” (played by Tadenobu Asano and “Liu Kang” (played by Ludi Lin).

Each fighter possesses a Mortal Kombat tattoo that determines their ability to fight for Earthrealm. Unfortunately, the tattoo origins feel like a bit of a stretch and leads to some head scratching moments. In addition, the “arcana” (magical fighting power) earned by each fighter proves useful for some and for others is more of a cheesy accessory (I’m talking about you Cole). Be prepared to see Jax’s arms retconned again and for an anticlimactic fight that finally earns Sonya her tattoo and ability to fight for Earthrealm.

The fatalities that so many fans of both the game and movies look forward to were noticeably absent, minus a few crumbs thrown to the audience towards the end. Unfortunately they proved to not be nearly as satisfying given the CGI available that could’ve provided some epic moments for this film. It was used brilliantly in some scenes and was clearly absent in others.

If viewers lean into the cheesy factor of this film it can be an enjoyable and fun experience for fans of the franchise. Although the absence of some of our favorite characters (i.e. Johnny Cage & Kitana) was noticeable, the ending of the film walked us right into a sequel where we can hopefully see them appear in the next (what are likely to be) several installments of the franchise.

PCL Rating: High Taste It

Rotten Tomatoes Rating: FRESH