Mortal Kombat (2021) Review
Other than playing Mortal Kombat II in an arcade or laundromat as well as buying Mortal Kombat XL when that released on PS4, I have almost no context for what the Mortal Kombat franchise is about, why the franchise spells combat with a k, who any of these people are, where it takes place and why any of it matters. So, when my Patrons voted for Mortal Kombat (2021) as the extra film I was going to review for the final week of April, I knew I had my work cut out for me.
To put it plainly, the 2021 film reboot (apparently there was one in 1995) of Mortal Kombat is not for people like me. The film expects you to already know who everyone is, what the conflict of the franchise is, the significance of the locations the film takes place in and why it all matters.
Watch the trailer for Mortal Kombat (2021) here.
I understand the need to please long-time fans of the franchise. It's the main basis for why video game movies are made. Look at Warcraft. I don't understand that story, but some fans of the game do. I'm perfectly fine with that. However, it comes at the expense of a story that doesn't make any sense to people who haven't played the games. Some things happen in this film that are so specific to the games that it feels like watching Avengers: Endgame without seeing any other Marvel Studios film. That's how confusing this film is to an outsider like me. None of it makes sense.
Furthermore, it doesn't help that the cast has no natural chemistry between them. Every interaction between members of the cast feels stilted and without any purpose other than to nudge the audience in the ribs about the character's background in the video game franchise. That is, except for Kano (played by Josh Lawson), who made the movie bearable with how funny the film allows him to be. I only wish the film allowed the rest of the cast to go all-in on some more humourous elements to help balance out the action.
Speaking of the action, it's one of the few highlights of the film. The fights are easy to follow, appropriately brutal for a film titled Mortal Kombat, and always satisfies the viewer. I think what enhances the fights is that there's an attention to detail to how the fights are choreographed. I never felt like someone had a clear advantage over the other, but instead that the victor of the fight outthought the other person. Furthermore, the film pays attention to the intensity of the attacks, doling out buckets of blood wherever it feels appropriate, something that's strangely vanished in more modern Hollywood action films.
Another highlight is Sub-Zero (Joe Taslim). In this film, he's treated almost like the Xenomorph from the Alien franchise. He's given a signature audio screech and CG visual that lets the viewer know he's about to show up. When he does show up, he's a force to be reckoned with. He quite literally makes it rain ice in the middle of what we're lead to assume is a Summer night in one scene. It's some of the best work I've seen on a villain since Thanos' journey in Avengers: Infinity War, even if I think his rivalry with Scorpion (Hiroyuki Sanada) comes across one-note and largely unexplained.
Ultimately, stay away from this reboot if you haven't played the video games. The film does nothing to explain what's going on, nor will it thorough the 110 minute run time. However, if you're willing to turn your brain off, the fights are cool enough to stream it on HBO Max.
★.5 out of ★★★★★
Mortal Kombat is now available to watch in theaters and to stream on HBO Max.
