Mortal Kombat (2021 | USA | 110 minutes | Simon McQuoid)
Film adaptations of video games remain a fraught landscape. I’ve come to approach their arrival with a high degree of skepticism given how frequently the screen adaptations can lose sight of the fun by taking themselves too seriously. It is a joy to report that my doubts largely melted away in the face of the newest Mortal Kombat’s absurdity and commitment to having a lot of fun with the story.
Something that must be acknowledged is that the original live-action 1995 Mortal Kombat still holds a soft spot in many hearts in spite of its many flaws. Much of this is due to effects and technology that just doesn’t fully hold up when looking back. Still, it is a fun time. We won’t discuss the misguided attempt at a sequel, the drab and disastrous Mortal Kombat: Annihilation.
What elevates the newest Mortal Kombat is the far superior effects and fight sequences themselves. They all wear their influences on their sleeves, even occasionally looking like they were directly modeled off of the games, while still elevating the material with more dynamic staging and choreography.
Unlike previous entries hamstrung by the limitations of a PG-13 rating, this film makes full use of the R rating. Yes, that means the scenes often end with over-the-top gore that will delight fans of the game
The weakest parts, perhaps as one would expect, are key elements of the story. The focus is MMA fighter Cole Young (played by Lewis Tan) who finds himself drawn into a dangerous world of combat in order to protect the world from the enemies of the Outworld, a vast realm separate from our own made up of those who would seek to expand their territory by invading our world.
Along the way, he will meet a series of familiar faces from the game. There is Jax (played by Mehcad Brooks), who rescues Cole and sends him to find Sonya Blade (played by Jessica McNamee) who will help him on his journey. Then there is Kano (played by Josh Lawson) who exists mainly to create conflict and crack some jokes to keep things moving along.
The most interesting characters come later when they stumble upon Ludi Lin’s Liu Kang, Max Huang’s Kung Lao, and Tadanobu Asano’s Lord Raiden. The trio regrettably mostly exist in the background, though they still get moments to shine in the film’s many combat sequences.
If none of these names make any sense to you, that is quite alright and the film is aware of this. Everyone gets moments of introduction, even saying their names multiple times just in case you forget, to bring everyone up to speed. The enemies they fight will also be ones memorable from the games, though it is not necessary to know all of the backstory as the film gives just enough info to follow along without having to hold your hand.
Most of the plot does end up being a sideshow to the main spectacle of all the fight sequences. Cole himself exists primarily as an audience surrogate to learn about this world. Cole does have a family, though they are given only the most shallow characterization beyond their sole purpose of giving his character something to protect.
That doesn’t doom the film because no matter how bland Cole may be, it only makes the rest of the cast of characters stand out that much more. Hiroyuki Sanada as Hanzo Hasashi, who will become Scorpion, and Joe Taslim as Bi-Han, who will become Sub-Zero, prove to be the most engaging. An effectively tragic opening scene sets the stakes perfectly for how these two characters will become the most important forces by the story’s end.
Is it unfortunate that they aren’t the main characters? Yes. They have the most fleshed out backstory that, thankfully, makes for an emotional core that buoys the rest of the film. Sanada in particular, even with the least amount of screentime, really owns the role and makes the most of it. As there is a clear setup for a sequel, which will certainly introduce even more characters, the best thing that the next installation could do is make Sanada the central focus.
Mortal Kombat is by no means a masterpiece, the paper thin elements of the story hold it back from that. Still, the film is consistently fun and does everything it needs to do right. The fights, the destruction, all of it makes for a thoroughly good time. The score also is a twist on the classic theme and while no one shouts MORTAL KOMBAT with all their might, at least before the credits roll, it still makes for a surprisingly fresh update on the source material.
Mortal Kombat is available in theaters and on HBO on April 23.