Hollywood waited 13 years to produce a new movie in the Mortal Kombat franchise after the disaster that was 1997’s “Mortal Kombat: Annihilation.” However if the result of that hiatus is “Mortal Kombat” (2021), then it was well worth the wait.
Inspired by the venerable video game series, the newest Mortal Kombat that came out on Friday is a reboot of the live action movies and not a sequel. Thankfully it has little to do with its maligned predecessor.
The story begins in ancient Japan where Hanzo Hasashi, played excellently by Hiroyuki Sanada, loses his entire family. This occurs when the ice-flinging ninja Bi-Han, chillingly portrayed by Joe Taslim, and multiple assassins kill Hasashi’s family and Hasashi is also killed by Bi-Han after a brief and bloody struggle.
The opening scene does a spectacular job showing this movie is not messing around, flexing its R-rating.
Gone is the bloodless violence of the previous films and in this opening scene alone, there’s arterial spray and exploding heads aplenty, proving the film is closer to its gory roots.
We are soon introduced to Cody Young, played by Lewis Tan. Young is a down-on-his-luck MMA fighter, family man and new character to the series, being one of the few not pulled from existing Mortal Kombat material.
Despite this distinction, Cody is a pretty likeable character, quickly fitting in with the established cast.
He’s a one-note character defined mostly by his love for his family and not knowing what the hell is happening, but Cody isn’t the only character who’s given little backstory and motivation.
Sonya (Jessica McNamee) is a badass soldier lady, Kung Lao (Max Huang) is a proud shaolin warrior, Shang Tsung (Ng Chin Han) doesn’t follow rules and steals souls and Jax (Mehcad Brooks) misses his glorious arms.
A notable exception is the criminal Kano, who is somehow both a loveable rogue and a disgusting human being – a performance that Australian actor Josh Lawson takes on with great aplomb.
This makes him one of the more fun characters to watch in the film and bizarrely for a villain, he also serves as an audience surrogate.
But the thin characterization is a feature, not a bug, making sure that deep lore and nuanced characterization don’t get in the way of the real star of the show: the fight scenes.
Each battle in the film is a sight to behold running the gamut from being a graceful dance of fists and weapons to knock-down drag-out brawls to mystical energy-flinging fights, so chances are if there’s a kind of choreographed violence you like, it’s in this film.
“Mortal Kombat” does a good job with the special effects in these fights as well. They seamlessly blend practical effects with CG in a way that is unobtrusive, mostly used for blood and projectiles.
Though there was one baffling instance where Kung Lao is replaced by a painfully obvious CG model in what could have easily been filmed as a practical stunt.
That isn’t to say the CG models were all bad. In fact, the more monstrous characters such as Nitara (Mel Jarnson), the four-armed Prince Goro (voiced by Angus Samson) or the reptile were nicely brought to life by effective CG.
While the film is fun to watch whether you’re a fan of the games or not, fans are sure to get a kick out of the little Mortal Kombat game easter eggs sprinkled throughout the film. Fans will also enjoy how most of the named characters are killed by a “fatality,” the iconic gory finishers the series is known for with all the guts and giblets included.
For anyone worried that the classic ’90s theme “Techno Syndrome” wouldn’t be making an appearance in the film, worry no longer, as bits of the song function as a leitmotif throughout the whole movie.
To top it all off, “Techno Syndrome 2021,” a modernized rendition of the song plays over the end credits.
If you’re itching for some bloody and fun fights or need something to do in between marathon game sessions, this film is definitely worth watching.
