Mortal Kombat is a near perfect adaptation of the bloody and violent video game, but how does the plot hold up?
One thing is safe to say, fans of the Mortal Kombat video game will be thrilled with the 2021 version of the film because it feels like a near perfect adaptation. The outfits are accurate, the characters powers are the same, and the finishing moves — oh the finishing moves! Mortal Kombat is rated R for a reason, the blood and gore rival the level that players get in the video game, making it a complete blast to watch.
The overall plot is simple enough. Earth’s champions are branded by the dragon, symbolizing that they have been chosen to fight in the tournament with the Outworld. Cole Young, an MMA fighter, is one of the main characters, who thinks his symbol is just a birth mark, but when Sub-Zero shows up threatening not only his life, but the life of his family, he realizes there is a lot more to his lineage than he knows.
What Works With Mortal Kombat
There is surprisingly a lot of humor in Mortal Kombat, particularly from Kano, who is one of the best parts. Every time he opens his mouth out comes another hilarious one liner. It doesn’t feel like too much, and it helps to bring some lightheartedness to an otherwise excessively gory (in a good way) movie.
Here is the thing about this movie, it is based on a brutal video game that is filled with blood and gore, and that is exactly what ends up on the screen. There are a ton of references to the game from quotes that the characters say, to the moves that they perform, to name drops, but it doesn’t come off as too much fan service, because the script totally embraces it.
In other words, this movie knows exactly what it is. It doesn’t try to be award winning, add depth or twists to the story, or even bring in too many characters. It focuses on a core few, and the insanely disgusting and graphic fights that the audience is looking for. The plot points are strictly there to propel the story forward to its next big fight. Which might be a drawback for some, particularly those that are not a fan of the game franchise.
What Doesn’t Work With Mortal Kombat
There are rumors that the rebooted franchise of Mortal Kombat wants at least five movies, which makes sense as to why some fan favorites are not featured in the movie. Even with the alluding to them showing up in the future, fans of those particular characters might be a bit bummed out to not see them show up. However, there are a good amount of ones that do, and any more might have been too much.
The biggest issue with Mortal Kombat is some of the CGI. Most of it is pretty decent, but there are some scenes that will make the audience cringe with how goofy they look. The most obvious one being Kano’s eye laser. It just doesn’t work on the screen with how it was done.
Overall Thoughts
Mortal Kombat is not trying to be something it isn’t. It fully embraces that R rating, as well as the fact that it is based off of a fighting style video game. There is a lot of blood and gore, and a lot of massive fight scenes that look incredible, but at the same disgusting.
Fans of the game will be thrilled with all of the references and how accurate the characters are portrayed, however, they might be a bit disappointed at the absence of some fan favorite characters. The last twenty minutes or so will make up for any qualms though, and should have real fans beaming from ear to ear. Especially with that nice little set up for the rest of the franchise, and a sequel that everyone hopes to see happen.
The plot is not the greatest. It is predictable, and very clearly just there to bring viewers from one battle to the next. However, it could be a lot worse, and does its job of being just captivating enough to hold the audiences attention for the full 110 minutes.
Mortal Kombat is bloody, violent, and filled with some pretty epic fight scenes, leaving it practically begging to be seen on the biggest screen possible. Oh, and keep your ears open for an “Eddie Tobias” name drop, which is a nod to the video game’s creators Ed Boon and John Tobias.
Want to check it out for yourself? Enter to win a pair of IMAX tickets to see Mortal Kombat, and a $25 gift card for dinner!
About Mortal Kombat
In “Mortal Kombat,” MMA fighter Cole Young, accustomed to taking a beating for money, is unaware of his heritage – or why Outworld’s Emperor Shang Tsung has sent his best warrior, Sub-Zero, an otherworldly Cryomancer, to hunt Cole down. Fearing for his family’s safety, Cole goes in search of Sonya Blade at the direction of Jax, a Special Forces Major who bears the same strange dragon marking Cole was born with.
Soon, he finds himself at the temple of Lord Raiden, an Elder God and the protector of Earthrealm, who grants sanctuary to those who bear the mark. Here, Cole trains with experienced warriors Liu Kang, Kung Lao and rogue mercenary Kano, as he prepares to stand with Earth’s greatest champions against the enemies of Outworld in a high stakes battle for the universe.
But will Cole be pushed hard enough to unlock his arcana – the immense power from within his soul – in time to save not only his family, but to stop Outworld once and for all?
