Directed by:
Simon McQuoidCinematography:
Germain McMickingComposer:
Benjamin WallfischCast:
Lewis Tan, Jessica McNamee, Ludi Lin, Josh Lawson, Joe Taslim, Hiroyuki Sanada, 浅野忠信, Mehcad Brooks, Chin Han, Max Huang, Matilda Kimber, Laura Brent (more)VOD (5)
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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. (Home Box Office)
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Reviews (9)
The new Mortal Kombat is my biggest guilty-pleasure of the year so far. I cannot say that I have ever been a fan of this game franchise, yet I have always wanted to feel some satisfaction watching it on the big screen, which I certainly did not get from Paul W.S. Anderson's 90s Hollywood crap and that EdWood-esque awful John R. Leonetti sequel. However, it has finally arrived. In fact, I cannot imagine how it could have been done any better – maybe just a little. It has its faults, of course, and I could list them, but I am not going to do that to a movie that I enjoyed so much with its boyish attitude and creative action scenes. A no-brainer action movie with heart cannot hurt once in a while. Give me a sequel as soon as possible!
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So I think the filmmakers really like Anderson's 1995 film, and they didn't make the new Mortal Kombat with the need to make amends to the mother of bloody video games, but to make it the way Paul W.S. Anderson would probably make it today. So expect another B-movie with not-so-interesting characters that takes itself deadly seriously, regardless of what is happening in it, pretty decent (but far from perfect) effects, and a number of scenes that are downright reminiscent of, if not quotes from, the original film. No more, no less.
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Martial arts and gore fans get over here! Everyone who gave The Father five stars, get the fuck out! The solid and anticipated reboot of Mortal Kombat is a successful debut and a respectable action genre film that slightly disappoints in a few aspects, but still serves as solid fan service and unquestionably belongs to the better films released this year. On the acting side, Joe Taslim stands out in the role of Sub-Zero, stealing all the scenes for himself, and Josh Lawson delights as Kano, possibly the biggest badass in the last ten years. This guy stole the whole show for himself, and his wisecracks had me in stitches multiple times!! As for the fights themselves, the choreography could have been more elaborate, but fortunately, the creators indulged in some nice fatalities (because that's what MK is all about) with properly utilized gore (five stars for that!). The rest of the characters don't stand out much, and the plot is of course silly (it's based on the game!!), but fans of PG 13 nonsense, musicals, and slow, uninteresting dramas will obviously suffer. The ending is a complete ball of nerves, the Sub-Zero-Scorpion duel was excellent. Overall, I had a great time, enjoyed the action, the humour, and the visuals, the music is also decent, so I will definitely revisit this film multiple times in the future. In simple terms, five stars for the gore, four stars for the fights, three stars for the plot and characters. Those who feel the need to find faults will find them. 8/10.
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I was really looking forward to this film, expecting a huge amount of fun that would please both fans and those unfamiliar with the series. I’m somewhere in between; I know the game and its characters, but I didn’t grow up with the original installments or Anderson’s original film. For me, the biggest issue is that the film takes itself far too seriously. The 1995 original knew it was just a cheap B-movie and made fun of itself, which really helped the film. This new entry missed that mark. From the performances, I can only highlight Joe Taslim and Hirojuki Sanada; they portrayed Scorpion and Sub-Zero perfectly (only because of them is my rating not worse). The rest were quite forgettable, and the main hero was utterly irritating. Kano occasionally had a decent line, but most of the time it was clear that his dialogue was forced. The story and script were downright terrible. Sure, it’s inspired by the game, and I shouldn’t expect much in this regard, but the dialogues and overall plot often lacked even the most basic logic (I would almost believe a small child wrote the script). The music was also uninspired; I expected a much better final result from Benjamin Wallfisch. I’d fire the editor because they effectively threw the well-choreographed fight scenes straight into the trash. The fatalities were pretty good; Kung Lao with his hat was a highlight. Otherwise, there were too few practical effects and an overuse of digital blood, which made the CGI quite glaring. I debated between two and three stars, but ultimately settled on two. It’s an incredible disappointment for me. I give it a slightly below-average 4.5/10.
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At first I just wanted to rejoice in what a big leap it is from the universally adored guilty pleasures by Paul W.S. Anderson, which sadly got old a while ago. However, the more I think about it, the more I realize how unfair that would be. In those days, the creators were inspired by only a couple of games that focused on tournaments and only tournaments. Since then, however, not only has more than a quarter of a century passed, but a decent number of combat games have emerged, in which mythology has reached various peaks, falls, missteps, new clashes, reboots of old concepts, and even a new generation of adventures. And from such a pile, not only can an old-new direction be much better selected, but the motivations of the characters can also be better varied. But that doesn't change my enthusiasm, because my beloved Kung Lao finally gets his chance to shine, the screenplay cautiously draws inspiration from both new and old times, beautifully winks at the details, and if it weren't for the slightly fragmented mood and unnecessarily modest storytelling in the middle act, there wouldn't be much to criticize. Even someone like Kano, whom I never really liked, works perfectly, there are so many fights that something is always happening, and at the same time, they never fall into a stereotype. All that's left is to check off favorite fatalities or images that every fan dreamed of. When a perfectly timed "Get over here!" hit, I couldn't help but get goosebumps everywhere. Hopefully, the plan for a promised trilogy will come true for these enthusiasts because the characters and individual events are distributed absolutely precisely.
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