I’m one of the many who were there when “Mortal Kombat” crashed through America in 1992. Going from an arcade hit everyone talked about because of its vicious violence, to a home console darling, “Mortal Kombat” is a prime franchise candidate that was sadly snuffed out in 1997. After the absolute embarrassment of “Mortal Kombat: Annihilation” it took two decades for “Mortal Kombat” to finally return as a potential cinematic/franchise heavyweight.
Is Warner Bros.’ and Simon McQuoid’s reboot perfect? No. But hot damn it is good!
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. Cole trains with experienced warriors Liu Kang, Kung Lao, 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 able to stop Outworld once and for all?
While I’ll always have appreciation for the 1995 OG, the reboot works on so many levels. It’s fun, it’s gory, it’s funny, it’s action packed, and it injects the necessary amount of camp needed for this series. It also offers the necessary emotional weight we need to get behind these characters; it’s emotional weight that’ll allow this movie series to flourish for many more sequels. Characters Sub-Zero and Scorpion are given significant back story (Joe Taslim and Hiroyuki Sanada are superb) with an emotionally charged prologue. This gives the movie as a whole a reason to exist and injects immense motivation in every person on screen to act as they do and how they do. What fuels Kano? Why is Sonya Blade involved?
Rather than the “Because the game!” reasons of the original two films, McQuoid and the writers offer great motivations and allow us to root them on from beginning to end. Everything about “Mortal Kombat” is tightly packed and manages to present so much fascinating lore and back story, while also paying homage to the games for long standing fans of the franchise. There are the fatalities, the brutalities, signature moves from various characters, and some are even improved upon. Sub-Zero is one scary motherfucker here, and Raiden is given a great presence as the film’s resident Gandalf-esque force of good.
Also I’d be remiss if I didn’t offer big credit to Josh Lawson who, often times, carried the movie as the ruthless villain Kano. The man is the SOB you love to hate, and I hope he returns for the potential follow up. Meanwhile typically boring characters like Kabal actually become formidable on screen villains. If anything I wish we’d seen so much more of Jax, while I think the writers should have opted to focus on a more interesting protagonist. While Cole Young is fine, as is star Lewis Tan, Young pales in comparison to the more appealing heroes the script could have set its sights on. While yes, Cole exists as a means of giving entry to new audiences, I wouldn’t miss him if he doesn’t appear in “Mortal Kombat II.”
Most of all, there isn’t an actual tournament that ensues. Much of the movie is preparation for a tournament and then once Shang Tsung begins cheating, the tournament never actually unfolds. That said, I loved “Mortal Kombat.” I love the direction McQuoid takes offering substance, great action, and characters we can root for. I’m convinced this mythology can produce some great sequels down the line, as well as a new generation of fans.
Now in Theaters Worldwide and Streaming Exclusively on HBO Max.