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Look, the history of video game movies, both at the beginning of its run and currently, is spotty at best. You had bad then and you have bad now and while yo...
Apr 23, 2021 · Mortal Kombat: Directed by Simon McQuoid. With Lewis Tan, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, Joe Taslim. MMA fighter Cole Young seeks out Earth's greatest champions in order to stand against the enemies of Outworld in a high stakes battle for the universe.
- (191K)
- Action, Adventure, Fantasy
- Simon McQuoid
- 2021-04-23
Jun 7, 2018 · Mortal Kombat Trilogy Review Mortal Kombat Trilogy gives us everything we loved from Mortal Kombat 1, Mortal Kombat 2, Mortal Kombat 3 and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3!
- 6 min
- 38.3K
- ScorePN
Feb 18, 2021 · Watch the trailer for Mortal Kombat now — in theaters and streaming exclusively on HBO Max April 16. Check out our comparison of the new Mortal Kombat trailer and the original 1995 movie...
- 3 min
- 944.7K
- GameSpot Universe
- Fight!
- Mortal Kombat's Bizarre History of Movie and TV Adaptations
- Outside of Johnny Cage, who do you most want to see in the next Mortal Kombat movie?
- Mortal Kombat vs. Mortal Kombat
- Verdict
By Mitchell Saltzman
Updated: Nov 4, 2022 12:19 am
Posted: Apr 22, 2021 11:00 pm
Mortal Kombat debuts in theaters and on HBO Max on April 23, 2021.
Stop me if you’ve heard this one: against all odds, a movie adaptation of a ludicrously violent fighting game with an inherently absurd premise manages to come together as a delightfully cheesy and over-the-top martial arts action movie. If that sounds like deja vu it’s because Mortal Kombat was already made into a movie back in 1995, but this rebooted movie of the same name, directed by Simon McQuoid, follows in those footsteps by respecting the legacy of the beloved game series and its characters, but not quite to a fault. The result heavily caters to fans of NetherRealms’ 29-year-old fighting game series through tongue-in-cheek inside jokes and references, while still doing an admirable job at introducing complete newcomers to these worlds and realms.
After a terrific opening that sets up the heated and iconic rivalry between supernatural warriors Scorpion (Hiroyuki Sanada) and Sub-Zero (Joe Taslim), Mortal Kombat takes a while to find its footing. This is very much an Avengers-style team-up movie that brings together a large group of superpowered martial artists, but unless you’re familiar with the games it doesn’t have the benefit of being led into by solo movies to familiarize the audience with each character, or what the heck the Mortal Kombat Tournament even is. As a result, the first half is paced awkwardly as it bounces between character introductions, action scenes, and explanations of why this otherworldly cryomancing assassin is tearing up a city street to kill anybody with a mysterious dragon marking.
It doesn’t help that Cole Young (Lewis Tan) – a former MMA fighter who is the only major character that doesn’t come from the games – just isn’t very interesting. Despite being such an important character to the overall plot, his backstory of being a former MMA champion who’s forgotten his winning ways feels mostly irrelevant, and his relationship with his family is too underdeveloped to draw any kind of sympathy. He ultimately feels like little more than a character who’s there to represent the unfamiliar audience and have everything explained to him.
Mortal Kombat gets a much-needed injection of personality once the morally bankrupt and borderline psychotic Kano (Josh Lawson) is introduced. Kano lights up every scene he’s in with charismatic energy, sharp delivery, and fierce intensity despite fully embracing his role as the comic relief. There’s also just a really fun and interesting dynamic between him and the rest of the cast as they’re forced to tolerate an undeniably evil man.
While not an amazing film by any stretch of the word, 1995’s Mortal Kombat movie, directed by Paul W.S. Anderson, was still arguably one of the best examples of a video game movie done right and remained so for many years. It featured memorable performances, most notably from Cary Hiroyuki Tagawa, who embodied Shang Tsung so well that Netherrealm decided to capture his performance for Mortal Kombat 11’s version of the character; it had just the right balance of gore and cheesy comedy to nail Mortal Kombat’s vibe of cartoony ultra-violence, and it quite simply understood what made Mortal Kombat such a beloved fighting game at the time.
Comparing the two movies is a bit tricky because the Mortal Kombat games have changed so much between 1995 to 2021. W.S. Anderson’s Mortal Kombat movie was fitting for what the series was at the time, while McQuoid’s is appropriate for what it has become. Overall, though, McQuoid’s Mortal Kombat feels like a more well-rounded film and ends on a tantalizing note that – I sincerely hope – should lead to sequels that turn out better than the dreaded Mortal Kombat Annihilation.
In a spectacular display of blood, guts, and effects-heavy martial arts battles, this new take on the over-the-top story of the Mortal Kombat fighting games perhaps bites off a little more than it can chew by attempting what is essentially an origin story and an Avengers-esque superhero team-up all in one. As a result, the first half stalls out a b...
The Official Mortal Kombat YouTube Channel It's In Our Blood. Mortal Kombat 1 is available now on Xbox Series S|X, PS5, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
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Aug 29, 2023 · Check out the fun new Mortal Kombat 1 trailer featuring star Dave Bautista. Mortal Kombat 1 will be available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC (Steam and Epic...
- 2 min
- 8.6M
- IGN
