Movie Breakdown: Mortal Kombat

Pre-Screening Stance:

I don’t know if I’d say I’m excited for a new Mortal Kombat movie – between the original 90s film and last year’s surprisingly good animated effort, I’m set on that front – but I do think it could be a fun romp.

Post-Screening Ramble:

Well, all the best parts of Mortal Kombat are in the trailer. This movie, even with its wild cast of characters and far out premise, is a total bore. It’s too bad, really, because it does have its moments – there’s some good visuals, plenty of bits pulled from the games (like the fatalities) are great, and the fight scenes are generally solid. There’s just far too much story though, and hardly any of it makes sense. This isn’t to say a movie based on a fighting game needs to have an airtight plot, but Mortal Kombat is a frustrating head-scratcher for the entirety of its near two-hour runtime. Thankfully, some of its dumb things are actually kind of funny, like the film’s lead character, Cole Young (Lewis Tan), thinking that the perfectly formed and detailed dragon symbol on his chest is a birthmark. However, most of it is just inane and needlessly complicated. It also doesn’t help that outside of Joe Taslim (as Sub-Zero) and Hiroyuki Sanada (as Scorpion), there are no good performances, with the stiff and awkward combo of Tan and Jessica McNamee (as Sonya Blade) turning in the worst work of the bunch.

I was hoping for a blast of mindless fun from Mortal Kombat, but it turned out to be a chore. The movie will open in theaters and hit HBO Max this Friday, April 23.

One Last Thought:

I’ve always been kind of fascinated by the animatronic suit that was used for Goro in the first Mortal Kombat movie. He just looks so odd and alien that – in a rather weird way – it makes him seem real. Unfortunately, the all CG Goro in this new film is very bland.