Mortal Kombat movie almost makes a Flawless Victory
My review of the new Mortal Kombat movie
I’ve played most of the Mortal Kombat games, both back in the day and also today. Yes, I’ve played the original Mortal Kombat in the Arcades, Mortal Kombat 2/3 and even Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3. I’ve also played the current Mortal Kombat XXL and 11.
The original Mortal Kombat movie had been a favorite of mine and I did enjoy watching the quite flawed and somewhat hated Mortal Kombat Annihilation. So, what do I think of the new Mortal Kombat movie?
I actually enjoyed the movie and how it brought out a similar feel but slightly different stories than the original. The original was more of Lui Kang while having to meet Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade. This one started with the story of how Scorpion and Sub Zero started their rivalry and of Scorpion’s death. Scorpion (Hanzo Hasashi) did have a child that was hidden and found by Raiden. This was in Japan in 1617.
The story then goes to Cole and to a more current time. You get the feeling he’s related to Scorpion, but not sure. As the story goes on, you’ll find out that these characters are being hunted down before the Tournament. You’ll get to meet Jax, Sonya Blade, Kano, Liu Kang, Kung Lao, Goro, Shang Tsung, Sub Zero, Scorpion, Mileena, Reiko, and Kabal. Cole isn’t in the games from what I remember but does play a prominent part in the movie.
The action sequences are quite well done, and the CGI aspects also are quite convincing. Even the take on Jax and losing his arms near the beginning and getting the Cyborg metal arms feels quite right on. This was one of the negatives in the Mortal Kombat Annihilation with Jax, as if he needed them to feel powerful rather than just use his own arms. Here, Jax doesn’t have a choice, he needs them.
Part of the point of the movie is the “birthmark” of the Mortal Kombat dragon on each of the Earth fighters. It was like something they were chosen for, either for what they have done or in Cole’s case, based on being inherited to Scorpion (Hanzo). It was the sense that they have an extra ability that they have to discover and that Lui Kang and Kung Lao would teach them to realize their abilities. These abilities are what are in the games and gives the feeling of the game in the movie. It was never really pointed to the old movies about how they are able to do some of the things they did (especially in Annihilation), even if they weren’t that impressive.
For the fight scenes, most of the fights seemed basic standard up until certain parts that shows their abilities, such as Kung Lao and his hat and using it like in the games. Yes, there are Fatalities in this movie, and some are pretty impressive and seemed a bit creative but with the game as inspiration. This puts out a lot of good parts to the fights and feeling of the games in the movie. For gamers that love playing Mortal Kombat, will probably love the parts that have the Fatalities in it. Yes, the Fatalities can be looking pretty brutal, but this is a Rated R movie.
The actors were great in this movie and felt that they knew their characters. This makes a really good feel for their characters and how I think the characters would be. They also seemed pretty well trained for fighting and that makes a big difference. It showed that they were well prepared for the fight choreography.
One thing that stood out, especially after I decided to rewatch the original Mortal Kombat, was that the music wasn’t as inspiring as the original. The Mortal Kombat theme (Techno Syndrome) was remade and during the credits, and it just felt like it was a calmer version of the song. The original and the updated version for Annihilation, felt more energetic than this new one. Maybe this is just me and my love for the old-style music of techno and the 90s and how the music many times really helped make certain the feel for movies. Even though there were themes in the new movie, it didn’t feel very memorable to me. This was probably just me seeing the older movies side where I can remember so many great themes from old but hardly recall the new. Perhaps the themes in the movies now are more subtle than they used to be.
The ending seemed pretty predictable and that was fine with me. I really enjoyed watching this movie and I do think that many who are into the original Mortal Kombat trilogy, will probably like this movie also. The new Mortal Kombat games have additional stories and is not in this movie. This is like a beginning movie and I wonder if there will be more movies, like having the tournament and having other fighters that will be found.
