Mortal Kombat Films Review

I’ve always been a fan of the Mortal Kombat video games. I played MK, MKII and MKIIIU extensively on the Sega Mega Drive, and even MKX and MKXI on PC. MKX in particular was the installmente I enjoyed the most, especially because of its well-put-together campaign story and all the characters in the game. Plus, it was amazing to play with friends, which I still occasionally do on my Steam PC in the living room. Even the multiplayer was fun enough.

So, naturally, I was quite ecstatic when I saw there was going to be a Mortal Kombat reboot in film. The ‘95 film is a classic among video game adaptations, with its highs and lows, but most definitely with a personality of its own. As for the sequels, we don’t talk about them.

Now, I have to admit that expectations were a bit low, even despite some really good video game adaptations like Arcane and The Last of Us. But, as a hardcore fan of the series, I had to watch. I did go to the movies for the first installment of this MK reboot, but I didn’t have the same luck with the second installment. Since it premiered on Amazon Prime this week, though, I had to give it a go. And I didn’t regret it!

The first MK film begins, and ends, with the rivalry between Hanzo Hasashi (Scorpion) of the Shirai Ryu clan and Bi-Han (Sub-Zero) of the Lin Kuei clan in medieval Japan. The movie then moves to the present day and introduces a new character, Cole Young, a descendant of Hasashi who isn’t present in any of the MK game installments. From there, we get the classic “Earthrealm is in danger and we need fighters” setup and are introduced to well-known names from the franchise, such as Raiden, Sonya Blade, Liu Kang, Kung Lao, Kano and Jax on the Earthrealm side, and eventually Shang Tsung, Mileena, Nitara, Reiko, Kabal and good old Goro, albeit with most of them having very little screen time. We also get a very brief appearance from Reptile. We’re also introduced to the concept of “Arcana” as a justification for the fighters’ signature powers.

Not-so-long story short, Earthrealm is one Mortal Kombat away from getting conquered by Outworld, lines up a roster for the tournament and, plot twist, we don’t get to see the tournament. Only some expected treachery and some not-so-friendly sparring.

Perhaps I went in with my expectations too low, but I found MKI quite satisfying. The movie takes itself a bit too seriously, with the “Dragon Mark” and “unlocking your Arcana” trying a bit too hard to justify something that, well, doesn’t exactly need justification. But it touches on references that will be highly appreciated by fans, like Scorpion’s kunai-throwing or Kung Lao’s hat fatality. We even get some extra-special touches, like Liu Kang spamming the sweep kick on Kano. We’ve all been there.

MKII brings more familiar characters, including Johnny Cage, Kitana, Jade, Quan Chi, Baraka and Sindel, as well as the dreaded Noob Saibot (aka the Tobias/Boon reference) and the big boss, Shao Kahn himself. We also get to see some previous faces because, well, this is a game and revival is clearly possible. Not so Mortal Kombat after all.

The movie starts with the fall of Edenia, Kitana and Sindel’s homeworld, and the recruitment of Johnny Cage to Earthrealm’s team. This time, we do get to see the official tournament kick off, with specific duels and a strange kind of scoring system. Like in MKI, much of the story is predictable, but the director does try to innovate and surprise without breaking faith with the core material.

MKII clearly learned some lessons from the first installment and takes itself a bit less seriously while building on what made the first movie great. Karl Urban’s Johnny Cage brings more laughs, especially alongside Kano. We get more characters, more fights, more signature moves, more nods to the hardcore fans, all while trying to keep the story engaging for both fans and newcomers. Kitana’s fans? On point. Jade’s staff? Also on point. And then there are some other delicious touches, like the failed fatality. Yep. We’ve all seen that too.

Neither of these movies is a great movie, nor are they groundbreaking in any sense. This isn’t a Nolan or Scorsese flick, and even in the action genre, it’s not Wick. But overall, for a fan of the franchise, they’re great films to watch. Even though the director took some risks and tried to give the reboot a fresh take, it remained faithful to the core of the series. Any fan of Mortal Kombat will immediately recognize the characters, the context, their special moves and even some other well-thought-out details throughout the films.

Sure, maybe adding Cole Young wasn’t exactly amazing, and the whole Dragon Mark and Arcana thing was trying just a bit too hard. But the Hanzo Hasashi and Bi-Han rivalry in medieval Japan, Sonya against Kano, Shang Tsung stealing souls, Kung Lao throwing his hat, Liu Kang weaving fire, Kitana wielding her fans and, of course, Johnny Cage’s split punch and slide kick — those are elements any player will recognize from so many different eras and installments of the games.

Plus, the whole Sub-Zero-making-a-dagger-out-of-Scorpion’s-frozen-blood thing? True chef’s kiss.

The effects are pretty great to watch, and the characters are, for the most part, very well adapted. The plot isn’t perfect, and it’s far from memorable. But in the end, it provides enough reason and context to pit these fighters against each other. By the end, especially with the second movie, you’ll have the feeling that you did indeed watch a Mortal Kombat tournament. You saw fights, and then some dialogue, instead of watching a film that happened to have some fights.

Won’t be great for someone who doesn’t know the series. Will be perfectly acceptable for someone wanting to watch a no-brain Sunday afternoon action flick. But for a fan of the series? It feels amazing. Perhaps not as good an adaptation as Arcane or TLOU, but surely above average. I’m a fan of this reboot, and I’ll surely be in the movie theatre for the follow-up!