NON-SPOILER REVIEW
A few days prior to its worldwide release, the first seven minutes of Mortal Kombat were made available online to give audiences a taste of what was to come - a tiny morsel of the awesomeness that was within the film, or more cynically, a marketing ploy to water the senses and have you rushing to the screens upon its release, because deep down the studio knew they potentially had a bomb on their hands. At this point, I'll be going with the latter, as its no secret that, the 7-minute intro was one of the better parts of the movie, while Scorpion and Subzero start (and finish) the movie strongly, everything in-between is really just average, despite Director Simon Mcquoid's better intentions. I see what he's tried to do, but unlike a human head being severed with Kung Lao's blade rimmed hat, it just doesn't come off.
The decision to build the film around new character - Cole Young, is unfortunately a poor one, as it forces the plot to be written around him, ultimately killing off development for many other characters, which wouldn't have been so bad, if he wasn't so banal. Characters with more colourful backstories such as Liu Kang, Kung Lao, Sonya, Jax and most notably Johnny Cage are pushed to the wayside for the very boring Cole and he feels like a very unnecessary addition. A Liu Kang, Kung Lao or Johnny Cage centred film might have just been the better option. Placing one of these beloved characters as the 'lead' would definitely have given the film a much better core than Cole's recycled backstory.
The movie's concept of a birthmark for chosen warriors was a dud and just lazy writing, and it's execution left little to be desired. The arcana concept was another one I just couldn't get on board with, I mean I was fine when it revolved around martial arts, but Kano's eye beam, Jax's metal arms and Sonya's energy bracelets being a result of some mystical power is just trash. I know it's all fantasy, but it didn't even feel believable within those confines. Give unto science what belongs to science I say.
Sadly, besides Scorpion and Sub-zero's fight scenes, other fights were largely underwhelming. The unceremonious dispatch of Goro and Mileena was quite head scratching, given their importance in Mortal Kombat lore, I expected they'd be more integral to the proposed 3-story arc of the film and its sequels. Wasted potential in my opinion, but what do I know, I've only been playing Mortal Kombat since I was seven.
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| There's just no heart in it |
Videogame adaptations don't often make great movies - this is a fact we've come to know. And most of the time, they don't work not because the source material isn't great or workable, but because Hollywood usually attempts to reinvent the wheel and fix what was never broken. And while shaking things up isn't always a bad thing, its only welcome when that change is an improvement.
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| Cole Young is a dud |
The decision to build the film around new character - Cole Young, is unfortunately a poor one, as it forces the plot to be written around him, ultimately killing off development for many other characters, which wouldn't have been so bad, if he wasn't so banal. Characters with more colourful backstories such as Liu Kang, Kung Lao, Sonya, Jax and most notably Johnny Cage are pushed to the wayside for the very boring Cole and he feels like a very unnecessary addition. A Liu Kang, Kung Lao or Johnny Cage centred film might have just been the better option. Placing one of these beloved characters as the 'lead' would definitely have given the film a much better core than Cole's recycled backstory.
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| Jax got magic cyborg arms |
The movie's concept of a birthmark for chosen warriors was a dud and just lazy writing, and it's execution left little to be desired. The arcana concept was another one I just couldn't get on board with, I mean I was fine when it revolved around martial arts, but Kano's eye beam, Jax's metal arms and Sonya's energy bracelets being a result of some mystical power is just trash. I know it's all fantasy, but it didn't even feel believable within those confines. Give unto science what belongs to science I say.
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| Joe Taslim's Sub-Zero is a significant threat |
On the brighter side of things. They were some silver linings, as few would argue that Kano, Sub-zero and Scorpion were not the best parts of this movie. Josh Lawson's portrayal as Kano is hugely commendable and made it so much more tolerable. I also thought the Scorpion and Subzero arc was well done (Save for the bulky masks) - The inclusion of their story within the bigger story and giving them their own space to basically play out their blood feud was decently fleshed out. It's not the most expansive of arcs for both characters, but its just enough for a Mortal Kombat movie. Plus, it was such a huge redemption from their previous iterations in Mortal Kombat (1995). Bi- han's Subzero is an absolute threat and a constant menace, and I was quite satisfied with Joe Taslim's portrayal of the Lin Kuei assassin. While Scorpion had limited screen time, his return to exact his fiery vengeance was just apt.
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| Liu Kang and Kung Lao are thoroughly wasted in this one |
Sadly, besides Scorpion and Sub-zero's fight scenes, other fights were largely underwhelming. The unceremonious dispatch of Goro and Mileena was quite head scratching, given their importance in Mortal Kombat lore, I expected they'd be more integral to the proposed 3-story arc of the film and its sequels. Wasted potential in my opinion, but what do I know, I've only been playing Mortal Kombat since I was seven.
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| See you in hell, no really, come visit me sometime |
Simon Mcquoid's Mortal Kombat promised a fatality, but couldn't seem to press the right buttons. And that's really my biggest problem with the film - execution. The sum of it's parts don't just add up. There's a lot of fan service to keep fans entertained, but not much to move the overall entertainment from good to great. While it's not a complete write-off as the world building has poised the film for several sequels, Mortal Kombat is ultimately just another notch in the long list of videogame movies done wrong. There is room for improvement though and with more Sequels planned, there's every chance it can get better, if the necessary lessons are learnt.
Reject Rating: 5/10
Images Courtesy of Warner bros.
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