Mortal Kombat (2021)
- “Mortal Kombat” (2021) only truly works in its first ten and last thirty minutes, with everything in between falling into forgettable mediocrity.
- The sole genuine highlights are Hiroyuki Sanada and Joe Taslim, whose duels are masterfully executed, while the protagonist Cole Young turns out to be the film’s weakest and most unnecessary element.
- Ultimately, the film coasts more on nostalgia than on real quality, and has almost no replay value.
“GET OVER HERE!” – Scorpion
Although I always try to write a short introduction for a popular topic – in case some readers aren’t (for whatever reason) familiar with it – I don’t think there’s much need to explain what “Mortal Kombat” is, since this American franchise has existed since 1992. It has spawned countless (brutal and bloody) fighting video games, films, series (including a mini-series on YouTube), animated films, and more… suffice it to say that this is one of the more profitable franchises out there (it has raked in billions of dollars).
For many people, “Mortal Kombat” (we’ll occasionally use the abbreviation MK throughout) is synonymous with brutal and (very) bloody showdowns between various competitors in a tournament to save our planet, where duels end in extremely gory executions (fatalities)… I mean, it’s enough to say that the early Mortal Kombat games were initially banned in many countries and that the series has been followed by numerous controversies (including court cases).
That said, as video games, MK titles are (generally) a quality product beloved by multiple generations — including this author.
But when it comes to the big and small screen… that’s where things get quite debatable. The first “Mortal Kombat” from 1995 (which we’ll touch on another time 😁) is a kind of guilty pleasure/comfort film for many (myself included) – the film did reasonably well at the box office (and wasn’t nearly as brutal as the video games), but critics tore it apart… and yet, the music (the legendary “Techno Syndrome“), solid action sequences, and an interesting cast gave the film a certain cult/legacy status. The sequel was a disaster (apart from a few fight scenes and the introduction of some new characters) – a serious misfire that many people pretend never even existed. Then came the series “Mortal Kombat: Conquest,” which was so-so (I personally found it kind of cheesy but endearing)… and it seemed like MK in live-action form had gone into a deep sleep – one that lasted 23 years.
Then someone got the idea to do a reboot…
And so, in 2021, “Mortal Kombat” arrived.
The story goes…
In 1617 Japan, a group of assassins led by Bi-Han attacks the clan of Hanzo Hasashi and kills everyone, including Hanzo’s family. Hanzo manages to fight back and kill all the attackers, then faces off against Bi-Han himself – but loses his life in the duel, with his soul cursed to descend into the Netherrealm (think of it as a kind of Hell). Bi-Han vanishes without a trace. Moments later, the thunder god Raiden appears and discovers Hanzo’s hidden infant.
Now we’re in 2021. The Outworld (think of it as a realm in another dimension… presumably) has defeated Earth’s champions nine times in the tournament, and if they win a tenth time, they will conquer Earth. An ancient prophecy states that “the blood of Hanzo Hasashi” will unite a new generation of fighters and lead to victory over the invaders from Outworld. To prevent the prophecy from being fulfilled, the sorcerer Shang Tsung sends his warriors to Earth to eliminate all fighters who bear a dragon mark somewhere on their body (a symbol indicating they are tournament participants) and thus weaken Earth before the final tournament.
One of the attackers, Sub-Zero (i.e., Bi-Han, who has now mastered ice powers), attacks Cole Young and his family. Cole is saved by special forces Major Jackson “Jax” Briggs, who orders Cole to find his partner, Sonya Blade, who will give him some answers about what the hell is going on.
One moment, Cole Young is a good-natured MMA fighter (who seems to lack any spark during his bouts) scraping together modest earnings to provide a decent life for his family. The next, he learns he’s one of the “chosen” to compete in a life-or-death tournament against enemies from a supernatural realm (complete with mystical powers) – simply because he carries a dragon mark… although, curiously, his mark has been with him since birth, unlike the other fighters whose marks appear later when they become “chosen” for the tournament… yeah, yeah, I’m sure you’ve figured it out already. 😁
And now Cole Young, alongside Jax, Sonya, Kano (a criminal and grade-A lowlife), and two Shaolin monks (Liu Kang and Kung Lao) under the mentorship of the god Raiden, must unlock his own unique power (arcana) before Shang Tsung and his pawns try to eliminate them before the tournament even begins…
Who will survive the bloodshed, you’ll find out if you watch “Mortal Kombat” (2021 version).
Look, I’ll be completely upfront from the start. The first 10 minutes and the last 30 minutes are worth watching… Everything in between is fairly lukewarm.
What works?
The visual style is in the spirit of the video games… meaning it’s bloody and brutal, so the finishing moves are (more or less) what you’d expect.
The action — the fight sequences specifically (in those roughly 40 minutes that work) – is solid… in all fairness, more emphasis could have been placed on actual close combat rather than special effects.
The music is good too, with the expected “Techno Syndrome” remix.
But actor Hiroyuki Sanada as Hanzo/Scorpion and Joe Taslim as Bi-Han/Sub-Zero… that’s the only thing I’d genuinely praise in this film. Sanada (a legend we’ve already encountered in “The Last Samurai” and “John Wick“) is masterful. In the opening of the film (when he’s still a mortal Hanzo), we see his blend of samurai and ninja skills in combat against several opponents, and then against Bi-Han. And in the film’s finale, when he appears in his supernatural form as Scorpion – those fight scenes are a genuine pleasure to watch… like a fusion of “The Last Samurai,” “The Warrior,” and Mortal Kombat… elegant, yet faithful to the MK spirit. Joe Taslim (“The Warrior,” “The Raid”) as Bi-Han/Sub-Zero was a perfect counterpart to Sanada. And given that both actors have a martial arts background, it’s really no surprise that their duels are so well executed.
And the flaws?
As for the other actors (many of whom also have martial arts backgrounds), I can’t say any of them left a particularly memorable impression – the only one I recognized was Raiden, i.e., actor Tadanobu Asano (“Ichi the Killer,” “47 Ronin”).
Lewis Tan as Cole Young… Cole Young was supposed to be the protagonist of the film, but he ended up being its weakest link. This character didn’t previously exist in the Mortal Kombat universe, and I assume he was created as a kind of “intermediary” for viewers unfamiliar with MK, to ease them into this world. However, his existence in the film – and by extension in the MK universe – feels… well, unnatural and unnecessary. And the arcana he discovers in the finale is… pretty lame and unoriginal, to be honest. As for the actor himself, I have no particular complaints (“Deadpool 2,” “Shadow and Bone,” “Cobra Kai,” “Wu Assassins”)… but his Cole Young is genuinely superfluous and has none of the presence of a true leader.
Setting aside those roughly 40 minutes that actually work… I have no idea where the remaining hour went. A few cheesy lines of dialogue here, a bit of villain exposition there, some CGI… but I honestly can’t even remember if anyone said anything meaningful.
I can’t say the team behind “Mortal Kombat (2021)” lacked heart… but it feels to me like a B-movie production that earns more points on nostalgia than on quality and charisma. Replay value is essentially nonexistent – the opening and the ending I can catch on YouTube if I feel the urge.
At the time of writing this review, “Mortal Kombat II” is set to hit cinemas in a day or two, and there’s considerable pressure on the sequel to deliver – because if it fails to pull solid numbers, I think MK live-action films will go back into a deep sleep. With new characters from the MK universe, Sanada returning as Scorpion, Taslim in a slightly altered role (now becoming Noob Saibot), and all eyes on the brilliant Karl Urban (currently killing it in “The Boys”) as the charismatic Johnny Cage – all the cards are on the table.
We’ll see…
And you, dear reader – what are your thoughts on this 2021 offering?
Imdb | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic
Format: Movie
Release date: 2021
Duration: 110 minutes
