A Little History
Video game fans haven’t had a whole lot of luck with regards to getting enjoyable interpretations of their favorite game characters on the silver screen. Super Mario Bros. (1993) and Street Fighter (1994) are cringeworthy examples of how such movies can be very poorly made. This may be the result of having people put in charge of the project who either know how to make movies but don’t know anything about the game or people who know the game but don’t know how to make a good movie.
That changed in 1995 when they released that year’s Mortal Kombat. It wasn’t a film that took itself too seriously but put in enough effort where most if its audience walked out of the theater feeling entertained. At that point, it looked like video game movies might finally get their due. It is unfortunate then that Mortal Kombat Annihilation came out in 1997 and all that is bad about the genre was put back on display.
There have since been a number of other video game interpretations on television, direct to video and on streaming channels. Some of those releases were actually quite good in that they were both entertaining and kept at least some modicum of loyalty to the source material and essence of the each respective character. A handful of such movies did make it to the silver screen but most were pretty bad. House of the Dead (2003), BloodRayne (2006) and Postal (2008) are all examples of extremely bad video game movies though all were made by Uwe Boll who probably falls into the category of someone who doesn’t know how to make a good movie.
The Actual Review
Now, we have a new Mortal Kombat. Unlike the 1995 release, this reboot doesn’t play like feature length music video. The new release of Mortal Kombat is definitely different from its 1995 predecessor in that it’s less campy yet is very loyal both to the source material including its sequels and expanded content.
The movie doesn’t have a whole lot of story but does an interesting job with its characters. All that is good about the movie hinges on the strength of its characters.
Mortal Kombat introduces a new character (Cole) who becomes our central protagonist. As one would expect, he learns that he was invited at birth to join a tournament called “Mortal Kombat”. His first reaction is his objection to the spelling error. Not long after that, he learns about some of the others fighting to defend the Earth from people who would take it over.
The movie’s casting of its characters is generally good though the central villain (Shang Tsung) seems slightly less interesting than having a mole removed. Shang Tsung’s strongest fighter in the movie (Sub-Zero) shows that he is genuinely evil but a bit two-dimensional. Liu Kang, the protagonist from the 1995 film, is relegated to someone slightly less interesting than Shang Tsung.
Beyond that, there are some interesting characters in the movie. Kano stands out and shows the complexity of a man that is, at his core, self-serving. Both Sonya and Jax seem cut out of the source material but are appropriately fleshed out. Hanzo Hasashi, who later becomes Scorpion, is probably the best fit out of all of the casting choices. Though Scorpion doesn’t spend a whole lot of time on screen, he makes a significant impact.
What is most important is if the movie is entertaining. As it turns out, it is indeed entertaining. Though the movie is sometimes lacking in levity, there are plenty of very well choreographed fight scenes, the visuals are considerably better than the poorly aged 1995 counterpart, and there’s absolutely no lacking for the gore that gave the game its original notoriety.
For fans of the game and people who enjoy fast-paced intricate action sequences, I would recommend this film. For those that object to graphic violence, dislike the game, or are looking for a dramatic love story, this is probably not be the movie for you.