Mortal Kombat (2021) – Review

Back with a new R-rated iteration decades later, does Mortal Kombat have the hands to compete? As this is based on a fighting video game series, one wonders how far the plot can go. However, over the years Mortal Kombat games and their associated lore have continued to evolve.

Starting off at the Hanzo Hasashi compound in 1617 Japan, a nice forest scene surrounds the building. Hanzo Hasashi (Sanada) leads his young child to their home, and then goes to collect water. Naturally, while he is out gathering, a force of Chinese warriors attacks the home.

Assassin leader Bi-Han (Talsim) appears to have supernatural ice powers, and is able to craft spears and other dangerous instruments from his hands. Hasashi races back home after hearing screams. This attack will haunt him forever. He takes his revenge on the assassins, but Bi-Han’s ice power is too great. As Hasashi perishes, his body and soul mysteriously burn away.

Moving forward in time to 2021, we have exposition time. Mortal Kombat tournaments are held between realms. Outworld has nine consecutive victories over Earthrealm, and a lot is on the line for competition number ten. If the warriors of Earth lose another round, they lose the dimension entirely. Well, shit!

Maybe an ancient prophecy about the bloodline of Hanzo Hasashi will help Earthrealm?? Let’s hope so. As the forces gear up for confrontation, dubious villains and heroic fighters ready for the event. Let the Kombat begin…

Mortal Kombat is a fairly basic story and action movie. It takes itself much more seriously than the 90s flicks, and has nice sets, costumes, special effects and fighting choreography. It brings in plenty of the video game characters, and draws upon some of the surrounding lore, however it also features a non-game protagonist, for better or worse. Dialogue is a bit lacking most of the time and does not bring memorable lines.

The acting is alright, but some of the characters are pretty thin, especially Kano who is written to have diarrhea for dialogue. The budget was big enough for it all to have high production values, but the script did not move me much. The story only goes so far, and may no present much to viewers that never played any of the games. There is no major explanation for a lot of the film’s backbone tournament plot, so new viewers may have more questions than answers.

I have played a few of the games, but I can’t tell you how accurate the characterizations or story beats are, since mostly I just paid attention to the basics like fighting moves and fatalities. If you are looking for fights, a bit of magical powers and some snazzy shots, you could do worse.