Mortal Kombat recently made a return to movie screens in R-rated form, to much fan delight. The last time audiences got to see the franchise in live action format was a web series with some big name actors attempting to jump start a brand new entry. It worked, at least in theory, but the resulting film was a departure, to say the least.
The 2021 movie manages to score a few wins, but it also gets a lot of things wrong in the process. As such critics have given it lukewarm reviews, and there's some justification for that. It isn't perfect, but it's good to analyze where Mortal Kombat hit the mark, and where it failed completely, especially if future sequels hang in the balance.
Got Right: The Fatalities
It's time everyone admitted the obvious - the Red Band trailer for Mortal Kombat is what really got them excited for the movie's release. Several fatalities were glimpsed during the course of the trailer, but a few more popped up when the movie finally came out. It's safe to say that fatalities are what made Mortal Kombat the household name that it is today.
Thankfully, they translated well to the silver screen. This is the first time audiences have seen gruesome and grisly Mortal Kombat kills take place on film, and it's a taste of what's to come in future installments, provided the box office returns manage to pass the test.
Missed The Mark: The Arcana
The entire concept of the Arcana is really silly, but it's easy to see what the writers were going for. After all, it's hard to make a Mortal Kombat movie given the supernatural abilities each person possesses. Here, the writers attempted to circumnavigate this suspension of reality by using the Arcana as a plot device.
Those who bear the mark of Mortal Kombat are considered chosen, and therefore able to unlock their mysterious inner power and gain abilities, such as Liu Kang's fireball technique. Unfortunately, tying it to the Dragon mark produces a host of problems, notably the fact that Sonya has to kill another of Earth's warriors to get one.
Got Right: The Tone
Mortal Kombat works best when it's mixing fantasy with a sense of ominous doom. The 1995 film managed to convey this by drawing on films like Enter the Dragon, which directly influenced the creation of the original video game. Here, the tone is appropriately dark and moody; perhaps too much.
The story is much smaller in scale compared to both the original movie, and the video game series it was based on. That's a negative, but at least it didn't try to get cheeky with the tone in an attempt to court more viewers. The comedy is there, but this is still one dark film.
Missed The Mark: The Characters
Like it or not, Mortal Kombat missed the mark when it came to porting characters over from the video game series. A number of mistakes are made throughout the film, such as Kung Lao's death, the backstory between Sonya and Kano, and the stuffing of Liu Kang firmly into the background as a secondary character.
There are some notable wins here, such as the introduction of Kabal, but that's not enough to offset the harm caused by the narrative. Similarly, the focus on Sub-Zero being an ultra-powerful killing machine capable of decimating several fighters with ease does not hold up to what fans know of the MK franchise.
Got Right: The R-Rating
While the 1995 Mortal Kombat film certainly wasn't terrible, the lack of blood and gore was a bit jarring at a time when Mortal Mania was being hyped around the world, and United States senators and parental groups were doing backflips. It's nice to see the franchise go all out for the R rating.
This doesn't just include bloodletting by the buckets, but also a decent amount of foul language. The latter isn't particularly a mainstay of the video game series, but it does tie the franchise into more adult territory. Mortal Kombat shouldn't be PG-13, ever again.
Missed The Mark: The Mythos
There are several missteps with the way Mortal Kombat tries to construct a story, that it's hard to know where to begin. The aforementioned Arcana plot device is one such problem, but it's just scratching the surface. The film uses the rivalry between Scorpion and Sub-Zero as a linchpin when it really should not.
The focus should have been bringing Earth's warriors to the first tournament, and helping them understand just what they're up against. Instead, the audience is thrust into the pre-planning stage where many warriors haven't even been assembled, yet are under siege by Shang Tsung in a handful of different environments. There's no adventure to be had here, just one battle setup after another.
Got Right: Goro
In a modern technological age, it should have been easy as pie to create a compelling Goro, and Mortal Kombat delivers. This is not the awkward, waxy animatronic puppet from the 1995 film, but a fully realized 3D character who looks the part, and delivers an excellent performance.
The only downside to Goro is how wasted the character is in a thoroughly disappointing one-off fight against Cole. It's almost a travesty, considering that Goro was the grand champion of the original Mortal Kombat tournament, and should have put his large size and brutal strength to work there, as opposed to someone's house.
Missed The Mark: Cole
It's never a good sign when the writers see fit to omit a key Mortal Kombat character in favor of a completely new one. Cole is not compelling, yet somehow he becomes the de-facto leader of the group by the time the final act is in play.
In contrast to other fighters, Cole is nothing special; he's a below-average MMA fighter who later gains a set of golden armor and a pair of tonfas. His fight scenes are watered down, he contributes very little to the story, and his character arc is uneventful.
Got Right: Kano
It can't be said that the film version of Kano is a particularly good representation, but somehow he's still a highlight of the film. This has a lot to do with a surprisingly good performance by actor Josh Lawson. The film's dialogue isn't noteworthy, but Kano manages to get the best lines of the bunch, and every one is as entertaining and hilarious as the last.
As stated before, this doesn't necessarily translate into a good film version of the character, but it's a pleasant distraction from the rest of the film. Kano is loud, rude and obnoxious, but somehow he manages to charm the viewer.
Missed The Mark: Scorpion
It's important to distinguish Scorpion from Hanzo Hasashi in order to make this point. Hiroyuki Sanada is an accomplished actor with a lot of presence, and he brings a lot to the table as Hasashi. Unfortunately, the director chose to depict his Scorpion persona in the worst possible way.
There's very little to distinguish Scorpion in comparison to his video game counterpart. The character goes unmasked far too often, the combination of contact lenses and blacked out teeth simply don't sell his wraith status, and his overall costume is so-so. Plus, he only shows up for the final battle, which isn't one for the history books. If a sequel does get the green light, it would be wise if Scorpion abandoned the bland look in favor of the video game interpretation. There's still a lot there for Sanada to play off of.