A brand new clip from Mortal Kombat reveals a full R-rated Jax fatality. The highly anticipated adaptation of the popular video game franchise releases today, April 23rd, on HBO Max. Unlike past live-action adaptations like 1995’s Mortal Kombat and 1997’s Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, which were panned by fans and critics for their cheesiness and laughable dialogue, 2021's Mortal Kombat embraces the brutality the classic video game franchise has become known for.
So far, every indication is 2021's Mortal Kombat features much more “personal" and "visceral” fight scenes than its two predecessors, and might possibly do a little to restore the reputation of video game adaptations. Director Simon McQuoid and producer Todd Garner have also been hyping up Mortal Kombat's fight scenes, with the former saying they set out to make "the best fight scenes that have ever been on film." The latter says Mortal Kombat features “one of the most brutal" hand-to-hand fights he has “ever seen on film.” Fans got a taste of this action in a trailer and a featurette for the film, and now another clip has been released to give a taste of the brutality to come.
Courtesy of The Game Awards, a brand new Mortal Kombat clip reveals one of what is likely to be many of the film's bloody R-rated fatalities. The 44-second clip shows Jax (Mehcad Brooks) fighting an opponent hand-to-hand before finishing him off with a clap to the head, causing it to blow up in a bloody mess. The clip strangely sensors swearing but leaves all the blood and gore untouched. Fans will also notice Jax has his bionic arms in the clip. Watch one of Mortal Kombat's bloody fatalities below:
This clip will certainly give fans an idea why the film's star Lewis Tan (Cole Young) felt sick to his stomach after seeing the set post-fatality, which "looked like somebody destroyed a buffet line," according to Tan. As opposed to the PG-13 ratings of the two previous Mortal Kombat movies, Simon McQuoid 2021's adaption is R-rated, allowing it to embrace the bloody brutality the video games are built on.
Along with fatalities, fans can expect to see Mortal Kombat's iconic cast of characters in the film, including Sonya Blade, Kano, Sub-Zero, Raiden, and Scorpion. Now that the wait is finally over, fans can jump into HBO Max today and see if Mortal Kombat delivers on the hype.
Source: The Game Awards
