Cole Young (Lewis Tan) seeks to train with Earth’s greatest warriors in preparation to go against the enemies of the Outworld in the highly anticipated reboot, Mortal Kombat.
Based on the popular video game and comic book series, I can’t say I have an affinity or nostalgic connection to the franchise…besides loving to randomly scream, “MORRRRTAL KOMMMBAT” during theatre games as a teen. I know…I was very cool.
I imagine if I grew up a fan of the game, I would be thriving in the gratuitous amount of carnage and mystic mayhem this adaptation holds. But, at the end of the day, I watch films for a semblance of a story and unfortunately, that’s where Mortal Kombat fails.
The plot is paper thin. The writing is cringeworthy. The characters are shallow with poor performances. And let’s be real, I kept calling Sub-Zero, Mr. Freeze, the entire time. I didn’t really care about anyone or their motives… I just kept waiting for the next battle…
And battles are definitely where Mortal Kombat succeeds. The special effects, martial arts, and action sequences are dazzling, entertaining — and man, are they bloody.
But violence is what Mortal Kombat is known for, so fans, rejoice. You’re definitely getting your R-ratings worth of bloodshed. So if you’re squeamish, consider this your warning.
The entire film feels like a trailer for a sequel, as do most films in the fantasy realm these days. I’m not sure if that day will come for this franchise, but for now, Mortal Kombat fans should be pleased.
Final Thoughts: Mortal Kombat is mindless entertainment but doesn’t have any WOW moments to hook me into the franchise. Fans should be pleased.
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