No Surrender Cinema: Mortal Kombat (2021)

After a slight delay, the new Mortal Kombat movie has made it to HBO Max for our viewing pleasure, and yours truly has devoted this edition of No Surrender Cinema to the fatality filled blockbuster. Some spoilers lay ahead, so be warned, but if that type of thing doesn’t bother you, then get over here for my thoughts on one of the most anticipated action films of 2021!

I’m going to take a wild guess that if you have even the slightest interest in this film, you already know the basics about Mortal Kombat. You probably played it once or twice. You know about Scorpion, Sub-Zero, and a tournament where tons of crazy characters test their might against each other. The good news is that if you don’t know much about the franchise, this film works well as an introduction to new fans. For us old heads, we already have an idea of what’s in store for us, but this version takes its fair share of liberties to keep us on our toes. Depending on what level MK fan you are, that could be a good thing or a bad thing.

The beginning of the film, featuring an assassin named Bi-Han (Joe Taslim) killing the family of Hanzo Hasashi (Hiroyuki Sanada), immediately gave me Revenge of the Ninja vibes. While Sho Kosugi’s family was done in by more practical ninja methods and not by mystical freezing powers, there were some striking similarities and got Mortal Kombat off to a good start in my eyes. It also made me imagine a world where there was a Mortal Kombat movie filled with BPA’s favorite action stars and released by Cannon Films, but that’s another column for another day.

Back in 2021, the new Mortal Kombat introduces us to a Kombat original, Shang Tsung (Chin Han), who is gathering up a few of his favorite underlings for the sole purpose of stopping the upcoming Mortal Kombat tournament. You heard me right; the agenda of the main villain is not to win the tournament by nefarious means, or disrupt it for his own gains. He just wants to stop it outright and move forward with his plans to invade the Earthrealm. Realizing that a new generation of heroic fighters will soon rise, Shang thinks that being proactive is the best course of action, and it’s not long before Sub-Zero and Reptile are making their presence felt here on Planet Earth.

The target of Sub-Zero’s icy offense is washed up MMA star Cole Young (Lewis Tan), who has been slumming it in dingy gym fights for small paydays just to keep his family fed. Cole just so happens to bear a birthmark in the shape of the Mortal Kombat dragon logo, but soon finds out that he shares the mark with others, namely Jax (who pays for his bravery when he steps in to help the Young’s), and Kano, a mercenary who is currently a captive of Jax’s fellow military operative Sonya Blade. Sonya herself doesn’t bear the marking of a Kombatant, but reveals that she and Jax have been investigating the existence of Mortal Kombat for some time now. Cole thinks this is all crazy, and things get crazier when, after an encounter with Reptile, he, Sonya, and Kano are travel to Raiden’s temple, where they befriend Liu Kang and Kung Lao. With the group under Raiden’s protection, Liu Kang and Kung Lao hep them hone their skills and try to get them to unleash their “arcana” (their particular, suppressed special abilities). Sonya also finds Jax alive, albeit looking a little different these days, and the motley crew of heroes endure their personal trials and tribulations while Shang Tsung and his evil horde seek to destroy them.

For a plot that decided not to dive into the simple, original MK premise (a fighting tournament), there is still a hefty dose of action, including plenty of familiar maneuvers pulled straight from the games. Fans of the franchise will be glad to know that the film earned it’s R rating thanks to blood and gore aplenty, along with some impressive fight choreography. Character-wise there’s not a lot of backstory to be had here, save for the feud between Sub-Zero and Scorpion, which leads to a fairly obvious plot twist regarding the Hasashi bloodline as well as one of the film’s most exciting moments (although it was one that was spoiled by one of the recent trailers). We spend the most time getting to know our heroes, and Shang and the rest of the villains exist solely to get the heat before the big babyface comeback. Truth be told, the main plot point of trying to stop the tournament is an afterthought, because the biggest chunk of runtime is devoted to the Cole, Sub-Zero, and Scorpion Show.

I have mixed feelings about the 2021 Mortal Kombat. I don’t see this one ever reaching the cult status of the original live action film, which is a movie that my 90’s nostalgia loving self will set eyes on anytime the opportunity presents itself. Though it doesn’t boast a killer soundtrack or have the endearing cheese factor of the original, the 2021 holds all the cards when it comes to action and choreography. Sure, it boggles the mind why they opted to not run with the tournament concept, but if the rumors are true, this is merely step one in an effort to create a film franchise (and the film certainly ends with the expectation that the surviving characters will be back again with more of your favorite fighters from the game’s history). The movie is never boring, none of the actors were off-putting, and there are enough Easter eggs to pop the target demo when they’re watching. If Warner Bros. can improve upon this one for the sequel, the Mortal Kombat movie universe will already be in a better place than the DC Extended Universe.

Mortal Kombat may not earn a flawless victory from moviegoers, but it was a film that my son and I had fun watching together. If someone who longs for the good old days like I do can put his love for the 1995 version to the side and enjoy this one for what it is, then I have faith that you can too. Watching this movie is like enjoying the latest game without the monotonous button mashing that goes along with it. In a world where things are way too serious most days, this was a welcome 2 hour distraction from it all. HBO Max has this one available for the next month, so make your way over there before May 23rd and decide for yourself if this Kombat keeps things toasty.