A Flawed but Fun Fatality-Filled RideMortal Kombat (2021) - A Campy Yet Great Remake of the Franchise Mortal Kombat (2021) is a love letter to fans of the long-running fighting game franchise, embracing its over-the-top action, brutal fatalities, and cheesy one-liners while delivering a modern take ... A Flawed but Fun Fatality-Filled RideMortal Kombat (2021) - A Campy Yet Great Remake of the Franchise Mortal Kombat (2021) is a love letter to fans of the long-running fighting game franchise, embracing its over-the-top action, brutal fatalities, and cheesy one-liners while delivering a modern take on the saga. It may not be a flawless victory, but it's a bloody fun ride that understands the essence of Mortal Kombat.A Nostalgic Yet Fresh Approach Unlike the 1995 Mortal Kombat film, which leaned into PG-13 territory, this remake finally unleashes the franchise's signature gore with R-rated brutality. Director Simon McQuoid crafts a film that respects its source material, giving fans what they've always wanted-faithful character designs, iconic catchphrases, and jaw-dropping fatalities ripped straight from the games.While some story choices may be divisive (Cole Young's addition feels unnecessary), the film does a great job at reintroducing classic characters like Scorpion, Sub-Zero, and Kano in a way that feels fresh yet familiar. The opening battle between Hanzo Hasashi (Scorpion) and Bi-Han (Sub-Zero) is a highlight, offering a gripping and beautifully choreographed fight that sets the tone.Campy Charm Meets Brutal Combat This movie doesn't take itself too seriously, and that's part of the fun. Kano (Josh Lawson) steals every scene with his crude humor, perfectly embodying the kind of campiness fans love about Mortal Kombat. While some dialogue is laughably bad, it adds to the film's charm rather than taking away from **** action sequences are the true star here, delivering satisfying, bone-crunching fights. Sub-Zero (Joe Taslim) is a standout villain, using ice-based attacks in visually stunning ways. The film builds toward a climactic battle that feels like a straight-up boss fight, with Scorpion's arrival delivering the ultimate fan-service moment.Final Verdict: Flawed, But Fun as Hell Mortal Kombat (2021) isn't perfect-some characters feel underdeveloped, and the tournament itself never actually happens-but it nails the tone and spectacle that fans crave. It's a campy, bloody, and action-packed reboot that leans into the franchise's strengths while setting the stage for bigger battles to come.Final Score: 7.5/10 - A Flawed but Fun Fatality-Filled Ride.

Mortal Kombat shows off some amazing design and stunt work, but the writing keeps it from everything fans wanted it to be. Hopefully, the sequel will learn from these shortcomings. I would be lying if I said Mortal Kombat (2021) was everything I had hoped. But I also enjoyed it and hope the s... Mortal Kombat shows off some amazing design and stunt work, but the writing keeps it from everything fans wanted it to be. Hopefully, the sequel will learn from these shortcomings. I would be lying if I said Mortal Kombat (2021) was everything I had hoped. But I also enjoyed it and hope the sequel does happen someday soon.

Pros: * The character roster was pretty big for a first outing, and I appreciated seeing so many of my favorites right off the bat. * The costuming and aesthetics were stunning. I immediately recognized each character because their designs held true to the games while still being updated and modernized. The attention to detail was incredible. * Josh Lawson surprised, making Kano undoubtedly the most entertaining part of this movie. * Casting some true martial artists like Joe Taslim and Hiroyuki Sanada gave the action more skill and grit. * The R rating was the right fit for Mortal Kombat, allowing the gore-filled fatalities fans have come to love in the games.

Cons: * With a massive payer of characters to choose from in the Mortal Kombat universe, the addition of Lewis Tan’s Cole Young was unnecessary and annoying. A dozen existing characters could have served as the audience’s perspective. * Adapting a fantastical and violent video game to a feature film is no simple task. However, Kevin Tancharoen perfectly grounded the Mortal Kombat story while keeping the magic and fantasy roots in Mortal Kombat: Legacy (2011). Unfortunately, Simon McQuoid struggled with that balance, resulting in a script that felt like the CW team wrote. * The whole Arcana superpower thing stripped the need for skill from some of the fighters, becoming a disappointing dues ex machina. I would have preferred better writing.

OK... my wife is the Mortal Kombat fan of the family, and the fighting game fan of the family. So this should really be her review... because I'm just going to trash it. The problem here is plot, as in they actually tried to add in a real plot. Mortal Kombat is a fighting game. You play it to peacef... OK... my wife is the Mortal Kombat fan of the family, and the fighting game fan of the family. So this should really be her review... because I'm just going to trash it. The problem here is plot, as in they actually tried to add in a real plot. Mortal Kombat is a fighting game. You play it to peacefully beat your friends to a bloody pulp... and that is where the fun is. But they added a plot. In Twister, the star of the show was the tornado. The plot was there to move the view from tornado to tornado. And in Back Draft, it was the same... with fire. Mortal Kombat thought it had to be deep. It thought it had to be something more than it a tournament. It thought the characters had to have more than surface level depth. THE DIDN'T. The Tournament should have been the star. The plot should have only been there to move you from fight to fight with a climax that shouted "FATALITY!" and left it at that. Instead they tried to add depth where no depth was needed... and that killed the fun of Mortal Kombat. Not every movie needs to have a plot and characters, some movies work best as mindless popcorn munching escapism.

Mortal Kombat is not just too long for a movie based on a fighting video game; it’s actually too dumb to even be a movie based on a fighting video game. On the one hand it does a Resident Evil, introducing a new character and making him the hero, instead of giving this role to an already establish... Mortal Kombat is not just too long for a movie based on a fighting video game; it’s actually too dumb to even be a movie based on a fighting video game. On the one hand it does a Resident Evil, introducing a new character and making him the hero, instead of giving this role to an already established character – preferably one that is, you know, popular among the franchise’s fan base. And on the other hand, it dips into the same old MK well, kicking off with the Hanzo Hasashi Family Massacre – Kombat’s equivalent of the biblical Massacre of the Innocents. Only last year the animated Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge covered the exact same ground, and did it a lot better. The intertitle that follows the prologue confirms that we are not about to see anything new (Earthrealm blahblahblah Tournament blahblahblah Outworld blahblahblah). MK21 contains exactly (sub)zero surprises. The first time we see Jax, we know he is going to lose his original arms and have them replaced with cybernetic prosthetics (the only surprising thing about this is that the character's first replacement arms are quite underwhelming. Jax eventually gets something more in line with what we’re used to; the question is, why does the movie do in three steps what it should do in two?). Similarly, Kano's true, treacherous nature is no secret. We already know all this. We know it like the backs of our hands. If we don't know it from playing the game, we know it from watching the 1995 movie – speaking of which, MK95 is 10 minutes shorter (it wasted little time with pre-Tournament antics, and it didn’t even bother with a Training Montage; in contrast, MK21 includes what is best described as a tutorial, not the way you want to go about evoking a video game feel), which is to say 10 minutes better. It also had better effects; its Goro was clumsy and awkward – something like the Cryptkeeper on stereoids – but when Johnny Cage punched him in the balls, I felt it. Conversely, when Cole (Lewis Tan), the aforementioned brand-new character, fights Goro in MK21, it’s like he’s shadowboxing, and his shadow happens to be a four-armed man-mountain of pixels. All things considered, what’s the point of watching a movie where we can anticipate every important event, and anything we don’t see coming a mile away turns out to be unnecessary? For example, it's cool – pun intended – when Sub-Zero makes it hail, but that’s just a gimmick – nothing more than smoke and mirrors.

I've played Mortal Kombat since it first came out. I watched the original movies in the theaters. I had high hopes that maybe a reboot would make it feel fresh and maybe establish it as a darker genre like the games are. The only saving grace in this film is the Scorpion and Sub-Zero Feud. I felt di... I've played Mortal Kombat since it first came out. I watched the original movies in the theaters. I had high hopes that maybe a reboot would make it feel fresh and maybe establish it as a darker genre like the games are. The only saving grace in this film is the Scorpion and Sub-Zero Feud. I felt disconnected from Raiden and Shang Tsung because they were so emotionless and hollow. I did like who they got to play Kabal because I felt like that character was really well-written. I usually don't like Sonya Blade but this movie made me like her. I don't like Liu Kang I never will so it didn't much matter who they cast in that role because that character to me is too generic. I did not care one way or another for Kung Lao or Kano. The guy playing Jax has been the best Jax so far. I hate how they made Milenna look in this one and it just didn't suit the purpose of what her character really is. Goro felt copied and pasted from the original film. All in all this could have been much better but I doubt we get to see anything past this due to how generic and unfeeling this film actually felt. Sad excuse for a Mortal Kombat reboot.

OK LETS start off with if you have not watched the latest animations of mortal kombat this will movie will make you feel abit effy. You will need more background on the actual characters you know from previous movies and those you don't. and the True scorpion and sub zero animation also covers alot. Good fighting movie though. Shouting GET OVER HERE!!!!!!and FINISH HIM haha it makes a person feel like you part of it.

Okay so let's start by saying I wasn't exactly sure what to think going into this movie I didn't know what was going to happen but wow this is one of the best action films of the decade so far yeah it started slow but really was a good full time of excitement

Fluff entertainment at its most bland. The fighting is pretty forgettable but at least they utilized the R rating for some decent gore that honors the game at least. Acting is at best so-so while the dialogue was pretty bad and it probably 10-15 minutes too long. Can't say I'll remember this but for what it is, it's fine as a time-waster. **2.75/5**

I liked this more than I should have. I have tried the games, but am not into the fighting genre of games (although the Injustice series grabbed me for its story). The previous movies were fun and didnt take themselves seriously - which was good, but they got too hammy and over the top. The last car... I liked this more than I should have. I have tried the games, but am not into the fighting genre of games (although the Injustice series grabbed me for its story). The previous movies were fun and didnt take themselves seriously - which was good, but they got too hammy and over the top. The last cartoon took itself way to seriously and was disappointing and forgettable to say the least. This movie, however seemed to grab everything good from the previous attempts, added actors who know some martial arts, used some of the key terms and moves from the games and had a stand out performance from Josh Lawson as Kano adding the 'very dry type of Australian' humour. Hell, the score was even good. Given that this is pretty much the same as the game - 10-12 fights some spectacular fatalities and a basic plot with no character development - this was a very fun way to spend 2 hours.

If you enjoy reading my Spoiler-Free reviews, please follow my blog @ Even though I consider myself somewhat of a gamer, I was never the biggest fan of the Mortal Kombat games, probably because I never really knew how to play them. Besides occasional visits to my neighbor's house to play several gam... If you enjoy reading my Spoiler-Free reviews, please follow my blog @ Even though I consider myself somewhat of a gamer, I was never the biggest fan of the Mortal Kombat games, probably because I never really knew how to play them. Besides occasional visits to my neighbor's house to play several games on his PlayStation 1 (or 2?), I've only played this game on the nostalgic arcade machines that gave me incredible joy when I was younger. In all honesty, I don't exactly remember if I watched the previous film adaptations of the popular franchise, but I do know that both didn't receive the best feedback from critics and audiences, especially the 1997's flick. Therefore, I went to the theater - first time in over four months - with no real expectations. I just hoped the action would compensate for the predictably flawed screenplay. All in all, I'm surprised at how much I actually had fun with this movie. Considering this is Simon McQuoid's feature directorial debut, as well as Greg Russo's first screenplay credit, my hopes rested on Dave Callaham's previous works (Wonder Woman 1984, Zombieland: Double Tap) and on the gory, violent action sequences. The latter component is the best element in the entire film, which will definitely leave the viewers in search of action-heavy entertainment satisfied. The opening sequence shows the merciless brutality of each fight through phenomenal stunt work (Hiroyuki Sanada is impressively talented), long takes with exceptional choreography, and a shocking amount of blood - something quite characteristic of the game franchise. The only negative aspect about this opening is the fact that no other action scene surpasses it, which doesn't mean that the rest of the battles fail to live up to the expectations of the most avid fans. Despite a few shaky, roughly edited scenes, the vast majority of the fights are easy to follow and feature jaw-dropping moments, such as the "Fatality!" finishing moves. McQuoid and his team of writers try to make the movie understandable and exciting to everyone, but if there's a chance of placing a reference, an Easter Egg, or something alike, they proudly and unrestrainedly present it to the audience, which will trigger the most hardcore fans to let go of a resounding, adrenaline-fueled "YEAH!". I admit that I didn't expect the film to deliver those epic announcements from the game. From "Flawless Victory!" to "Fatality!", without forgetting the classic "Fight!", I did smile during these moments, where the actors actually change the tone of their voice to mimic the famous one-liners. Is it extraordinarily cheesy and over-the-top? Of course. Would any fan want it any other way? It might be a tad too much for some viewers, but I have to compliment McQuoid for fully committing to this adaptation. There's no ounce of shame, regret, or restraint. It's a movie made with a passionate public in mind, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to every single fan of the games. I firmly believe people will end up liking or disliking this film based on how much the action compensates for the lack of a compelling story, which is something even the most enthusiastic fans are probably anticipating as well. From a couple of nonsensical narrative decisions to hollow, uninteresting characters, the screenplay is solely focused on explaining everything surrounding Mortal Kombat - Earthworld, Outworld, champions, stakes, rules of the tournament - through lazy yet admittedly efficient exposition scenes. The characters could have been better developed, and the actors are far from being completely convincing. However, no one will enter the theater or click "play" on HBO Max expecting to witness an Oscar-worthy story... Mortal Kombat is a surprisingly decent adaptation of the popular franchise, which will leave the most hardcore fans quite satisfied. For viewers with no experience or knowledge about the games, it could be a tough watch. However, if all the audience seeks is action-heavy entertainment, then Simon McQuoid's directorial debut fulfills the more reasonable expectations. Packed with references that even the least avid gamers will recognize, the fighting scenes are mostly well-filmed and quite energetic, focusing more on the gruesome, bloody, jaw-dropping Fatalities. Despite the opening sequence being the peak of great action, there are a couple of moments that could be compared to some parts of that epic start. Story-wise, Greg Russo and Dave Callaham's screenplay is as flawed as expected, possessing ridiculous developments and an abundance of dull exposition scenes, but it's the underwhelming use of a few interesting characters that negatively impacts the movie the most. In the end, I definitely recommend it to fans of the franchise, who will surely appreciate this film a lot more than myself. Rating: B-

I will be short. You should understand how hard to make movies based on such a legendary universe (expectation is too high!), with a lot of characters that need screen time, and with limited budget, PLUS in a pandemic situation, - the director made a great job. This is the best adaptation of such a legendary title.