The fights are competent and not edited to shreds. It brings in accomplished martial artists like Taslim and even Tan, whose father, Philip, is an accomplished stunt performer and choreographer.Ĭould the combat (kombat?) have been better? Without question. (Although that’s not an insult to Adkins, as he’s a legitimately great movie martial artist and you should watch his movies.) This “Mortal Kombat” lies somewhere in between. Simon McQuoid’s 2021 film doesn’t even hit the highs of a lot of Scott Adkins’ direct-to-DVD outings. Anderson directed the first “Mortal Kombat” in 1995. To put it succinctly: “Mortal Kombat” is not “The Raid.” It is not “John Wick.” It doesn’t rise to the fairly high standard that has been set since Paul W.S. So if the film’s budget (clearly) held back its visual potential and its lead leaves much to be desired, how could I possibly claim there’s fun to be had? This is where checking your expectations at the door helps. Not exactly the most dynamic or exciting location, especially given how wild and vibrant so much of the video game’s fight locales have become over the years. Cole meets up with an eclectic group of other fighters as they attempt to train and prepare for the tournament, but this mostly relegates them and the film to a massive cave temple somewhere in Asia. Fights and fatalities ensue.Īnd that’s.pretty much it. Shang Tsung (Chin Han), an evil, soul-sucking sorcerer, however is bound and determined to make sure a tournament never happens, thus making it that much easier for him to take over Earthrealm. But the story is so thin and gives the surprisingly large cast very little to do overall.Īfter losing an underground MMA match, Cole learns that he’s been chosen to take part in a tournament known as, you guessed it, Mortal Kombat. Fans of the games will have no trouble recognizing the likes of Liu Kang (Ludi Lin), Kung Lao (Max Huang), Sub-Zero (Joe Taslim) or Kano (Josh Lawson). It’s clear that there is an abiding affection for the legacy of “Mortal Kombat” and its world and characters. Then again, he’s not really helped by Dave Callaham and Greg Russo’s script. Alas, despite his best efforts, Lewis Tan simply doesn’t have the juice to shoulder the weight given him. At the very least it would have been worth it had this character, Cole Young, been played by anyone with even a hint of genuine charisma. It might have made more sense had any questions been truly asked or, more crucially, been answered, but we never even really get an answer as to why exactly a martial arts tournament is what decides the fate of Earth. Given the way audiences have simply come to accept comic book heroes and given the movie’s overall embrace of the outlandish, it then becomes somewhat baffling that someone along the line decided it was absolutely essential that we be guided into this world via a brand new character who can act baffled at all this weird stuff happening. There’s some nominal explanation as to how or why these characters get superpowers, but for the most part it amounts to “just because, now watch this guy with a New Jersey accent wearing a cyber mask use hook swords and run so fast he can teleport.” ![]() Another warrior monk but this one uses a razor-edged hat as a throwing weapon and teleportation device. A sorcerer who can (quite literally) suck a man’s soul from his body. So while there’s nothing terribly original about a secret martial arts tournament where people with extraordinary powers duke it out to decide the fate of the universe, the sort of (mostly) straight-faced sincerity used to bring it all to life fits perfectly well within the cinematic landscape that regularly sees people with godlike powers traipsing across movie screens these days.Īnd to its credit, this take on “Mortal Kombat” never shies away from any of the incredibly outlandish aspects of the series: Warrior monks who can throw fireballs from their bare hands. It treads heavily from the roots of comic books and classic kung fu movies which inspired series creators John Tobias and Ed Boon. If all you know of “Mortal Kombat” is that it’s a video game that, upon its debut in arcades in 1992, swiftly helped spur a national pearl-clutching tour by politicians and parents’ groups over the level of “realistic” gore and violence found within, you might be surprised to learn that the bones of the story and characters are actually pretty fun. ![]() ![]() The short answer is a hearty “No,” but that doesn’t mean there isn’t fun to be had here. There was hope that the latest stab at “Mortal Kombat” might stand a chance to break that trend. TYLER, Texas (KLTV) - There has yet to be a truly capital-G Great movie based on a video game.
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