MMA fighter must train to unlock his true power and stand with Earth’s greatest champions against the enemies of Outworld in a high stakes battle for the universe. A film by Simon McQuoid, starring Lewis Tan, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, Tadanobu Asano, Mehcad Brooks, Ludi Lin, Chin Han, Joe Taslim, Max Huang, Sisi Stringer, Matilda Kimber, Laura Brent, Mel Jarnson, Nathan Jones, Daniel Nelson, Ian Streetz, Yukiko Shinohara, Ren Miyagawa, David Field, Kris McQuade, Angus Sampson, Alice Nassery, Damon Herriman, and Hiroyuki Sanada.

Developed by Midway Games in 1992, MORTAL KOMBAT was born from an idea by Ed Boon and John Tobias, who originally wanted to create a video game starring Jean-Claude Van Damme as the main character. Although that initial concept was shelved, the duo pivoted to creating a fantasy fighting game instead. However, they kept a nod to their original inspiration with the character Johnny Cage, who not only resembles Jean-Claude Van Damme but also shares his initials, J.C.

The development team initially struggled to name the game. For over six months into development, they couldn’t agree on a title, rejecting options like Kumite, Dragon Attack, Death Blow, and Fatality. Eventually, someone wrote the word “Combat” on a brainstorming board in Ed Boon’s office, and another team member wrote a ‘K’ over the ‘C’. Pinball designer Steve Ritchie happened to be in the office, saw the board, and suggested the name Mortal Kombat. According to John Tobias, while the team loved the name Mortal Combat, they couldn’t trademark it. They went with the “K” spelling instead.

The primary reason the developers could not trademark “Mortal Combat” is that it was already a common English phrase meaning a fight to the death. Under trademark law, it is incredibly difficult to claim exclusive rights to a generic or descriptive term that literally describes what the product is.

Mortal Kombat was the first fighting game to feature a secret character, accessible only by following specific steps set by the developers. Critics and players alike have praised it as one of the greatest games of the 21st century, and it remains one of the most acclaimed and best-selling fighting games of all time, spawning numerous sequels and spin-offs. However, the game is equally notorious for its extreme, bloody violence, which actually became one of its main selling points. This is especially true of the iconic Fatality moves, signature finishing moves unique to each character that allow players to execute their opponents in a gruesome and horrifying manner.

Following the massive success of the game, the Mortal Kombat franchise expanded into animation, television series, comic books, novels, music albums, and a live tour. A live-action film, Mortal Kombat (1995), earned over $122 million against an $18 million budget despite mixed reviews. Its sequel, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997), fared far worse, earning only $51 million on a $30 million budget and scoring a 2% on Rotten Tomatoes, making it a failure both commercially and critically. This buried any plans for a third film for nearly two decades, until Warner Bros. Pictures began developing a script for a Mortal Kombat reboot in the late 2010s.

In 1617 Japan, Bi-Han (Joe Taslim), an assassin from the Lin Kuei clan, hunts down and kills members of the rival Shirai Ryu ninja clan (白井流), including Hanzo Hasashi (Hiroyuki Sanada), along with his wife and son. As Hanzo draws his last breath, his soul descends into the Netherrealm.

Lord Raiden (Tadanobu Asano) arrives too late to save Hanzo, but manages to rescue his only surviving daughter, the last of his bloodline. Lord Raiden takes her into hiding.

Fast forward to the present day. The Mortal Kombat tournament, a fierce battle between Outworld and Earthrealm, continues. Outworld has claimed victory nine consecutive times. If Outworld wins just one more, they will be granted the right to invade and conquer Earthrealm entirely.

Yet hope remains for Earthrealm. An ancient prophecy speaks of a group of champions, led by a descendant of Hanzo’s bloodline, who will rise up to secure a victory for Earthrealm. Meanwhile, Outworld’s sorcerer Shang Tsung (Chin Han) decides not to play fair. He devises a plan to eliminate Earthrealm’s champions before the tournament even begins, tasking Sub-Zero to hunt down and kill every single one of them.

Jax (Mehcad Brooks) is sent to rescue Cole Young (Lewis Tan), Hanzo’s descendant who is currently being hunted. Jax decides to take on Sub-Zero himself to buy Cole some time to escape. He instructs Cole to seek out his partner, Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee). Sonya has been investigating the legend of Mortal Kombat and the mysterious champion’s mark, a symbol that transfers to anyone who kills a current bearer of the mark.

Realizing their current skills are no match for Outworld’s ruthless assassins, the group sets out for Raiden’s Temple to train. Guided by Kano (Josh Lawson), they eventually reach the sanctuary. There, they are joined by Liu Kang (Ludi Lin) and Kung Lao (Max Huang).

Determined to eliminate Earthrealm’s champions outside the official rules, Shang Tsung assembles a team of fighters to raid Raiden’s temple before the actual tournament takes place.

If you love the games, you will probably be thrilled with this version of MORTAL KOMBAT. It’s loaded with brutal, gory fight scenes that do not hold back. The action is top-notch, from the choreography and weapons to the soundtrack. They even nailed the special effects for the iconic Fatalities, making them look exactly like the games.

The casting is also quite strong, particularly Josh Lawson as Kano, Joe Taslim as Sub-Zero, and Hiroyuki Sanada as Hanzo. That said, the film struggles under the weight of its large cast. The addition of Cole Young, a character original to the film and not from the games, as the central protagonist requires considerable screen time to establish his connection to the story.

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@pradt

MORTAL KOMBAT 🐉
You've been chosen to fight for Earth.
—
A film by Simon McQuoid, starring Lewis Tan, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, Tadanobu Asano, Mehcad Brooks, Ludi Lin, Chin Han, Joe Taslim, Max Huang, Sisi Stringer, Matilda Kimber, Laura Brent, Mel Jarnson, Nathan Jones, Daniel Nelson, Ian Streetz, Yukiko Shinohara, Ren Miyagawa, David Field, Kris McQuade, Angus Sampson, Alice Nassery, Damon Herriman, and Hiroyuki Sanada.

As a result, screen time is unevenly distributed among the cast. The pacing feels rushed as it hurries to get characters into fights so they can showcase their signature moves, with some barely getting a moment before they are killed off.

The ending teases a poster of Johnny Cage, a crucial character from the original game who has yet to appear, hinting at a potential sequel or spin-off. This also points to the fact that in this installment, the characters never actually reach the tournament itself, which is the centerpiece of the Mortal Kombat series.

MORTAL KOMBAT was released in the United States on 23 April 2021, both in theaters and streaming on HBO Max for one month.

The film was also set for theatrical release in Japan on 18 June, despite the fact that no Mortal Kombat game has ever been officially released there. Mortal Kombat game series has never been able to clear CERO, the rating board that regulates the sale of games in Japan.