Mortal Kombat has finally arrived in the Earthrealm after months of anticipation, after early trailers and buzz, seemed to give the impression that we would finally get a Mortal Kombat movie worthy of the title.
MMA fighter Cole Young, accustomed to taking a beating for money, is unaware of his heritag or why Outworld’s Emperor Shang Tsung has sent his best warrior, Sub-Zero, an otherworldly Cryomancer, to hunt Cole down. Fearing for his family’s safety, Cole goes in search of Sonya Blade at the direction of Jax, a Special Forces Major who bears the same strange dragon marking Cole was born with. Soon, he finds himself at the temple of Lord Raiden, an Elder God and the protector of Earthrealm, who grants sanctuary to those who bear the mark. Here, Cole trains with experienced warriors Liu Kang, Kung Lao and rogue mercenary Kano, as he prepares to stand with Earth’s greatest champions against the enemies of Outworld in a high stakes battle for the universe. But will Cole be pushed hard enough to unlock his arcana the immense power from within his soul in time to save not only his family, but to stop Outworld once and for all?
Mortal Kombat has finally arrived, the full unlocked version in it’s gore-lade, bone-crunching, head crushing, fatality filled ballet of violence that is what the discerning MK fan will absolutely delight in. From the opening battles between Sub Zero and Hanzo Hasashi to the finale that features… Well that would spoil it now wouldn’t it?
The cast are simply terrific, no big names to speak of, which actually makes the film that much more enjoyable, because you simply don’t get distracted by a huge movie star, who you know, ultimately won’t really be in that much jeopardy come the final credits. Here no-one is safe as the fists fly, the kicks connect and the weapons maim. Lewis Tan as Cole and Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade are simply terrific as they bring the plot along and link up the sequences of carnage while exposing the exposition with the help of Tadanobu Asano’s (The Raid) Lord Raiden and Chin Han’s ShangTsung. However it’s Josh Lawson as Kano, who steals the entire movie out from under everyone. His one liners, quips and general demeanour is simply pitch perfect for the tone of the movie.
Simon McQuoid’s direction for a first time major motion picture would have you believe he’s been doing this for years. The flow of the action is excellent, never too over the top and it’s quite clear he understands the source material for Mortal Kombat as it seamlessly flows.
Overall Mortal Kombat is a whole bunch of fun and the teaser in the final shot that possibly sets up what would a rather welcome sequel already has the internet abuzz over who would be the perfect casting for Johnny Cage, well we’re not about to throw our 10p’s worth in yet, but whoever they choose, on the basis of this first entry into the series, we fully believe it will be a perfect pick. Flawless Victory.
Mortal Kombat is available on from digital download May 6th 2021.
