Mortal Kombat Review Movie
Mortal Kombat Review
A series of video games as iconic like Mortal Kombat deserves a great film. The 90s saw two fun films that were cheesy, not violent. It's not enough, however, to put the video game movie curse behind us and for good, while acknowledging the brutal nature of the franchise Simon McQuoid's update for 2021 is a significant step towards positive direction.
It's nice to note that Mortal Kombat 2021 begins by making the best effort to be a success. McQuoid cleverly begins the film with a scene set in 17th-century America in order to show the reason why Hanzo Hasashi (aka Scorpion (Hiroyuki Sanada) is determined to get revenge against Bi-Han, who is Sub-Zero (Joe Taslim). With a stunning both ferocity and beauty There is more emotional depth in this scene than any other scene in the film. The subsequent basic yet accessible-for-the-uninitiated present-day storyline sees Cole Young (Lewis Tan) recruited by fellow Earthrealm fighters Jax (Mehcad Brooks) and Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee) for the upcoming Mortal Kombat tournament.
The fact that we don't get to see the finals in this film is a bold decision However, McQuoid always remembers that the fight scenes are the main draw of the film. Although it sometimes has issues with editing the action, it is mostly enjoyable, and is helped due to the fact that actors perform the vast majority of their stunts themselves. The fans of the series will be happy to know that the film has earned its American R rating too -When the deaths do happen the deaths are bloody and brutal.
Another bold move that doesn't yield the same results also well is to let Tan an enthralling actor who is in his first leading role an entirely different character than his fan-favorite Johnny Cage, a cocky smart, witty Hollywood film actor. If anything, Cage would have made an inherently more entertaining character than Tan's Young who is shackled with a mediocre Chosen One narrative we've seen repeatedly before. It's enjoyable to witness Tan, Sanada and other Asian actors take on an American film in which race is not a factor in the plot.
With the film running at just under two hours, the cast is too numerous, and there isn't enough time to make them more fleshed out, however the cast does their best to add their own personality wherever they can. Taslim is particularly effective in bringing a calm sub-zero to the fore, and Josh Lawson is enjoyably snarky as a rogue the mercenary Kano.
The music is an engaging, upbeat score composed by Benjamin Wallfisch that gives us one of the greatest music moment of our year waiting for the right moment to unleash the famous opening notes of 'Techno This is testament to the respect that Mortal Kobat 2021 enjoys with its fans. With the foundations having been laid, let's hope we can expect a larger and more exciting round 2 to come.
