Mortal Kombat (2021)

This film might not win any highfalutin awards, but it’s definitely a “so bad, it’s good” guilty pleasure, and its winning ‘combo’ of imaginative (and gory) fight sequences and super-cheesy dialogue makes for a ‘flawless victory’ of a Friday-night action flick.

Premise: Washed-up MMA fighter Cole Young (Lewis Tan) learns that he has been selected to represent Earth in a supernatural fight contest called “Mortal Kombat”. The last nine contests have been won by Outworld, a magical dimension ruled by the evil sorcerer Shang Tsung (Chin Han), who will stop at nothing to win a tenth title and with it, the right to conquer Earth.

Review:

Reading the above premise, you can see why it would be easy to look down your nose at this film. And in fairness, your reaction to the premise is probably a good indicator of whether you’re going to find this film too ridiculous for words, or a preposterous bit-of-fun that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

That said, I wouldn’t describe the film as just “for the fans”, as I only really have a passing familiarity with the Mortal Kombat videogames, and I still really enjoyed the movie. But people who know the games far better than I do have said that the film is surprisingly faithful to the background material from the games, especially in terms of nods to classic dialogue, moves, and fatalities. Even as someone with only some general familiarity with the games, there was a thrill to be had in seeing classic characters like Sub-Zero, Kano and Goro brought to life.

“…the fight scenes are (in keeping with the games) relatively gory, in an over-the-top sort of way…”

In terms of the positives, the film boasts a selection of genuinely entertaining fight scenes which, let’s be honest, are why you watch a film called Mortal Kombat. The opening sequence, a flashback set in 17th Century Japan, is beautifully shot and sets the tone for much of the action that follows, combining martial arts and supernatural powers in imaginative and creative ways. The different characters’ various supernatural abilities mean that each fight scene has a very different feel, with some leaning more into the powers and others focusing more on the fighting styles. But be warned – in both cases, the fight scenes are (in keeping with the games) relatively gory, in an over-the-top sort of way, so brace yourself for various impalements, beheadings and even a bisection.

Although the imaginative fight sequences are, of course, the film’s main selling point, the plot and acting aren’t as bad as you may have feared. The cast of relative unknowns (by Hollywood standards) breathe a decent amount of life into their architype characters, while the veterans Hiroyuki Sanada and Chin Han add a bit of gravitas to their scenes. But the biggest impression is probably made by Josh Lawson, whose portrayal of the obnoxious Australian mercenary Kano is a particular highlight of the film. Kano’s ability to undercut the ridiculousness of events by calling them out on their preposterousness, coupled with his affinity for sarcastic putdowns, gives the film a much needed sense of levity, and shows that the filmmakers are aware of just how far-fetched everything is.

“…Josh Lawson as obnoxious Australian mercenary Kano is a particular highlight of the film…”

All in all, this is clearly not a film that is trying to appeal to mass audiences, with its cocktail of OTT (but largely cartoonish) ultra-violence, super-cheesy dialogue, and outlandish mystical nonsense. But if you’re looking for a Friday night, put-your-brain-in-neutral, action flick to enjoy with your beer and pizza, you could do a lot worse.