Mortal Kombat (2021) Review 

Finally, after a long wait Mortal Kombat has made its way to The UK and today I watched it and here is my review. The premise of the film sees a group of warriors brought together to help defend Earthrealm for the evil Outworld. 

Main Character

There was much controversy when it was revealed that Lewis Tan would be playing an original character Cole Young and unfortunately this is one of the most boring protagonists you will ever see. In a world full of over the top colourful characters he is is just a normal guy and Tan plays it so stoically that he feels really out of place. The other issue is that the writing for his character is really poor, the film does nothing to make you care and literally gives him the most basic motivation to get involved and it really doesn't help him. 

Supporting Characters

Like the game it is based on, this film has plenty of characters in it so I am going to try and keep this section quite short. Firstly we have Joe Taslim as Sub-zero and Hiroyuki Sanada as Scorpion and these two are great. The film really does a good job in showing the rivalry between these two characters and how personal that it was and despite their characters not being in the forefront they are maybe the most interesting part of the film. But the show stealer has to be Josh Lawson as Kano, this is one of the funniest characters I have seen in a long time, he had one liner after one liner and it easily made Kano the best character in this film. Lawson is clearly having a blast in the role and he really adds some necessary humour into a film that is pretty serious otherwise. Mehcad Brooks as Jax and Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade are fun aspects of the film and it does feel like they fit the characters that we have seen from the games. There are some interesting things done with their characters and stories but that doesn't change the fact I liked their characters. But there are a few characters here that I thought didn't work, Ludi Lin as Liu Kang was one of those and that was mainly because of he didn't have a character.  He felt like an exposition tool and I just felt like the actor didn't quite fit the role and was relegated from being the huge character that he is in the previous films and the games. Then there is Lord Raiden and Shang Tsung, two of the biggest characters in the video games and they are portrayed fine, it's just they do very little and have next to no characterisation and it feels like a bit of a let down, to both fans who love the characters and casuals who have no idea who they are. 

Story  

The story is okay, it is fun to watch these characters come together and clash in interesting battles with some interesting interactions. The Scorpion and Sub-Zero is the highlight and I wish there had been a bit more of it but there is no denying it is pretty captivating stuff. But this film goes against so much lore from the games it is unreal and it really affects the characters and how they get involved. Plus despite this film being called Mortal Kombat there is a lack of tournament and it just ends up feeling like build up to a sequel we actually want to see. 

Script

The script is also okay, the humour only really works when it is Kano, he had me laughing consistently in the film but I do think some of that was Lawson adlibbing because he is clearly a funny guy. There is also some decent emotion from the Scorpion and Sub-zero conflict but not much else. 

Style

The best thing about the style is that fatalities are here and they are here in all their awesome glory. Some taken literally out of the games and it is amazing to see these things that have just been in the games in a film version. The fight scenes are also pretty decent again with the Scorpion vs Sub-Zero fights being the best of the lot, with a few being a bit weaker then others. But the issue is the pacing, this film isn't particularly long and it has so many characters. If you are a fan of the lore then you know who these characters are and it feels like the film expects everybody to know who they are and it makes the film feel lighting quick without the substance required because it has just so many characters. 

Overall

Overall, Mortal Kombat is a pretty average film. It has some good action and characters. But some iconic characters are misused and the lead character is incredibly boring and if you aren't a fan of the franchise this isn't going to exactly bring you in. But as I am a fan of the franchise I think there are some elements of the film that could lead to some exciting things in sequels that will probably come. 

Rating - 5/10