Mortal Kombat Review: Latest Big-Screen Reboot Of Video Game Franchise Is A Flawed Victory

Mehcad Brooks and Joe Taslim take on the roles of fan-favorites Jax and Sub-Zero in Simon McQuoid's 'Mortal Kombat'

DIRECTED BY: SIMON MCQUOID

STARRING: LEWIS TAN, JOE TASLIM, & HIROYUKI SANADA

RATED R FOR STRONG BLOODY VIOLENCE AND LANGUAGE THROUGHOUT, AND SOME CRUDE REFERENCES

LENGTH: 110 MINUTES

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It has become a rule of thumb that video game-to-movie adaptations suck. It's been that way for years from blunders such as Super Mario Bros, Street Fighter, and Assassin's Creed all failing to capture the hearts of moviegoers and critics. It wasn't until recently when films like Tomb Raider, Pokémon: Detective Pikachu, and Sonic the Hedgehog proved that video games movies don't always have to be misfires. Simon McQuoid's Mortal Kombat, just so happens to be the third big-screen adaptation of the fighting-game franchise and is hoping to continue the new trend of video game movies finally being able to succeed.

Mortal Kombat follows Cole Young (Lewis Tan), a character created exclusively for the film; he's an MMA fighter struggling to make ends meet for his family. When he learns that the dragon-marking on his chest is actually an invitation to compete in a mythical tournament of champions known as 'Mortal Kombat'; he embarks on a quest alongside other champions to build a team of fighters strong enough to take down the more sinister competitors.

Mortal Kombat isn't exactly what one would call "high art" by any means; the film's dialogue is stiff, a lot of the acting is a bit wooden, and the editing style is rough. Yet despite all of these shortcomings, the film somehow manages to succeed in terms of entertainment value. The film never overstays it's welcome and knows exactly what it is and what it's intended audience wants out of the film. The fights are as delightfully violent and bloody as fans of the franchise have been accustomed to.

The film's editing style is also questionable, some of the fight scenes feel cut-to-pieces and don't feel natural. While there's a number of sequences that succeed, the film itself proves to inconsistent in terms of quality of style.

Audience members going in expecting the film to feature plenty of screen-time of Sub-Zero and Scorpion (the franchises two most iconic characters) may walk out disappointed. While they do get some time to shine, particularly in the third act, neither are appear onscreen for too long. Instead the audience is left with Cole, as the uninteresting and bland lead. That's not to discredit Tan's performance as he clearly does what he can with what he's given; but ultimately the film's script does not give him much to work with. The true stand-out of the film is Josh Lawson as Kano, not only does he help the film recapture the spirit of the games, but his presence gives the film a sense of personality. It's become commonplace for humor to be mixed within franchise films, even when it's unnecessary, but here Lawson's Kano breathes life into an otherwise lifeless script.

Mortal Kombat is far from perfect and is riddled with issues, but because of it's self-aware nature the film ultimately works. It is extremely clear that McQuoid and his cast and crew are very passionate about this franchise and that kind of care pays off in the film's favor.

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3/5 Stars

Mortal Kombat is now playing in theaters everywhere and is available to stream on HBO Max until May 23.