Mortal Kombat Movie wins. Everything you are looking for is here: Violence, Blood, Scorpion VS Sub-Zero, Fatalities, Ninja, Gods, Superpowers and tons of fights! So is Mortal Kombat movie the “chosen one” to redeem thirty years of videogames film adaptations? Let’s find out… Spoilers Alert!
Get Over Here!
It was very hard to wait so many days after the US cinematic release of the MK movie, because of two main reasons: I am a big fan of the videogame and I love the cast. But I really would like to check the worldwide response of the audience and the verdict is… Not a Flawless Victory, but Mortal Kombat Movie wins. The movie will not redeem thirty years of videogames film adaptations, but it is on the right track with “just” imitating the game as well as possible. The weakest part of the movie indeed, comes once more from the necessity to introduce the fictional world to the “new” audience, inventing a protagonist that do not exist in the videogames, for now… At least the protagonist of this MK reboot is one of the best actor/martial artist of the moment, Lewis Tan, that tested his might and manage to share the stage with the legends of the show: Hiroyuki Sanada (Scorpion) and Joe Taslim (Sub-Zero).
Select your fighter
In fact, the cast is more than relevant in this movie, new faces are mingle with old glories, so… Round 1, Fight!
It is unthinkable do not begin with the icons of the saga and enemies by definition: Scorpion and Sub-Zero, played respectively by the Japanese master Hiroyuki Sanada and the Indonesian rising star Joe Taslim. If the “Sensei” does not need introduction, for the second one I will mention a couple of masterpieces, like the movie The Raid and the series Warrior. When two incredible martial artists fight each other, it goes without saying that the clash is out of this Earthrealm, enjoy:
A really pleasant surprise were seeing in the role of Liu Kang and Kung Lao the young actor duo Ludi Lin and Max Huang. The couple of friends (in real life also) is really into the two monk characters and seeing them in action is simply awesome.
Jessica McNamee, Mehcad Brooks and Josh Lawson playing respectively Sonya, Jax and Kano, are all very well characterized, and their personality shine through. Unfortunately other important characters like Mileena, Kabal or Goro could not be deepened for time reasons, but the little showed was very appreciated. The thunder God Raiden and the sorcerer Shang Tsung instead are very present in the movie. To notice the appearance of Reptile, Reiko played by the star Nathan Jones, and Nitara, the beloved character by MK fans.
All the actors are completely into their characters and their skill as martial artist are really convincing. The costumes are incredibly similar to the last MK videogame as well as the famous quotes of the characters. For the most loyal MK fans there are a lot of pleasant clips that I challenge you to recognize like: Showing Mercy, Spamming and Fatalities! Yet another win to the saga, after releasing the very well reviewed animated movie Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge the past year and being the fighting game of the year in 2020 and 2021, Mortal Kombat Movie Wins.
Secret Character
On social medias there are already rumors about the next characters of the very probable Mortal Kombat Movie sequel. The most resounding petition concerns Alain Moussi in the role of Johnny Cage, a perfect match seen his resemblance with the character and the skill as martial artist. Remembering that Johnny Cage is a tribute character of Jean Claude Van Damme, and Moussi followed in his footsteps in the last movies of the Kickboxer saga, this pick is very plausible. Personally, I would like to see Amy Johnston in the role of Cassie Cage and Juju Chan as Frost, even if for a second movie it makes more sense to see characters like Kitana, Shao Khan and Noob Saibot.
What character would you like to see for the sequel? Or what actor?