Avery K. Tingle, The Gamer Author

The following may contain mild spoilers for the film.

After months of hype and speculation, HBO released its version of Mortal Kombat to theaters and its streaming service on April 23rd. Abridged version: this may not be worth seeing in theaters unless the moviegoing experience is your thing. People who grew up during Mortal Kombat’s cinematic heyday may not find Annihilation’s redemption in this film. The action is good (though a bit overwrought at times), the script is cringe, and the special effects are amazing. Where the movie falls short is in its plot and pacing.

While Mortal Kombat has always been about Earthrealm’s forces facing off against various invaders from Outworld, its biggest draw has been the tenuous relationship between the Shirai-Ryu’s Hanzo Hasashi and members of the nefarious Lin Kuei clan. The movie doesn’t forget this. The opening, which was available for free on Youtube, leads you to believe this is what the movie will be about. It sets the stage expertly, and it’s the best part of the film.

We don’t return to this arc until the end of the movie. The rest of the time, we watch Mortal Kombat trying to figure out what it wants to be. 

In a film that feels much like a prequel for the events we know, Joe Taslim is a standout as the chilling and horrifying Bi-Han. The original Sub-Zero inadvertently responsible for the creation of Scorpion (and future Noob Saibot) plays the role with ruthless efficiency and steals every scene he’s in. In a film that included the best CGI version of Goro since 1995, he was the most frightening presence. Second place goes to Chin Han, who plays a far cry from the mousy mob accountant of Dark Knight fame. His Shang Tsung is devious, manipulative, charismatic, and completely without mercy. His performance won’t make you forget Cari-Horiyuki Tagawa’s epic turn as the soul-stealing sorcerer, but he comes pretty close.

The rest of the movie is a bit of a jumbled mess with a lot of lost potential. New arrival and inevitable DLC Cole (Lewis Tan) spends much of the film mirroring the watcher, wondering just what the hell is going on. Sonya Blade (Jessica Macnammee) traditionally seen as the weakest character of the original roster, has a fairly satisfactory arc while the best line of the film easily goes to Jax (Mechad Brooks).

There is just enough here to warrant interest in the universe they’re building, but this is a rocky start. Nowhere near as bad as Annihilation, lacking the same breathless impact as the original film, the new Mortal Kombat falls somewhere in between as just above-average.

Thanks for reading.

Avery K. Tingle, The Gamer Author is a Gen-X Gamer and author currently living in the Pacific Northwest. A Rogue Christian who advocates for gender and racial equality as well as an end to child and domestic violence, he tends to take himself a wee bit too seriously at times. Check out his writing and connect on social media here.