OK, OK, this was not something I was seriously thinking about watching, alright? I mean, yes, I'm a sucker for Mortal Kombat. I definitely played a ton of Mortal Kombat 4 in my teenaged years.
For those of you who know better, it wasn't just MK4, it was a crappy demo machine.
Still loved it.
Go ahead. Judge.
Yes, I've played others since. Yes, they are better. I don't care. I still have a soft spot for that game in my heart.
One of the things that jumped out at me about Mortal Kombat was its story. Stop judging me Mortal Kombat has a really good story for a fighting game! Granted, the bar ain't exactly high by the fighting game industry. And no, the Mortal Kombat movies in the 90s hardly did that story any justice. But Mortal Kombat has enjoyed a renaissance in the last few years, recently brought into a bit of a frenzy thanks to Mortal Kombat 11. They're even getting the mandatory live-action reboot. We'll see how that works with Covid and whatnot, but it is in the works.
Well, thanks to this very unlikely movie they have a bit of a high bar to hurdle now.
No, I'm not kidding.
Yes, I was surprised.
The movie is the obligatory redo of the first tournament, which is already a very very tired concept, especially considering that there are far more interesting stories in Mortal Kombat lore. This story has been done to... death! Yes, that was on purpose! No, I regret nothing. NOTHING.
So the story this time is cut mostly from poster-boy Scorpion's perspective. We cover Scorpion's origin as a spirit of vengeance, after watching his cute little son get killed right in front of him. Filled with rage (and cutting his way through the Netherrealm, which apparently is not Hell?), Hanzo Hasashi makes a deal with the steward of the Netherrealm to get his family back. This means doing the dirty work of the Netherrealm so that way his former home realm, Earth, will get conquered. How far will Scorpion go to bring his family back? To get vengeance upon Sub-Zero, the dude who killed his very sweet son in front of him?
What surprised me is how incredibly tight this script is. Not one beat seems to be wasted. All of the characters are set up really well, with their motivations incredibly clearly shown, repeatedly, and each character revelation moves the plot along at a fast clip. Honestly, I would not have anticipated something this tight coming from a throwaway straight to video cartoon release. But my goodness it's well crafted. And while Johnny Cage's lines are just freaking hilarious I'd be lying if I'd said that every character didn't get a chance to get a chuckle out of you. Hell, even Sonya got a few chuckles out of me. And that's not something I really anticipated.
The animation itself? Meh, it's alright. It's usually serviceable, but there are moments of expressionistic brilliance that are as surprising as they are quick. And oh my goodness, the blood. The incredibly gory nature of the video game series is held to a surprising degree! X-rays, fatalities from the video games included as fan service (as opposed to shoehorned), fight scenes that flow really nicely, and pretty decent voice acting to boot? Like, yes, you can tell this sucker was made on a budget, but man they did a good job with the budget they had.
I've no illusions that you're going to drop everything and watch this movie. Mortal Kombat has a bit of a rep, and that's perfectly fine. And there are moments where you will realize this is definitely not high art. But if you're wanting a good popcorn flick with some strong character work and fight scenes, not to mention a few hundred buckets of blood? I honestly don't think you'll be disappointed.
And if you disagree?
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| Yes, that is an MK4 Fatality |
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