Mortal Kombat ***
Regie: Simon McQuoid / Producent: James Wan (Aquaman, The Conjuring)
Met Lewis Tan, Hiroyuki Sanada, Chin Han, Tadanobu Asano, Jessica McNamee, Joe Taslim, Sisi Stringer, Ludi Lin, Josh Lawson, Mehcad Brooks, Max Huang,…
Playing time: 110 ′
Check it out if you liked Kickboxer, Wu Assassins, Street Fighter & the previous Mortal Kombat, here.
The Story: Cole Young makes his living as an MMA fighter. Unaware of his origins, he doesn’t know why Outworld’s Emperor Shang Tsung has sent his best fighter Sub-Zero, a Cryomancer from another world, after Cole. Fearing his family is in danger, Cole sets out to find Sonya Blade. He’s aided in this by Jax, a Special Forces major who has the same dragon mark on his body as Cole was born with. His quest leads him to Lord Raiden, an Elder God and the protector of Earthrealm, whose temple is a sanctuary for all who bear the mark. Here Cole trains with experienced warriors Liu Kang, Kung Lao and mercenary Kano. Together with the strongest fighters on Earth, he must face their enemies from Outworld in a battle for the universe. Cole will have to be pushed to the limit to find his arcana, the tremendous power hidden in his soul. Can he save his family and stop Outworld forever?
We verdict: Get Over Here! The new Mortal Kombat is finally making its way to Belgium a release on iTunes and as casual gamers, we are delighted to be able to put our expert film eye on this new interpretation. Especially considering a name like James Wan is in the credits. Now, take Wan’s contribution with a grain of salt, as the great work was done by director Simon McQuoid who created a more diverse & international cast. Among the Mortal Kombat cast, the more famous names are mostly Asians with names such as Hiroyuki Sanada als Scorpion, Chin Han als Shang Tsung, Tadanobu Asano as Lord Raiden & Lewis Tan as protagonist Cole Young, but also Jessica McNamee Cast as Sonya Blade, Joe Taslim as Sub-Zero, Sisi Stringer as Mileena, Ludi Lin as Liu Kang, Josh Lawson as Kano, Mehcad Brooks as Jax & Max Huang as Kung Lao. You read that right, no Johnny Cash, but Goro, Nitara, Reiko & Kabal do appear in the new Mortal Kombat 2021 movie.
James Wan is a name that goes especially well with Rated R and you can see that immediately from the choices in the blockbuster which clearly contain a lot of blood & violence as befits a franchise like Mortal Kombat. The whole thing remains quite commercial (read briefly, with a lot of color and CGI & too little focus on filth) although the necessary references to fatalities will make the many fans of the game jump for joy. But that is it, because Australian director Simon McQuoid has little experience with films (he mainly did commercials in the past) and that translates into the structure & construction of Mortal Kombat full of separate scenes. We regret that McQuoid like the Asian (acting) heavyweights in the cast Hiroyuki Sanada, Chin Han & Tadanobu Asano doesn’t give a little more time under the sun, although the Scorpion & Sub-Zero duel does give the screentime it deserves. New cast members such as Jessica McNamee & Josh Lawson are coming out well from Mortal Kombat 2021. Finally, Mortal Kombat 2021 was a bit too long in our personal opinion and this film actually needs a cinema release to come into its own.
In short, the new Mortal Kombat may be an improvement over its predecessor, but it remains below par with the legendary games. Mixed feelings despite a producer like James Wan on board. Available from today on iTunes in co.
