Mortal Kombat is one of the most entertaining martial arts franchises in video game history, delivering ruthless fights, iconic characters, and incredible K.O.s to the mainstream for over three decades. However, one of the most recognized pillars of the fighting series are the many tournaments its fierce warriors participate in, a staple of the flawed but iconic 1995 film adaptation that’s been subject to many harsh rewatches over the years. So, when the 2021 Mortal Kombat reboot decided to forgo a traditional tournament, many were surprised at how faithful the final product turned out to be—myself included.
Though it was panned by critics, audiences loved the Mortal Kombat reboot, so much so, in fact, that we can expect a sequel to arrive this year. One of the principal reasons for the film’s success hangs on its commitment to the source material. Considering how inaccurate video game adaptations like Prince of Persia and Max Payne have dominated the film industry for decades, it’s my honest and humble opinion that the lack of a tournament in Mortal Kombat is a small price to pay for a film that finally does right by the fans.
Mortal Kombat Nailed The Fight Scenes
The Film Combines Practical Choreography With CGI
Although none of the fights in Mortal Kombat occur in a tournament, that doesn’t stop the film from providing audiences with the breakneck, heart-stopping hand-to-hand combat that they deserve. Some of the fights in Mortal Kombat undoubtedly deserve to be considered among the ranks of the franchise’s greatest battles, including the opening duel between Bi-Han (Joe Taslim) and Hanzo Hasashi (Hiroyuki Sanada), which sets in motion the generation-spanning conflict between the two in their more iconic forms, Sub-Zero and Scorpion.
Furthermore, a further strength of the film’s fight scenes is their reliance on practical effects, which makes each punch and kick carry the weight of a real-life brawl. That’s not to say Mortal Kombat forgoes CGI entirely, mind you: many of the fight scenes build upon the film’s practical wirework and expert choreography to deliver a visually spectacular product whose more fantastical elements are elevated by digital mastery and VFX.
The Characters Were Pretty Accurate In Mortal Kombat 2021
The Cast Looks And Acts Like Video Game Characters
Another aspect of the reboot in which the filmmakers did right by the fans was through their depictions of the franchise’s most iconic characters, an understandably important part of all video game adaptations that is too often disregarded in favor of lazy storytelling and sequel-bait. Simply put, Mortal Kombat forgoes alienating fans through major rewrites, instead opting for an authentic portrayal of Scorpion’s quest for vengeance against his cold-blooded killer, Sub-Zero, among other major plot points.
Mortal Kombat director Simon McQuoid banned any talk of sequel development on set.
Furthermore, although Mortal Kombat met criticism for not including fan-favorite Johnny Cage—something the sequel seeks to fix with Karl Urban—it excelled in its portrayals of the franchise’s other iconic characters, including Kano (Josh Lawson), Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee), Kung Lao (Max Huang), and even the Shokan warrior Goro (Angus Sampson), whose muscular four-armed frame was recreated with CGI. This, including accurate costumes, personalities, and character designs, helps immerse audiences in the most adrenaline-rich and visually-stunning Mortal Kombat film yet.
Mortal Kombat Incorporated The Franchise Lore Very Well
The Film Went The Extra Mile Beyond Mere Fan-Service
One of the utmost sins of video game adaptations is their often loose treatment of lore and universe-building, which either ignores major elements of a franchise’s world or disregards them entirely. Thankfully, the 2021 Mortal Kombat reboot doesn’t fall into either of these camps, instead treating us to an accurate retelling of the conflict between Earthrealm and Outworld that—while streamlined for narrative brevity—authentically pays homage to the series’ expansive, decade-spanning mythology.
In addition to enshrining its lore on the silver screen, Mortal Kombat also makes use of some of the franchise’s most iconic settings throughout its hour-and-fifty-minute runtime, exploring sites like Raiden’s Temple and the aforementioned Outworld at length. What’s more, these visited locations are not just simple Easter eggs or fan-service: they’re integral venues that further the greater narrative of the Mortal Kombat universe and make room for future world-building in the upcoming 2025 sequel.
The Use Of Flawless Victory Was Actually Flawless
The 2021 Fixed One Of The Franchise’s Biggest Errors
Finally, in one of the film’s pinnacle scenes, the 2021 Mortal Kombat reboot undoes one of the weirdest mistakes of the 1995 adaptation, namely Liu Kang’s erroneous use of “flawless victory” after incurring several blows from the sorcerer Shang Tsung. In the reboot, rather than falsely claiming a perfect battle, Liu Kung’s friend, Kung Lao, simply has a perfect battle, earning the right to say the all-too-iconic phrase to both his opponent Nitara (Mel Jarnson) and the audience alike.
Moving past “flawless victory,” the recent Mortal Kombat film accomplished something that’s thankfully beginning to become more commonplace—particularly among video game adaptations—in the modern film industry: a respectful and thought-out adherence to its present source material. Of course, this is not to put down the concept of artistic liberty, nor to ᴀssert that modifying or changing the established lore of a franchise is somehow abominable or should be regarded as “heresy.” Rather, it’s to praise the filmmakers for daring not to cut corners and neglect the already-rich body of Mortal Kombat‘s present and ever-changing mythology.
Despite the opinion of critics, the success of the Mortal Kombat reboot is a positive indicator that illustrates audiences’ shift towards adaptations that accurately convert their favorite franchises to the big screen. This movement can also be seen in other recent big-budget television series like Amazon Prime Video’s Fallout, whose popularity is indicative of the increasingly elevated taste of viewers who have demonstrated their desire for high-quality storytelling that doesn’t skimp on accuracy. All in all, I’m happy to report on this recent trend that Mortal Kombat just so happened to foreshadow, and I’m more excited than ever for the franchise’s upcoming sequel.
