Mortal Kombat (2021): better as an adaptation than as a film

Mortal Kombat returned to cinemas in 2021 with this reboot directed by Simon McQuoid, a filmmaker who came mainly from advertising and made his feature-film debut here, with James Wan and Todd Garner among the producers.  

James Wan, well known for franchises such as Saw or Insidious, focused in this first instalment less on what appeared on screen and more on securing the necessary budget, since without it the project made no sense and he would not take part. The project had around 55 million dollars, a respectable figure but a small one compared with major blockbusters.  

Years later, Garner admitted that the studio did not really know what it had on its hands and that the budget forced much of the film to be concentrated in the same fighting location. Watching it, that is obvious, because the film alternates scenes that feel like a blockbuster with others that feel more like straight-to-video movies.

As for the cast, Lewis Tan plays Cole Young, joined by Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, Joe Taslim and the better-known and always charismatic Hiroyuki Sanada as Scorpion.

Mortal Kombat plot

I can tell you straight away that the video games' plot is used here only sparingly, because the film chooses a protagonist, Cole Young, who does not appear in the saga. He is a fairly mediocre MMA fighter who discovers that a strange birthmark identifies him as one of the champions destined to protect Earth from Outworld.

Sub-Zero begins hunting him and his family, and Cole eventually joins Sonya Blade, Jax, Liu Kang, Kung Lao and Kano under Raiden's protection. The goal is to prepare for Mortal Kombat, although curiously the tournament that gives the entire franchise its name never actually takes place in this film.

Curious, to say the least, since there was no advance plan for a sequel, Mortal Kombat II, to develop it.

What works in Mortal Kombat

The best thing is that it understands what Mortal Kombat is.

There is violence, fatalities, powers and absurd martial-arts abilities (Liu Kang's flying kick is magnificent in that regard), and highly recognisable characters. In fact, the producers said their priority was to respect the fans. That makes it hard to understand why Cole was made the lead when there were so many other possible candidates.

The choreography is decent and the CGI, while far from fantastic, does the job. Especially considering what I said about a production that was much smaller than you would expect from a Warner blockbuster.

The relationship between Scorpion and Sub-Zero also changes from the game, but that matters less. The opening fight is good and so is the final showdown. Hiroyuki Sanada gives Scorpion a presence that both the character and the film benefit from, and Joe Taslim is solid as Sub-Zero.

And then there is Kano, probably the most entertaining character. Josh Lawson provides the necessary dose of humour and steals the scenes he appears in.

The film is entertaining as well. It is easy enough to watch.

What does not work

The truth is that you cannot take it too seriously, although at times the film seems to take itself seriously and at other times it does not.

For example, one problem is that it explains some things too much and others far too little.

The marks and the arcana are the best example. They were invented for the film to justify why the protagonists have powers, but they end up complicating something we accept without issue in the video games.

Jeremy Slater, screenwriter of Mortal Kombat II, later acknowledged that fans never connected with the concept and compared it with the midichlorians from Star Wars: explaining something nobody needed explained. In the sequel they simply decided to stop mentioning the arcana.

Meanwhile, the film leaves much more relevant points unexplained: why is Bi-Han still alive centuries later? Where exactly do his powers come from? Why does he work for Shang Tsung rather than Earth? How does Scorpion return from hell? Why does Raiden, an immensely powerful god and protector of Earth, not fight directly?

These are questions the film does not even address, and they strip the whole thing of any coherence.

The characters have much the same problem. There are too many of them and they are developed too little for this to work as a serious film. Kung Lao appears, does cool things with a metal hat, and that is about it. Liu Kang, who has far more weight in the games, has a supporting role here when he clearly deserved part or all of Cole's lead role.

Sonya and Jax work better. In fact, Sonya is probably, along with Cole, the character who gets the most development.

It is clear that the script needed a good polish, or two, which would have improved the material a lot. 

They could also have chosen not to take themselves seriously and done something similar to what they put together in He-Man, but it lacks enough humour for that (Kano cannot carry everything).

In either case, with more humour or a more polished script, the film would definitely have gone up a level. The final cut falls between two stools: it is neither especially funny nor does it manage to be epic.

Is it a good adaptation?

Cole, the marks and the arcana were created for this film. The screenwriter explained that he needed a new character who could serve as an entry point for viewers unfamiliar with the universe without having to alter the backstories of the classic fighters.

I understand the reasoning, but I do not agree with it. With Liu Kang, Sonya, Johnny Cage, Scorpion and dozens of characters available, inventing another protagonist seems unnecessary to me.

Despite everything mentioned above, if you take it as a video game adaptation, the film works well. Because although the plot changes enormously from the games, the spirit is there.

The violence, the gore, the characters, the basic idea of the plot… Yes, it may not be the best adaptation ever made, but the essentials, the fundamentals, are there.

Verdict

As an adaptation, Mortal Kombat makes much more sense than it does as a film. As cinema, it has plot holes, underdeveloped characters, unnecessary explanations and about 10 minutes too many.

Even so, it is entertaining.

Whether it is worth watching depends on what you expect from it. I would say that if you like the games, give it a watch, because I doubt you will regret it. Otherwise, you can comfortably skip it and its sequel, Mortal Kombat II, without a second thought.