189. Mortal Kombat; movie review

 

MORTAL KOMBAT

Cert 15

110 mins

BBFC advice: Contains strong bloody violence, language

I have never played the video game Mortal Kombat nor have I seen any of the previous films linked to it.

Consequently, I was at a considerable disadvantage when it came to understanding the storyline of Simon McQuoid's movie.

Not that it has much of a plot - as the not-so-subtle clue in the title suggests, this is predominantly a fight film.

So, there is mixed martial arts, a bit of flying through the air and even a heart ripped out.

In my opinion, the opening five minutes are probably Mortal Kombat's best - set in 17th century Japan and seeing the death of great warrior Hanzo (Hiroyuki Sanada) alongside his wife and child at the hands of Bi Han (Joe Taslim) - an assassin with the power of freezing all in his path.

With his last breath, Hanzo indicates the fight is not over as his baby is plucked to safety by Raiden (Tadanobu Asano), God of Thunder.

The story swiftly moves on to the present day and down-on-his-luck martial arts fighter (Lewis Tan) who, it turns out, is a descendent of Hanzo.

Consequently, despite his deficiencies in the ring, he has the credentials to be a champion in a battle which will decide the fate of the world.

Lost yet? Well, I was. But it transpires that there are tournaments called Mortal Kombat and if the bad guys from Outerworld defeat the good guys from Earthrealm, they will take over.

I was unclear who agreed to this but, to the uninitiated, it seems like a heavy price to pay for a loss in the ring.

Anyway, it turns out that the man who can save the world with fists, kicks and a bit of magic is Tan albeit with a bit of concentrated training.

In Mortal Kombat, there are good guys, bad guys, a slice of sorcery and a heck of a lot of fight scenes.

Its character exploration is shallow, its action is nothing out of the ordinary by today's standards and its acting quality is well beneath the Marvel franchise.

Frankly, I couldn't see the point but those who have played the video game may have a different view.

Reasons to watch: Action-packed

Reasons to avoid: Shallow storyline

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 5/10

Did you know? A year after taking original form as an upright arcade game, Mortal Kombat found life via four home systems: Nintendo’s Super NES and Game Boy, and Sega Enterprises’ Sega Genesis and Game Gear. All four versions of the game were released on a heavily marketed “Mortal Monday” on September 13, 1993.

The final word. Simon McQuoid: "One thing that we really wanted to make sure was a key ingredient in this was for the film to be fun, fast-moving, and an enjoyable ride. " We Live Entertainment

 

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