Okay I should start off with a warning –

This film is definitely for mature audiences. And by that, I mean it’s gory, packed with strong language, and earns its hard R rating—you’ve been warned. Also, this review contains some censored cursing, so keep that in mind. Now, let’s dive into the review! Oh, and here’s the trailer for the film…

Also here is the first 7 minutes of the film, hope you enjoy and it gives you an understanding of what the film is like!

Honestly, let me just say—this opening scene doesn’t really give you an understanding of what the film is like. I’ll explain that soon, but for now, let’s get into the review.

The film starts in Japan… sometime in the past. Not sure when exactly. (Okay, I just looked it up—this scene takes place in the 1600s. Great, now I have another issue with this film, but I’ll get to that later.) Anyway, we meet Hanzo Hasashi—who will later become Scorpion—played by Hiroyuki Sanada. We also see his wife, son, and baby daughter living in a small house in the woods.

Now, this entire 12-minute opening sequence has a completely different vibe from the rest of the film. Let me explain. The characters speak entirely in Japanese, with subtitles appearing on screen. The cinematography has a distinctly Japanese feel, and the choreography follows suit. But once this 12-minute intro ends, the rest of the film takes on a different tone—whether for better or worse, you be the judge. Personally, I feel neutral about it.

Back to the scene—this is where we meet Bi-Han, who will later become Sub-Zero, played by Joe Taslim. He has ice powers and massacres Hanzo’s family. Everyone except the baby, who was cleverly hidden under the floor. Why? Because Bi-Han was specifically hunting the baby to kill it. Grim. Hanzo hears his wife’s screams, rushes back to the house, and finds his wife and son outside—impaled by an ice sword, frozen solid. Yikes.

Then we get a brutally violent fight scene where Hanzo takes out an army of ninjas. He stabs them through the head with a dirt shovel tied to the end of a rope—yeah, it’s as gory as it sounds. Blood pours everywhere. And then, Hanzo finally faces off against Bi-Han. I actually liked this scene—it’s a fight between a Chinese warrior and a Japanese warrior, which adds an interesting layer since Sub-Zero speaks Chinese while Scorpion speaks Japanese, and they don’t understand each other.

Unfortunately, Hanzo loses. Bi-Han kills him with his own garden shovel weapon. As Hanzo dies, he crawls away, puking up blood (gross) before finally succumbing to his wounds. Then, his body starts descending into the Netherrealm.

That’s the first 12 minutes. Sadly, after this, the film takes on a completely different tone.

Side note: I want to point out something Bi-Han says twice at the beginning: “For the Lin Kuei.” Okay… who the hell are the Lin Kuei? Movie, please explain. This highlights a major issue—this film expects the audience to already be die-hard fans of the Mortal Kombat games. And I’m not. I’ve only played MK X and MK 11, so I’m hardly an expert on the lore. This movie really expects you to have some background knowledge before watching, which is frustrating.

Then we jump to the 2000s—exact year? I forget. And in my opinion, the first 12 minutes were the best part of the film. Too bad everything goes downhill after this.

Now, we’re introduced to the main character, Cole Young, played by Lewis Tan. And oh good grief… this guy is so boring. He’s just a dude with a wife, a daughter, and a cell phone. That’s it. Nothing remotely interesting about him. Bland, generic, forgettable.

And here’s the kicker—the reason the director added Cole Young to the movie. Get ready for this one, because it’s a doozy. According to the director:

“We didn’t want a white male, such as Johnny Cage, to be the main character, because it would be too offensive.”

…Seriously? They thought having Johnny Cage—or any other established character—as the protagonist would be offensive? Oh yeah, this movie totally cares about the fans and the Mortal Kombat lore. This isn’t pandering at all…

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Anyway, there’s a twist to Cole’s character—but I’ll get to that later. For now, we start off with him as a fighter… and he’s terrible at it. Whoopee. The character we’re supposed to relate to sucks at fighting… in a universe based on a fighting game series. Wow.

Meanwhile, a guy named Jax (played by Mehcad Brooks) is watching Cole get his butt kicked from the audience. And I need to get this out of the way—get this, the actor who plays Jax in this film said something that really needs to be addressed. He claimed that this movie “fixed” an issue the original Mortal Kombat (1995) had… because that film cast a white man as Raiden.

Oh wow, such a big issue. You know what? You’re right. That was definitely the biggest flaw of the 1995 Mortal Kombat movie. Not the bad CGI. Not the corny dialogue. No, no, the real problem was that Raiden was played by a white guy. Good job, director. You totally fixed the issue. (If you can’t tell, I’m being extremely sarcastic.)

Oh wait—it wasn’t an issue at all! Because that’s Raiden’s character! He’s a lightning god who takes the form of a white man. What do you mean, fixed it? Oh, I see—the problem was that it was a white man wearing Asian clothing. Give me a break. Mortal Kombat isn’t meant to be taken seriously. It’s a fighting game full of absurd, over-the-top violence. I highly doubt the majority of the fanbase even cared. Oh, but I get it—it was changed to appeal to the people who did get offended. Lovely.

Anyway, back to the movie. After the fight, Jax finds Cole in the locker room, and Cole’s daughter (I think) tells Jax that Cole has a birthmark shaped like a dragon. Right… how stupid do you have to be to think a dragon-shaped tattoo is a birthmark?

Skipping ahead, we cut to a random wasteland called the Outworld, where a mysterious ninja approaches the villain’s throne. If you’re wondering who the villain is, it’s Shang Tsung (played by Ng Chin Han). His power? He can steal souls. That’s… pretty much all I got from his character. And let me just say—I hate this version of Shang Tsung. He’s so one-dimensional. His entire goal is to take over Earth. Wow. What an original premise.

On top of that, he was horribly miscast. Who thought this guy was the right pick for Shang Tsung? He doesn’t fit the role at all.

Anyway, the mysterious ninja introduces himself as Sub-Zero. He says, “I don’t go by Bi-Han anymore. I’m now Sub-Zero.”

Cool. Whatever. What was the point of that scene? It was just an exposition dump that could’ve been cut entirely.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering what that exposition was—Shang Tsung orders Sub-Zero to kill Earth’s defenders because the villains have already won 9 out of 10 Mortal Kombat tournaments. If they win the 10th, they take over Earth. But here’s the thing—they’ve been cheating. Instead of winning fairly, they’ve been murdering their opponents before the tournament even begins.

Wait… isn’t that against Mortal Kombat rules? I don’t know much about the lore, but that seems like a pretty big violation.

Speaking of lore, here’s another massive problem with this film. They completely messed up the Sub-Zero vs. Scorpion rivalry. In the games, it wasn’t even Sub-Zero who killed Scorpion’s family—it was Quan Chi, who disguised himself as Sub-Zero. But nope, in this movie, they just make it so that Sub-Zero really did kill Scorpion’s family. He literally admits to it in this scene.

Oh wow, the director definitely cares about Mortal Kombat lore. Give me a break. You claim to respect the lore, but then you show you know absolutely nothing about it. And what’s sad? I’m a newcomer to the series, and even I know more than the people who made this movie.

Sigh. Moving on.

Cole and his family go to a café. Jax follows them in his car. Suddenly, snow starts falling, which Cole’s family finds strange. Then icicles begin forming everywhere. Across the road, we see a mysterious ninja-like figure standing in the shadows. He uses his ice powers to send shards of ice crashing into the street.

Yeah, if you can’t tell who this is—it’s Bi-Han. But now he goes by the name Sub-Zero.

By the way, here’s my second complaint with this film. It’s about Sub-Zero.

Let me explain. Remember how I said the first 12 minutes of the movie take place in the 1600s? Well, the rest of the film is set in the 2000s. And guess what? Sub-Zero looks exactly the same.

Yeah, sorry, but I can’t accept that. How is a man who’s over 400 years old still looking like he did back then? My suspension of disbelief doesn’t stretch that far.

Anyway, Jax pulls up and tells Cole to take his family somewhere safe while he stays behind to fight Sub-Zero.

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BTW, a mistake Jax will soon regret. Seriously, dude, what did you think was gonna happen? You thought you could go in with a gun and take out a guy who can summon ice? Pffff.

Oh, and by the way, Jax explains to Cole that the dragon birthmark isn’t actually a birthmark—it’s an invitation to a champion tournament. He also reveals that he has one too. Yeah, gee, you don’t say. Again, how stupid do you have to be to think a dragon-shaped mark on your skin is a birthmark?

Anyway, Jax goes inside the building to fight Sub-Zero… and, well, it doesn’t go well. Jax tries shooting him, but Sub-Zero just grabs the tip of the gun and freezes it solid. Then, when Jax fires, the bullets freeze mid-air. Cool visual, I’ll admit. After that, Sub-Zero grabs Jax’s arms, freezes them, and shatters them into pieces.

Good golly.

Then, just to add insult to injury, Sub-Zero gently shoves Jax off the third floor, sending him crashing down to the first. Oh, and while he falls, he smacks his head on something. So, yeah, he should definitely be dead… or at least in a coma. But nope! He somehow survives and comes back later.

How? No idea. Oh, right—this is a video game movie. I keep forgetting. Logic doesn’t exist here.

Anyway, skipping ahead and summarizing a bit—Cole drops his family off at a barn and then goes to find Sonya. While he’s on his way, we cut to yet another exposition dump, where Shang Tsung and his army are walking across some desert-like planet.

This is where we meet Mileena (played by Sisi Stringer), a black woman with slits on both sides of her mouth. And I don’t mean to sound offensive, because I’m not—but why did they cast a black actress for Mileena? I get that Hollywood swaps races for diversity sometimes, but here’s the thing—Mileena was already a diverse character in the games. She was Asian! What exactly are you doing, movie? Was the thought process like, “We need to take this already diverse character and make her even more diverse?”

Good grief.

If you really wanted more diversity, why not take a different white character in the film and cast a black actor for that role instead? Just saying.

Anyway, back to this mess of a film.

Mileena tells Shang Tsung that Sub-Zero killed one of Earth’s champions, but another one escaped. Shang Tsung then says, “Send in the lizard man.”

And… that’s it. Another pointless scene.

So, Cole finally finds Sonya at an RV (played by Jessica McNamee), and—shocker—it’s yet another exposition dump. She explains that she and Jax have been researching Mortal Kombat and that they believe it’s real. Blah, blah—just more exposition. She does give Cole some of the lore, but not all of it.

Understandably, Cole thinks this is all made up.

Then we meet Kano (played by Josh Lawson), and—my God—he’s my favorite character in the whole movie. He’s snarky, crude, and has some of the best lines. He’s the only character who actually feels human compared to the rest of these boring main characters.

Maybe I just gravitate toward snarky characters. That would explain why I prefer Dean Winchester in Supernatural and Negan in The Walking Dead.

Anyway, Sonya has Kano tied up, but then the lizard man suddenly appears—completely invisible—and attacks. He tries to kill Kano by slicing half of his face open. Ouch.

Then Sonya, by accident, throws a knife into the lizard’s leg. Yikes.

Oh, and if you’re wondering what Cole is using as a weapon—yeah, it’s a wrench.

Sure, Cole. I’m sure you’ll be perfectly fine using that against a monster.

Meanwhile, Kano manages to break free, thanks to the lizard’s toxic spit dissolving his chains. Then, in a brutal move, he shoves his hand through the lizard’s chest and rips its heart out.

And that’s when he delivers one of my favorite lines…

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Kano wins.

“Eheheh, you f**ing beauty.”*

Good grief, did I forget to mention how much I really like this character?

Anyway, just as Kano tries to leave, he casually mentions that he knows the location of the temple they’re looking for. Sonya asks him to take them there, but he refuses—until she offers him three million dollars. Well, of course he agrees then.

Oh, and for some absolutely unnecessary reason, we get a close-up of him spitting on a garden gnome. Not just that—we get to see the saliva dripping off it.

Gee, thanks for that, movie. Totally didn’t lose my appetite or anything.

So, they hop on a plane. While flying, Cole falls asleep and has a vision of Hanzo Hasashi… in hell.

Oh wow, such subtle storytelling. It’s not like I totally don’t see this plot twist coming. (Spoiler alert: He’s a descendant of Hanzo Hasashi. Shocking, right? I mean, this film is just so subtle with its foreshadowing.)

Anyway, they jump out of the plane and land in the desert.

Wait a minute… this desert looks familiar.

Oh. Ohhh.

This is Outworld. I see what they did. They used the exact same desert for both Earth and Outworld—except they slapped a blue tint on the background to make it look different and called it a day.

Wow. Peak cinematography. So very creative.

Frick you, movie. This is lazy… even for you.

Anyway, they continue their journey on foot, but Kano suddenly needs a rest. Why? No clue. Sonya and Kano start fighting because he provokes her—clearly, they hate each other.

After this little scuffle, they bump into Liu Kang (played by Ludi Lin), whose power is… fireball hands.

Kano, being Kano, walks up to him with a knife. Liu responds by shooting fire at him—not to burn him, just to knock him over.

Game logic, am I right?

Also, this little exchange between Kano and Liu Kang? Absolute gold.

Kano: “Does this mean I’m gonna get superpowers at some point? It does, doesn’t it?”

Liu Kang (puts a hand on Kano’s shoulder): “There is much to learn.”

Kano: “The f**?”*

Hahahah, good grief, I freaking love this character. He’s the only good character in this film. Everyone else is taking this way too seriously.

Here’s my impression of every other character in this movie:

Cole: “Oh, I need to find my purpose in life. I have a family I care about… I’ll do anything to save them.”

Sonya Blade: “I believe Mortal Kombat exists! I must find it! But… I don’t have the mark… Oh no, I’m sad.”

Jax: “I used to be useful when I had arms, but now my new robotic arms don’t work… I’m useless.”

Liu Kang: “Much to learn, you all have.”

Kung Lao: “You all have much to learn… but so little time before the Kombat.”

Raiden: “Oh, the Kombat this, the Kombat that… we must prevent Shang Tsung from taking over your world. We must stop him from killing you all.”

COME. THE. FREAKING. ON!

Can none of you chuckle or laugh? How about you stop acting so serious for just one second? Is that too much to ask!?

I mean, come on—Kano is the only one having any fun in this movie.

sighhhhhhh…

Anyway, he takes them to the temple they’re looking for… because, apparently, he knows where it is.

How?

Oh, because he lives there.

Sure. Whatever.

So, they arrive, and once they get inside, he shows them some wall art. Each wall showcases different characters—just shameless fan service.

Shao Khan? There.

Goro? Yep, he’s there too. He’s that big four-armed dude. I’ll get to him later.

Oh, and on the Goro wall? It’s a picture of him ripping someone in half.

Kano’s reaction?

Kano: “Ah, this one speaks to me.”

Hahaha, I really love this character. He’s f***ing hilarious.

Anyway, skipping ahead a bit because, honestly, I kinda forgot what happens immediately after that scene…

Oh right, they meet Raiden.

And the first thing he does? He roasts everyone.

He basically looks at Cole and says, “This is the best you’ve got?”

Pfff… he’s not wrong.

Then he looks at Sonya and straight-up tells her she has no purpose.

But then, oh boy, then, there’s Kano’s reaction.

And this right here is why I love this character:

Kano: “Hey, what about me, Gandalf? Where’s my fortune cookie?”

And what does Raiden do?

He zaps him with lightning, knocking him flat on the floor.

Hahahaha!

I swear, the only reason I would ever rewatch this movie is because of Kano.

Also, let’s talk about Raiden for a second.

In the original 1995 film, he was played by Christopher Lambert. And oh boy, was he having the time of his life in that role.

I mean, just go watch a couple of clips of that Raiden and tell me you don’t enjoy him more than this lifeless version.

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Shao Khan: “You weak, pathetic fools. I’ve come for your souls.”

Raiden: “I don’t think so.”

Hahahahah! Just the way he says, “I don’t think so,” cracks me up every time.

And then we have Raiden in the 2021 film…

And, um… he’s just bland and boring.

Now, why is he bland and boring?

Well, because the script has him do barely anything.

He’s not funny. He has no personality.

Jesus Lord.

Anyway…

At this point, the villains show up.

Which villains, you ask?

Oh, just Sub-Zero, Mileena, and Shang Tsung. They’ve all come to kill our heroes.

But guess who teleports in to help them?

Kung Lao (played by Max Huang).

And I’m just gonna say it—he’s another one of my favorite characters in this movie.

His ability? Badass.

He’s got this razor-sharp hat, and I think you can guess what he does with it.

Yeah.

He throws it around like Captain America’s shield… except, instead of knocking people out, he murders them brutally.

And in the games? Oh man, he does some of the sickest fatalities with it.

Anyway, Kung Lao teleports in to help Liu Kang.

Liu Kang looks at him and says:

“Welcome back, cousin.”

Wait… what?

I know I’m new to Mortal Kombat lore and all, but… since when are Liu Kang and Kung Lao cousins?

Like, correct me if I’m wrong here, but… huh?

Again, I barely know the franchise, so maybe I missed something…

Anyway, Shang Tsung starts talking about how he’s here to kill them, but Raiden steps in and is like:

“Begone! You can’t kill them before Kombat!”

Of course, the villains don’t listen.

So what does Raiden do?

He throws up a magical shield around the temple, preventing them from entering.

And just like that… the villains leave.

Wow.

Such great and menacing villains.

(Sarcasm.)

Oh, and I feel like I have to mention this:

I cannot stand Raiden in this movie.

He’s nothing like his video game counterpart.

Here? He’s about as useful as a pile of rocks.

Like, half the time, he’s all “I can’t intervene.”

And then he just… intervenes.

Twice.

MAKE UP YOUR MIND, GOD-MAN.

Can you intervene or not!?

Oh, and let’s not forget… Raiden tells Cole that he’s a descendant of Hanzo Hasashi.

NOOOOOOOO, YOU DON’T SAY!

What gave that away?

Hmm… I don’t know.

Maybe it was the fact that he’s been having visions of Hanzo Hasashi this entire time!

Again, such a shocking plot twist.

Oh, and apparently, Raiden saved the baby that was hidden under the floor back in the 1600s when Hanzo Hasashi died.

Um… cool? I guess.

Also, Jax is here now.

Yeah, he’s still alive.

And the monks—yeah, I’m just gonna call the people who live in this temple monks now—

The monks give Jax these pathetic little metal arms—seriously? This brings me to two big gripes with this film. First, they introduce this thing called “Arcana,” basically superpowers for the chosen fighters. Pretty sure that wasn’t a thing in the games. And Jax’s Arcana? His puny metal arms magically bulk up. Wow. That’s when I officially stopped caring.

Anyway, back to the “training”—except Sonya can’t participate because she wasn’t chosen. Kano, on the other hand, gets to spar with Liu Kang, and honestly, this scene is one of my favorites. Here, let me show you the clip…

I love this scene because Liu Kang keeps spamming the same leg sweep move on Kano—clearly poking fun at players who just mash one button. Clever. And of course, Kano’s got a nickname ready:

Kano: “Yeah, yeah, put on a shirt there, Magic Mike.”

😂 This guy never misses.

Then we cut to a dinner scene, and oh boy, I’ve rewatched it four times because it’s that funny. It’s a full-on roast session, and I’ll break it down for you (bleeped for safety).

Kano: “Topknot, what’s his name? Kung Pow? Pass an egg roll, would ya?”
Kung Lao (in Mandarin): “I’ll handle this.”
Kano: “Your ears painted on, mate? Egg roll—there ya go, good boy.”
(Jax & Sonya chuckle)
Kung Lao: “Maybe lay off the egg rolls. You wouldn’t be ready to fight in 100 days.”
(More chuckles)
Kung Lao: “I’ll dumb it down for you… fat, lazy pig.”
Kano: “What’d you say?”
Kung Lao: “Terrible fighter. Zero skill.”
Kano: “You got a death wish, mate?”
Kung Lao: “You’re like a dog. A dog that failed obedience school.”
Kano: “How about I take that stupid sombrero you’re wearing and shove it so far up your—”
Kung Lao: “You can try.”
Kano: “I just might.”

Then Liu Kang steps in with his wisdom:

Liu Kang: “Why would you jeopardize the goodwill of the only people keeping you alive?”
Kano: “How about you try being one of them silent monks?”
Liu Kang: “You’re soft, useless, and angry. You should be on your knees before this man.”
(Jax & Sonya chuckle harder)
Kano (aggressively standing up): “How about you two get on your knees and—” (you get the idea)

Then, right after his epic meltdown… BAM! Kano unlocks his power—a laser blast from his right eye. Not from a cybernetic implant like in the games, no no, but because this movie decided laser vision is now a superpower.

Also, I’m convinced Kung Lao and Liu Kang roasted him on purpose to trigger his hidden abilities. If so, genius move.

Meanwhile, Raiden reveals to Cole that he’s related to Hanzo Hasashi, who is supposedly “searching” in the Netherrealm. But from what we see, he’s just… standing there. Menacingly.

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I guess the director forgot Hanzo was supposed to be searching for something… or maybe the budget didn’t allow for actual Netherrealm scenes.

Breaking News: This Film Got NOTHING Right

After doing some research, turns out this movie butchered the source material. Jax’s robotic arms? Changed. The reason Sonya and Kano hate each other? Changed. Sub-Zero vs. Scorpion rivalry? Changed. Heck, in the games, it wasn’t even Sub-Zero who killed Hanzo’s family—it was a shapeshifter (whose name escapes me). So what did this film get right? Literally just the title.

Also, minor nitpick: why is Scorpion called a ninja when he’s clearly rocking a samurai-style outfit? Movie, if you’re going to throw in historical terms, at least use them correctly.

Introducing the Discount Villains

Shang Tsung brings in three new villains:

• Kabal – A guy in a mask who’s apparently mad at Kano for burning him.
• Reiko – Exists.
• Nitara – A woman with bat wings. That’s it. Shang Tsung keeps calling her “a thing of beauty” like she’s a rare Pokémon, but she has zero personality.

Then Goro shows up! And wow… what a waste. He gets four minutes of screen time, doesn’t say a word, and is reduced to a growling brute. In the games, he’s intelligent (I think?). Here, he’s just a glorified CGI extra.

Raiden the Useless God

Meanwhile, Raiden tells Cole he’s worthless and sends him home. Oh, so now Raiden can teleport people? Sigh. A god with infinite power who refuses to intervene… except for when he does.

The Kano Betrayal No One Was Shocked By

Kabal then convinces Kano to switch sides. Wow. Didn’t see that coming. (Oh wait, literally everyone did.) What’s worse? Kabal’s first scene was all about wanting to kill Kano. And now he’s recruiting him? Movie, make up your mind!

Kano then breaks the temple’s shield, and the villains storm in. Fights break out:

• Liu Kang vs. Kabal
• Sonya vs. Mileena
• Jax vs. Reiko
• Kung Lao vs. Shang Tsung (who dodges by barely moving his head… wow, impressive)

Meanwhile, Goro is sent to fight Cole at his house. Great. A guy who can’t fight taking on a four-armed beast. This will go well. (Spoiler: It won’t.)

Destiny is Meaningless

Side note: Liu Kang reveals how he got his dragon mark. Turns out, he killed a human trafficker who had it. Excuse me, what?? So destiny means nothing? Just murder someone with the mark and boom, you’re chosen? That’s how this works now??

This movie, man…

So… Anyone Can Get the Mark Now?

Let’s say an old lady accidentally runs over a guy with the mark. Does that mean she gets it? Is she now Earth’s champion? Does she have to fight?! What were the writers smoking? And where can I get some?

Nitara’s 12 Seconds of Fame

Shang Tsung sends Nitara after Kung Lao… and she lasts 12 seconds. She swoops down, tries to grab him, and he counters by riding her like a surfboard straight into his spinning hat, slicing her in half. Graphic. Brutal. Gross. And of course, Kung Lao caps it off with “Flawless Victory.” Sigh. That line felt so forced—like a last-minute fan-service insert.

Meanwhile, Mileena pins Sonya, licks the blood off her blade, and then decides Sonya’s life is meaningless since she doesn’t have the mark. Great. So Sonya is officially useless now.

Cole Young’s Plot Armor… Literally

Back to Cole, who is getting wrecked by Goro—until he suddenly unlocks his Arcana. What is it? Golden armor that absorbs punches. Yep. His superpower is plot armor. And if that wasn’t dumb enough, the director said it was inspired by the basket his ancestor was hidden in as a baby. I repeat: his armor is based on a freaking basket.

Oh, and he can also summon blades. So, what does he do? He kills Goro by slicing him open, guts spilling everywhere. Wow. What a total waste of an iconic character.

Oh, and in case you weren’t paying attention: Cole is this movie’s chosen one. Funny, I could’ve sworn that was Liu Kang’s role in the games…

Shang Tsung: Soul-Sucker Extraordinaire

Raiden portals Cole back, just in time for Kung Lao to almost kill Shang Tsung. But, surprise! Shang Tsung grabs him and sucks out his soul. There goes one of the best characters. And guess what? This movie isn’t even about the Mortal Kombat tournament—it’s just a setup for a sequel. Because the director wants a trilogy.

Raiden: King of Contradictions

Raiden teleports everyone to The Void (because plot), and Jax—reasonably—asks why he didn’t save Kung Lao. Raiden’s response? “I cannot intervene.”

Excuse me?! You put up a magic shield. You teleported people all over the place. YOU’VE BEEN INTERVENING THIS WHOLE TIME.

Liu Kang mourns his cousin’s death, and Cole delivers the most generic “heroic” speech ever: “We need to go back and fight.” Wow. Such inspiration. So motivating.

The Final Match-Ups Begin

Cole comes up with a “strategy”:

• Sonya vs. Kano (because she hates him)
• Jax vs. Reiko (because… sure?)
• Liu Kang vs. Kabal
• Cole vs. Mileena

Then Raiden, in his infinite wisdom, hands Cole Hanzo’s dagger and basically says, “Use this, it’ll summon him.” Oh cool, thanks for the last-minute magic item, Exposition Man.

Sonya gets teleported to her RV, where Kano is waiting. Meanwhile, everyone else starts fighting. Instead of describing each fight in excruciating detail… let’s sum it up:

• Jax kills Reiko by punching his head in.

Jax Smashes, Liu Kang Burns, and a Garden Gnome Kills a Man

Jax kills Reiko by smashing his head like a watermelon with his robo-arms. Gross but awesome. His reaction?

Jax: “Yeah, these motherf***ers work.”

Peak cinema.

Meanwhile, Liu Kang summons a fire dragon to bite Kabal, setting him ablaze. Kabal dies… because fire, I guess. Liu Kang even says “Fatality.” Okay, I’ll admit, I like the game references—subtle as ever.

Sonya, however, is getting whooped by Kano, who still wants his 3 million dollars. Bruh, you betrayed everyone—you think you deserve that money? He throws her out a window, pins her down, and then—remember that garden gnome he spit on earlier? Well, Sonya stabs him in the eye with it.

And somehow… he dies instantly.

Listen, I’m no doctor, but a garden gnome to the eye? At worst, it fractures his skull. But nope, instant death. No last breath, no struggle, just boop, gone. Sure, movie. At this point, my brain is melting.

With Kano dead, Sonya magically gets the mark and returns to help Cole. How? Beats me. She also instantly unlocks her Arcana, no explanation needed, and now she shoots pink wrist beams. She blasts a hole through Mileena, exposing her spine. Gross, but cool.

Sub-Zero Kidnaps Cole’s Family—Because, of Course

Sub-Zero kidnaps Cole’s wife and kid, freezing them but not killing them (??). He lures Cole into what looks like the same locker room from the beginning—because budget. Cole, of course, gets destroyed. Just as he’s about to get frozen, he pulls out Hanzo’s dagger.

Sub-Zero recognizes it. “The blade of Hanzo…” He grabs it, tries to stab Cole, but then—BOOM—Scorpion appears, chains Sub-Zero’s arm, and yells:

“GET OVER HERE!”

In English.

…Hold up. Hanzo only spoke Japanese earlier. So did he learn exactly three words in English while in Hell? Why only those words? Make it make sense.

Anyway, they fight. Sub-Zero pulls out his MKX ice sword (nice touch), and Scorpion keeps randomly removing his mask. Dude, why? Once is fine, but three times?! Feels like the actor just wanted more face time.

Epic Fights and Mildly Inconvenient Burns

The fight itself? Awesome. At one point, Sub-Zero freezes Scorpion’s blood midair and stabs him with it. That’s both disgusting and epic.

Meanwhile, Cole is just punching ice to save his family. Truly, the most useful protagonist.

Then Cole joins the fight, and they overwhelm Sub-Zero. His armor gets damaged, he rips off his mask (for drama, I guess), and mutters: “For the Lin Kuei.”

…WHO ARE THE LIN KUEI?! This movie never explains!

Scorpion tells Cole to leave Sub-Zero to him, then uses hellfire to melt the ice trapping Cole’s family. Somehow, they survive. Sure, movie.

Then Scorpion does his iconic fire breath fatality—burning Sub-Zero. But instead of turning into a skeleton, Sub-Zero just gets lightly toasted and dies.

…What?

In Star Wars, Anakin Skywalker gets roasted alive by lava and survives. But here, in a universe with gods and warriors who literally come back from Hell, Sub-Zero gets slightly singed and dies? Yeah, okay, movie. At this point, I wouldn’t be shocked if Santa Claus showed up dual-wielding a machine gun and a Pop-Tart.

Before disappearing back to Hell, Scorpion tells Cole, “Take care of my bloodline.” In Japanese.

…Does Cole even understand Japanese?!

Raiden “Can’t Intervene”… Except When He Does

Raiden and the squad show up just in time for Shang Tsung to casually respawn and go, “Death is just a portal to another realm.”

…Oh, so none of these deaths matter? Cool. Glad I wasted 1 hour and 50 minutes watching characters just for them to get revived in a sequel. Zero stakes.

Raiden tells Shang to leave, teleports him away (so he CAN intervene?), then tells the group they need to find more champions. Cole immediately decides to head to Hollywood, walking past a poster for Johnny Cage.

Sequel bait unlocked.

Final Verdict?

The OG Mortal Kombat theme plays during the credits, which is the best part of the movie.

Overall? I didn’t like this film.

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Mortal Kombat (2021): A Messy, Mindless Action Flick

Okay, I’ll admit—there are some things I liked:

• Kano (MVP of comedy)
• Sub-Zero (coolest villain, literally)
• Scorpion (when he actually shows up)
• Kung Lao (RIP)
• The Gore & Violence (because, obviously)
• The Comedy (mainly from Kano)

…And that’s it. Everything else? Shite.

What Went Wrong?

• Goro? Turned into angry Shrek Hulk. Why?
• Nitara? Doesn’t even resemble her game version. 15 seconds of screen time before getting sliced in half.
• Mileena? Reduced to Generic Assassin Woman #3, which is not what she is in the games.
• Shang Tsung? Completely miscast. Feels like a placeholder villain.
• Reiko? Just Generic Henchman with Hammer™.
• Raiden? As helpful as a pile of rocks.
• Cole Young? As interesting as a pile of coal. (Heheheheh…)
• The script? Hot mess.
• Jax? Sidelined.
• The Arcana system? Pointless, full of plot holes.
• The Mortal Kombat mark? Also pointless, raises too many questions.
• For a prequel, they sure as hell kill off most of the characters.

The Fights?

For a Mortal Kombat movie, you’d think the fights would feel martial arts-based—you know, like the games? Nope. Instead, we get generic action movie fighting with zero style. What a wasted opportunity.

Did the Director Even Care?

Honestly? Doesn’t seem like it. Either he ignored the lore completely or he’s just very incompetent. Probably the latter.

Final Verdict?

This is the type of movie where you turn your brain off and just enjoy the dumb, violent spectacle. Stupid fun, but still stupid.

Final Score: 4.8/10

Mortal Kombat (2021) was on HBO Max for a month after its April 23rd release—so depending on when you read this, it might already be gone.

Oh, and if you want a better breakdown, check out this YouTuber’s review—he does a better job at explaining stuff in my opinion

Also y’all should check out this video of Mortal Kombat 2021 pitch meeting, if and y’all who’s reading this, have seen these Pitch Meeting videos, then you will all know how funny it is

“Actually it’s super easy, barley and inconvenience”

Also y’all should check out this YouTubers review on this film, his name is VITO