Nostalgia is a tricky beast. I’d say Mortal Kombat 1-3 are the last video games I have any real nostalgia for. (At least in the arcade anyway.) Would I have enjoyed this new Mortal Kombat movie if I didn’t have nostalgia for the old games? Probably, but the nostalgia factor certainly helped put it over the top. I mean, I really enjoyed the original film when it came out in the midst of Mortal Kombat mania. However, with the benefit of nostalgia, this one seems… even better?
Let’s face it, I haven’t played a Mortal Kombat game since Part 4, so I’m out of the loop when it comes to the new stuff. The games now have Robocop and Rambo and shit in them, which to me makes it seem less like Mortal Kombat and more like Ready Player One. The good news is, this new adaptation is pretty much aimed at old video game nerds like me who are only familiar with the older games.
The original movie was the best film you could’ve made from that material. What makes this version interesting is that it usurps our expectations. Instead of having the plot take place almost entirely within the confines of a fighting tournament, it’s about the bad guy trying to kill off all the heroes BEFORE the tournament even happens. Some fans may be dismayed by this, but i kind of dug it. I mean, the tournament fighting plotline has already been done to fatality… I mean, death, so this was a nice little change of pace.
While it may not be the film some Mortal Kombat fans were hoping for, it’s filled with plenty of great gory deaths and little moments that fans of the games will love. I mean there’s a scene where someone is defeated by leg sweeps alone. In the game, this was a cheap move that even the most novice player could do to beat someone. It’s such a deep cut that it makes me want to give the movie Four Stars just for this scene alone. I can’t quite do that though as the flick overall is far from perfect. However, it does offer up tons of goofy, gory fun.
The cast is fairly strong too. Josh Lawson is awesome as Kano. Trevor Goddard was great in the original movie as Kano, playing him as the guy you loved to hate, but Lawson really ups the ante here. Every time he’s on screen talking shit to the other combatants, it’s a pure joy to watch. He steals every scene he’s in and gets all the best lines like, “Maybe your [special move] is getting beat up by a hat!” Kabal was my favorite character in the Mortal Kombat 3 game, so it was a real treat to see him being brought to life, especially when the filmmakers made him such a total asshole (although maybe not as big of an asshole as Kano). Damon (Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood) Herriman’s voice work for the character is outstanding too and he gets some big laughs as well.
I was a little hesitant about the new character, Cole Young (Lewis Tan) who acts as the leading man. He’s not in the games, and is more of an audience substitute, which really wasn’t necessary. Thankfully, his character worked out as well as could be expected. At least they give him an important lineage that connects him back to the game.
I could probably nitpick this down to a *** review, but it’s hard to dismiss some of the big crowd pleasing moments and gory demises that makes it so much fun. My favorite death came via a buzzsaw, but the old school Kung Fu fan in me appreciated the nod to Riki-Oh too. As a fan of the game, I will admit I applauded at several junctures, something I haven’t done with a movie in a long time.
Overall, I think I enjoyed this more than the first movie. I liked the way it expanded the world and scope of the game and integrated more mythology and backstories into the mix. It may not be a "Flawless Victory", but it's one of the best video game adaptations ever made and a helluva lot of fun.
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