Since before I was even born Mortal Kombat has been around and has been a videogame sensation that near-enough everybody has played. Its simplistic yet grotesque style has always appealed to fans and seeing the best characters perform ‘fatalities’ or ‘flawless victories’ is part of the fun. After the nearly thirty years since the original game released, we now have a big–budget movie based on the source material and it may just be the best videogame movie to date.
The movie follows ageing MMA fighter Cole Young (Lewis Tan), accustomed to taking a beating for money, and unaware of his heritage or why Outworld’s Emperor Shang Tsung (Chin Han) has sent his best warrior, Sub-Zero (Joe Taslim), an otherworldly Cyromancer, to hunt him down. Fearing for his family’s safety, Cole goes on a search for Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee) at the direction of Jax (Mahcad Brooks), a Special Forces Major who bears the same strange dragon marking Cole was born with. Soon, he finds himself at the temple of Lord Raiden (Tadanobu Asano), an Elder God and the protector of Earthrealm, who grants sanctuary to those who bear the mark. Here, Cole trains with experienced warriors Liu Kang (Ludi Lin), Kung Lao (Max Huang) and rogue mercenary Kano (Josh Lawson), as they all prepare for a high-stakes battle for the universe.
Over the years, I have played some of the Mortal Kombat videogames so going into this brand new movie, I knew who most of the characters were and I just wanted to see some good action. Simon McQuoid’s directorial debut certainly delivers that. The movie opens with a sequence that is incredibly violent, gory and sets the tone for the rest of the film. The action is fast paced, quick moving and has you on edge and that is what the rest of Mortal Kombat is like.
The characters are all great here. Lewis Tan’s Cole Young is certainly the one who is given the most development and growth throughout the story but the rest of the cast are great too! A few of the characters are given minimal development and backstory but I’m guessing that’s because this movie is for fans of the games and if you’re watching this film, you probably already know their character from the videogames.
The story also lends itself to having a big franchise. The ending clearly is setting something up that is big (if we actually get a sequel, then that would be brilliant) and as a massive fan of this new Mortal Kombat movie, I would love to see where this story goes next. It has a massive universe filled with heroes and villains and if we can bring in more characters to join this team then that would be really interesting.
Also, if you are looking for a movie to show off your 4k television, Mortal Kombat is a must buy. Every single scene is filled with vibrant colours that truly took me by surprise. The scenes in Lord Raiden’s temple are dazzling and filled with shiny riches that pop right out of my television. Out of all the 4k Blu-rays that I own, Mortal Kombat may just be the most visually gorgeous in my entire collection!
Mortal Kombat is a movie for the fans; violent, bloody and one hell of a good time! The new 4k Blu-ray is visually stunning and the film itself is just so much fun to watch. It’s endlessly rewatchable and has some good characters with great chemistry. The action is brutal and keeps you in suspense while the quieter moments do pack an emotional punch. The special features compacted onto this disc are great and this is one you will definitely want to pick up.
Special features include:
- Deleted Scenes
- From Game to Screen: The Making of Mortal Kombat
- Fan Favourite Characters – 11 Featurettes
- Fight Koreography
- Into the Krypt: Easter Eggs of Mortal Kombat
- Anatomy of a Scene – 7 Featurettes
Warner Bros. Pictures presents Mortal Kombat on Digital Platforms now and DVD, Blu-ray and 4K UHD from the 5th July
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