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Opening Date

08 Apr 2021

Rating

M18 Strong Violence and Coarse Language

强烈的暴力画面及粗俗语言

Runtime

110 mins

Language

English with Chinese subtitles

Genre

Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Director

Simon McQuoid

Cast

Lewis Tan, Ludi Lin, Joe Taslim, Jessica McNamee, Mehcad Brooks, Jessica McNamee, Hiroyuki Sanada, Tadanobu Asano, Josh Lawson, Chin Han

Synopsis

In “Mortal Kombat,” MMA fighter Cole Young, accustomed to taking a beating for money, is unaware of his heritage—or why Outworld's Emperor Shang Tsung has sent his best warrior, Sub-Zero, an otherworldly Cryomancer, to hunt Cole down. Fearing for his family's safety, Cole goes in search of Sonya Blade at the direction of Jax, 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, 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, Kung Lao and rogue mercenary Kano, as he prepares to stand with Earth’s greatest champions against the enemies of Outworld in a high stakes battle for the universe. But will Cole be pushed hard enough to unlock his arcana—the immense power from within his soul—in time to save not only his family, but to stop Outworld once and for all?

Reviews

By Rachelle 08 Apr 2021

Flawless victory.

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Mortal Kombat is a martial arts fantasy film based on the beloved video game franchise of the same name and serves as a reboot to the existing film series. It stars Lewis Tan, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, Tadanobu Asano, Mehcad Brooks, Ludi Lin, Chin Han, Max Huang, Joe Taslim, and Hiroyuki Sanada.

Directed by Simon McQuoid in his feature directorial debut from a screenplay by Greg Russo and Dave Callaham, Mortal Kombat is the third of its kind and the first live-action adaptation with an R-rating – a rating the team behind the film made sure to make good use of. About damn time!

In the 17th century, Bi Han (Taslim), an assassin for the Lin Kuei clan with ice powers, attacks and kills Hanzo Hasashi (Sanada) and his family. The only survivor is Hanzo's infant daughter, who is taken away by the thunder god Raiden (Asano), the protector of Earthrealm.

In the modern era, Outworld has won nine consecutive Mortal Kombat tournaments against Earthrealm and needs one more victory in the next tournament to conquer Earthrealm. The Outworld sorcerer Shang Tsung (Chin Han) orders his warriors to seek out and eliminate Earthrealm's champions, who bear a dragon mark on their bodies, in order to ensure Earthrealm has no chance in the upcoming tournament.

Enter Lewis Tan’s Cole Young – a brand new character created for this film. Cole is a former MMA champion and a bearer of the dragon mark. He is recruited by Jax (Brooks) after Bi Han (now going by the name Sub-Zero) attacks him and his family. The film snowballs fast from here on out and Cole finds himself working together with Jax’s partner Sonya Blade (McNamee) and her hostage Kano (Lawson) to source out Raiden's Temple, – the training ground for Earthrealm's warriors. They are met there by Shaolin warriors Liu Kang (Lin) and Kung Lao (Huang), and Raiden himself.

Liu Kang and Kung Lao explain that every Earthrealm warrior with a dragon mark has a special power known as an "arcana", such as Liu Kang's ability to conjure fire with his hands. Therefore, the warriors at the Temple must find and awaken their arcanas if they are to stand a chance in Mortal Kombat.

Featuring a cast of actors with martial arts background definitely helped with elevating the fight scenes and distracting viewers from questionable writing in this action-packed blockbuster. All the fights that were peppered in intermittently makes and breaks the flow of the film but who actually goes for a Mortal Kombat movie for its plot? It's all about the fights and fan-servicing!

From the eyes of a viewer who isn’t well-versed in Mortal Kombat lore, the film was a right treat from start to finish. Joe Taslim and Hiroyuki Sanada’s on-screen presence were the best parts of the film and the choice to bookend it with their face-offs is a testament to both actors.
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