I’m sure we’ve all played Mortal Kombat as a child. Hopefully, someone actually told you what buttons to press to do the things instead of handing you a controller and starting the game. I went back to a time when I was in daycare and the boys would do that to me. They also got very angry when they lost. Sucks for them.
Anyway, we all had our favorite player with the special move we loved to use on usually someone we loved dearly–just not as we played the game. I’m going to be honest here. Never knew there was a 1995 version of this film. I imagine the idea is to make this version better than that. Just based on this trailer alone, the graphics and choreography have done that. However, I do not feel compelled to watch this film solely on the sick choreography and graphics alone. I want a solid storyline, but from the description, I’m not sure I will be getting that.
So, boom, here’s the description. A young Cole Young finds himself in a predicament. By day he’s a MMA fighter, who according to the synopsis, is used to taking a beating a living but by night he’s being hunted by Sub-Zero for some reason unknown to him. This is where the plot gets fuzzy for me. The synopsis says that in order to save his family he goes in search of Sonya Blade at the behest of Jax, a Special Forces Major who shares the same dragon “birthmark” that he does. So after they meet up, they get to the temple of Lord Raiden, who grants sanctuary to those who bear the dragon mark, where they are trained to fight the Outworld folk for the safety of Earthrealm. Then, they ask the question, “Will Cole be pushed hard enough to unlock his arcana in time to save not only his family, but to stop Outworld once and for all?”
I have read and seem some videos where people have said that they don’t care about the storyline. They just want to see the fights and the gore. If you all want that, tell these people to create a new Mortal Kombat game. Don’t waste money and film on something that could be so good just to show gore and fighting. Now, I am aware that I could, and may be, wrong but this synopsis seems real loose. And yes, I was really impressed with the scene in the trailer where Sub-Zero slashes Scorpion and then makes a blade with his frozen blood (I just want to point out here that there was no reason for him to create an ice wall to throw him into); however, I need some story. And yes, I want it to be a strong storyline. There is so much potential with this movie–good potential! I need to know who Cole Young really is. Who is his father? What does Shang Tsung want with Young? How far into the movie do I have to wait to see Mileena lick that blade? Here’s what I don’t need to see. I don’t need this movie to do a lot of fan service that makes no sense. I appreciate hearing “Get over here” however, it didn’t really go with that scene. I feel like there could have been better placement of it, but that’s just me.
Tell me, what do you want to see in this version of Mortal Kombat? Who was your go-to character? Mine was Kitana. No idea why but her fans appealed to me.
Mortal Kombat debuts on HBO Max and in theaters on April 16th!
BLACK WATCH 