Film: Mortal Kombat [2021] – Lewis Tan, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson

Mortal Kombat feels off. Watching it over 4 years later, I wanted it to be weirder and closer to the 1990s games. But also take itself more seriously.

Starring Lewis Tan, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, and others, this 2021 movie doesn’t go as far. The first and last 10 minutes feel like the games. Everything in between is almost a Taken movie.

While far from perfect, this film is still bloody fun, with a solid attempt at adapting the game’s insane world. Turn your brain all the way off, grab a giant bag of nachos & be prepared for gruesome, gory, & grotesque Fights that are all top notch in every way!

More or less, it’s a two-hour-long gorefest packed with over-the-top actions and brutal fatalities, in its first and last minutes. The second act is a snooze. Main issue? The film chose to reserve the title event for a sequel that wasn’t guaranteed. We’re in 2025 and the sequel just got delayed, again, to 2026.

You don’t have to go all the way in, but at least, a decent setup and tease would have been great. The total dismissal of the titular event was guarantee for the film to overall feel anticlimactic and kind of a waste. Why edge us for almost 2 hours without at least a good promise of satisfaction?

Don’t get me wrong. What’s there is decent. But Mortal Kombat is the equivalent of making a film called The Olympics and only showed the qualifying rounds before actual Olympians are appointed.

Should You Watch It?

I played the game in my teenage years. I loved watching these characters and their stories — no matter their size — play out on-screen, but I wanted to see more happen. Lots more.

Where Can I Watch It?

You can rent or buy Mortal Kombat online.