Mortal Kombat (2021) Review

With the release of Mortal Kombat II (2026) just days away, it felt criminal that we hadn’t already shared a review of the 2021 prequel, to make sure everyone is clear on what to expect.

The film opens long ago, in feudal Japan in a quiet rural setting. The tranquility is destroyed when Hanzo Hasashi (Hiroyuki Sanada) is forced to defend his family and square off against Bi-Han (Joe Taslim). The fight ends in tragedy, which sets the scene well and gives an important weight and clarity the rest of the film keeps circling back to but never quite recaptures.

We jump forward to current(ish) day and things understandably get busier. Cole Young, played by Lewis Tan, is introduced as our way in. A new character, which is either a bold reinvention or an unnecessary detour depending on how attached you are to the games. He’s fine and perfectly watchable. But he’s carrying that well-worn “chosen one who doesn’t know he’s the chosen one” burden, something that flattens things just when they should be picking up.

More characters are introduced in quick succession with Jax (Mehcad Brooks) and Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee) opening Cole’s eyes to his weird destiny. Josh Lawson tumbles in as bad egg Kano and it’s almost like he has wandered in from a different, slightly ruder film and decided to stay. He’s profane, obnoxious, and quickly the most alive presence on screen. Every time the film threatens to sink into exposition or lore-dumping, he cuts in something crude and usually quite funny. There are times when you might wish the film would just follow him instead.

It’s with the violence that Simon McQuoid and his team have placed their bets. The film leans hard into the game’s legacy, and that’s clearest when it comes to the ‘fatalities’. Limbs are removed, spines are exposed, hats are used as buzz-saws and even blood is weaponised. The kills are inventive and ridiculous, but anything less would be a disappointment for any self-respecting Mortal Kombat fan.

The interesting and odd thing is that the film seems slightly unsure how to balance that brutality with everything else. There are attempts at mythology, at emotional stakes, at building something resembling a narrative arc. Sometimes it works, or at least doesn’t get in the way and others it feels like connective tissue between set pieces. You can almost hear the thought process of the producers of the franchise ticking away underneath. This is clearly a first chapter, a table-setter, a “we’ll get to the good stuff next time” kind of film.

This might explain why the tournament itself never really arrives. That absence is either frustrating or refreshing depending on your patience. It’s odd to sit through all this build-up without the promised main event, even if it does allow the film to move between characters and indulge in its own peculiar tone.

The tone steers clear of seriousness, preventing the film from getting too dark for mainstream appeal. There are moments of menace, particularly whenever Sub-Zero is on screen, and the kills are surprisingly graphic. But they sit alongside knowingly silly beats and lines that feel lifted from countless action films before it. It’s something that shouldn’t work, but usually it does.

Technically, it’s a mixed bag too. The fight choreography is strong, but the effects vary. Some creatures and powers look impressive, others drift into that slightly weightless digital space where nothing quite lands.

For the most part the film delivers. Mortal Kombat understands its main appeal and appreciates that people came here for spectacle, for recognisable characters, for those little moments where the audience can quietly nod and think, “yes, that’s the thing I remember”.

Is it great? Not really. Is it predictable? Largely. Is it entertaining? More often than not, yes. Most importantly there’s a sense that something better might grow out of this. And just how much better that something is, will be revealed in a matter of days.

Movie Rating:

Mortal Kombat trailer