Mortal Kombat will be released on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on July 13th 2021 by Warner Bros. Special features:
From Game to Screen: The Making of Moral Kombat featurette
11 Mortal Kombat: Fan Favorite Characters featurettes
Fight Koreography featurette
Intro the Krypt: Easter Eggs of Mortal Kombat featurette
7 Anatomy of a Scene featurettes
Deleted scenes
Meanwhile, here’s our previous coverage of the movie:
Mortal Kombat is a 2021 American action-adventure film based on the massively successful video game franchise of the same name.
Directed by Simon McQuoid, marking his feature directorial debut, from a screenplay written by Greg Russo and Dave Callaham (Wonder Woman 1984), from a story by Oren Uziel (Mortal Kombat: Rebirth) and Russo, based on the videogame created by Ed Boon and John Tobias. The movie was produced by James Wan (The Conjuring universe, Aquaman), Todd Garner (Into the Storm, Tag), aforementioned Simon McQuoid and E. Bennett Walsh (Men in Black: International, The Amazing Spider-Man 2).
The New Line-Atomic Monster-Broken Road production stars Joe Taslim, Ludi Lin, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, Tadanobu Asano, Mehcad Brooks, Chin Han, Hiroyuki Sanada, Max Huang, Sisi Stringer and Lewis Tan.
Plot:
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, Cole 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.
Can 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:
“Unfortunately, the positive aspects of Mortal Kombat are not enough to elevate a bland, forced, Poochie-esque audience surrogate character, a rather feckless script and stilted direction with underwhelming acting. On top of that are some rather cheap-looking sets and production values, and some really undercooked CG visuals. To put it simply, it has not begun.” 411 Mania
“Director Simon McQuoid makes his feature debut, demonstrating a flair for composing interesting shots and staging mayhem, particularly in the finale, which takes place inside a frozen gym, with heroes and villains shattering ice-covered objects as they battle. Unlike some fight-heavy movies, Mortal Kombat isn’t edited half to death.” The Aisle Seat
“It’s gory with satisfying fatalities and game callback moments, including dialogue. The fight sequences are well executed and thought out, and most of the emotional beats resonate. It’s a simple story prone to some silliness, but more to the point, it’s an origin story. Mortal Kombat feels like only a warm-up for the main event.” Bloody Disgusting
“For a plot that decided not to dive into the simple, original MK premise (a fighting tournament), there is still a hefty dose of action, including plenty of familiar manoeuvres pulled straight from the games. Fans of the franchise will be glad to know that the film earned its R rating thanks to blood and gore aplenty, along with some impressive fight choreography. Character-wise there’s not a lot of backstory to be had here…” Bulletproof Action
” …this latest film is definitely a huge love letter to these characters and game franchise that really does an awesome job of creating something that MK fans can geek out over, but also offers up a ton of entertainment for newcomers alike. And the minute Mortal Kombat (2021) was over, I was primed to watch it all over again.” Daily Dead
“They chose to go the Marvel route and design the costumes more grounded and contemporary than matching the video game. I suppose I’m OK with that, but I loved those costumes. There are many characters, and we’re not given much time to sympathize with them fully. That said, I had fun, and my low expectations were exceeded slightly.” Film Threat
“McQuoid had a daunting task in front of him and I think he has done an outstanding job making a film that satisfies fans but also has a surprisingly warm, hopeful attitude. Make no mistake though; when the fists start flying, the film is brutal, sadistic, and unapologetically violent. I wouldn’t call it a Klassic and it won’t replace the original, but Mortal Kombat will give fans what they want, and then some.” Killer Horror Critic
“Fight choreography is solid, although McQuoid’s camera sometimes feels too busy for its own good, and it’s hard not to feel that certain sequences would’ve been better served by longer shots with fewer cuts. Setpieces are also compelling, with the natural beauty of South Australia standing in for the vast, imposing Outworld landscape.” The Lamplight Review
” …a ton of Easter Eggs, callbacks, and famous quotes, as well as a little surprise that’ll be sure to get fans excited. Though it does suffer a bit under the wooden (and sometimes corny) acting as well as having a storyline that may be confusing to those not overly familiar with the franchise, once you let that go and fully commit to the outrageousness that the movie offers, you’ll have a blast.” Nightmarish Conjurings
“Mortal Kombat commits the sin that so many recent Hollywood adaptations of existing properties make these days – it’s all set up. Everything that happens here can be written off as exposition laying the groundwork for a sequel, where the real kombat can begin. It’s a ruse; a come-on; a side-show with a very loud barker out front. “We can’t show you that stuff just yet, but come back next time and we might!” Slash Film
“Nuanced character drama this most certainly isn’t; instead, this is boxers with ninja blood and green berets with robot arms pummelling invisible lizards and bat-winged demon babes to a bloody pulp. When they’re not fighting, characters bicker and spout pseudo-spiritual idioms until it’s time to square off again. Mortal Kombat is not for the discerning palate, but for those in the know – get over here!” South China Morning Post
“Right from the opening scene, blood and guts are flying all over the place giving you early indications of what you can look forward to. Unfortunately, however, to get there, you are going to have to sit through a whole lot of plot. The cheesy script and terrible acting make that especially more painful at times…” Starburst
” …Mortal Kombat is hyper-violent – something you would expect from what was basically the first very violent video game – and it doesn’t hold back on the gore. All in all, ‘Mortal Kombat’ is camp fun that lives up to the video game and all the brutality that made it an icon.” Switch.
” …this is an incredible gory film. They take the idea of recreating the fatalities seriously. The gore and the language are likely going to be deal-breakers for some people, and you probably already have a good idea if that is you. But that aside, I don’t think I have felt this kind of energy from a crowd in a long time.” TL;DR Movie Reviews
“I had a blast watching Mortal Kombat, it’s an hour and fifty minutes of fast-paced, bloody fun. It’s also a reminder that not every big-budget film is a bland waste of time. The ending sets up a sequel, and I hope we get to see it.” Voices from the Balcony
Release:
Mortal Kombat is released by Warner Bros. theatrically and on HBO Max on April 16, 2021.
Cast and characters:
Joe Taslim … Bi-Han / Sub-Zero
Ludi Lin … Liu Kang
Jessica McNamee … Sonya Blade
Josh Lawson … Kano
Hiroyuki Sanada … Hanzo Hasashi / Scorpion
Tadanobu Asano … Raiden
Mehcad Brooks … Major Jackson ‘Jax’ Briggs
Chin Han … Shang Tsung
Lewis Tan … Cole Young
Mel Jarnson … Nitara
Sisi Stringer … Mileena
Daniel Nelson … Kabal
Matilda Kimber … Emily Young
Max Huang … Kung Lao
Elissa Cadwell … Nitara
Filming locations:
South Australia
Image credits: EW and Bloody Disgusting. All images remain copyright Warner Bros.
Featurettes:
Trailer:
Teaser:
Clips:
