Good movie that understood the assignment
Review
Mortal Kombat as an IP does pose a certain challenge when turning it into a movie. On the one hand, Mortal Kombat is steeped in over the top absurdity that if leaned too heavily into can make transitioning it to the big screen a difficult task. At the same time, it absolutely has to be there. While I think you can play around a bit with the lore because some lore in video games just doesn't work well for a movie nor tv show. It's the same issue translating anything from one medium to another. Books, tv shows, movies, and video games all have certain elements that make creating their stories easier than in it is for the other mediums. The heart of the IP still has to be there for any IP regardless of the medium and that heart for Mortal Kombat is the absurdity.
That's why director Simon McQuoid deserves a round of applause. He balanced the insanity of the games and kept it just grounded enough to work. The crazy and bloody moves of the games are showcased extremely well this time around. Throughout the entire movie I was able to enjoy the fight choreography that was backed by solid special effects. I think the only time the special effects lost me a bit was near the end of the movie when they were in the Netherrealm, That still had a fun set piece that was a major part of the film's resolution.
The cast also did their part splendidly. The film does see the return of many characters from the first Mortal Kombat. Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade, Mehcad Brooks at Jax, Ludi Lin as Liu Kang, and Tadanobu Asano as Raiden are amongst those who returned. There are others and some you might recognize the attached poster, but I don't want to ruin some of the more surprising names that reprise their roles.
The returning characters do take a little bit of a backseat this time around. They certainly play their part, but the movie does shift focus to the newcomers. Adeline Rudolph plays Kitana and is joined as the main protagonist by Karl Urban as Johnny Cage. The two of them lead the two main focuses of the movie. The main antagonist Shao Kahn is played by Martyn Ford while Tati Gabrielle's Jade stands out a bit as well. Those four blend in well with the returning cast and really drive the plot of the movie. Karl Urban in particular is the poster child for "understanding the assignment." He plays an older mostly washed-up Johnny Cage to perfection.
The overall plot of the movie was solid. It wasn't anything shocking. It delivered on the tournament the first movie setup. It mixes in some lore from the video games to help tie things together while also setting up potential future movies. It didn't do anything too crazy and was a tad formulaic. Predicting who is going to die and who isn't based simply on who they end up fighting was simple to do, but it was also well executed despite that. This is where they really could have leaned too much in the absurdity, but just doing what is expected while doing it well paid off.
Closing / Recommendation
At the end of the day, if you enjoy the Mortal Kombat IP, there's a bunch in this movie for you to enjoy. It might not be something you absolutely need to see immediately, but it's worth checking out eventually. A third movie has already been greenlit by Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema. The second movie has laid the groundwork for some of the more fascinating lore in the Mortal Kombat universe to come into play. Seeing the second movie will certainly be needed to enjoy the third one in that case. If the third increases in quality by the same amount as the second one did over the first, you'll be glad you're caught up.
Image / media credit: Soapcentral