Mortal Kombat Review

Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!

Plot Summary: Earth's best martial artists enter a tournament to determine the fate of the world.

Review: Video game movies suck. I know this and you know this, but there is just something so entertaining about this film. Somehow this film balances a self-awareness about its cheesy subject matter while actually bringing to life the simple plot of a video game known mostly for its violent deaths. The tone is just right as we get jokes, that actually work, mixed with some great fight scenes; each fight feels unique and they aren't as repeditive as one would think. The set designs are also styled around areas one would see in the games or at least there is a resemblance. If you're a fan of the first game, you will notice every character is there and has a decent chance to shine; Christopher Lambert as Rayden and Linden Ashby as Johnny Cage are especially entertaining to watch. I don't like some of the fight pairings, but everything looked and felt just as it would while playing the games. There is special attention to detail that creates a faithful adaptation that I believe most video game movies fail miserably with. Look at pure garbage like "Double Dragon" and "Super Mario Bros." and you will see what I mean. Those films strayed so far from their source material that it alienated fans and newcomers alike. While I understand this film has many flaws, and the plot is nowhere near award winning, I do feel critics judge this one too harshly and should appreciate it for how much fun it is. This is why I believe MK succeeds because it never tried to be anything more than what it was, and it did a damn good job at that. Sure some special effects are shoddy, the acting is often weak, the dialogue is overly dramatic, but I've seen so many films take incredible source material and shit all over it while this is just the paper-thin storyline of an arcade fighter. I also dig the main theme because it's cool and gets your blood pumping! I would recommend this film to those who have brushed it off as just more crap like the rest and give it a chance or to those who are fans to the series. It's nowhere near as bad as it seems.

Notable Moment: The random fight against Reptile. It's so unneccessary yet so satisfying, and Reptile was always a favorite of mine.

Final Rating: 6/10