Frozen ground – review of the movie “Mortal Kombat”

We will treat the end of the world ourselves

And it looks not too bad. We are moving to 17th-century Japan, where the Hasashi family lives a quiet life in a traditional house deep in the forest. The family’s nestor, Hanzo (Hiroyuki Sanada), must have his ears behind the ears, because the quiet afternoon is interrupted by the visit of unexpected guests – and not just any, because they are hungry for blood and revenge. They are led by Bi-Han (Joe Taslim), a mysterious gentleman, and a cold, cold bastard. In the end, the hostile strangers achieve their goal, turning a defenseless family into an icicle, and sending their father to hell.

Several centuries pass. Both the Earth warriors, led by Lord Raiden (Tanadobu Asano), and visitors from another dimension called the Outworlds are preparing for the next installment of the Mortal Kombat tournament. For the Earthlings, the situation turns out to be so urgent that their representatives have lost the previous nine in a row, and the next victory of their opponents will mean complete takeover of the planet. Time is running out, hope is slowly fading away … Unexpectedly, the fallen MMA champion Cole Young (Lewis Tan) will be in the center of the action. His ticket to the tournament will be a rare dragon-shaped birthmark.

Awendzers assembly!

Even the Sunday player knows that you need to assemble your team before embarking on a journey. This rule of thumb also applies to Hollywood scriptwriters who like to use this trick, introducing a more extensive cast to the plot. Usually they present it to the audience by means of a short exhibition sequence or “guided tours” by a specific mentor. In the case of the latest adaptation of Mortal Kombat, the narrative excuse will be a character outside the source material – a young MMA artist, as it turns out later, closely related to one of the most important characters in the series. Cole – as an outsider – gets to know new heroes and the rules governing the world together with the audience, thanks to which the plot (in fact simple) should be digestible also for those who got tangled up by chance during the screening, without knowing the intricacies of the game.

For seasoned players, the creators have prepared a handful of fanservice “collectibles” – here someone will throw a characteristic text, there will joke about the incorrect spelling of the tournament name. In all its bloody glory, there are also the long-awaited sequences of Fatality , the lack of which was one of the many accusations against the dilogy of the 90s (which we wrote about in the series “Movies so bad they’re good”). Famous phrases and visual quotes, borrowed from the series of games, are intertwined with Goro’s grace in the porcelain warehouse, thanks to which the vast majority of Easter eggs seem to be stuck to the script by force. The casually thrown “stage directions” and spoken aloud content of the subtitles accompanying virtual duels, such as the “Kano wins” already revealed in the trailer, are very unnatural. Instead of squeaks (designed by the creators, I think), they aroused shivers of shame in the writer. Flawless Victory ? On the contrary, one would like to shout: Finish them !

Bloody tournament … canceled

The tournament itself also turns out to be a kind of fantasy, which … is not happening. The taste is a must for those who sharpened their teeth for juicy, exciting clashes at an intergalactic rate. Instead, we get only crumbs from under the table – simultaneous sparring matches, during which the greatest massacre is carried out by the creators themselves. The culmination of the interdimensional dispute was saved at least until the release of the next installment of the series, as was the presentation of many of the characters that players love (one directly occupied just before the credits). It betrays the true intentions of the creators and producers, much more down-to-earth than the romantic dreams of faithfully adapting and bowing to the players in the belt: start the series and hug sacks with any currency in the world – so brilliant in its simplicity. Time will tell ifMortal Kombat will be successful like his kin with an equally virtual pedigree – Resident Evil , or share the fate of the unfortunate Mumia with Tom Cruise.

The film looks pretty good from the technical side. Pictures of Germain McMicking (previously responsible for Detective and Laketop Mysteries ) and locations stylized as arenas of virtual duels quite successfully imitate the visual manner of the original, presenting a dirty, bloody and dark world. The budget – much higher than what Paul WS Anderson had when working on the first filming – is clearly indicated by the special effects – both the ice creations of the famous cryomancer, the flames thrown by Liu Kang, and the lightning flashed by Raiden look credible. It’s a pity that the same cannot be said about the cloua film essentially centered around the theme of a joyful murder – the duels themselves. It is difficult to assess the choreography as such (and it is worth mentioning that the tricksters of flesh and blood were involved in the project), as it completely disappears in a chaotic, “chopped” editing, far from the promising, based on longer shots of the first minutes of the film. More sensitive to stimuli of this type, I warn you – there is a risk of an epilepsy attack.

With a stick in …

The greatest sin committed by the creators is at the same time a sin that is probably completely unconscious. It is impossible not to acknowledge that they simply … did not understand the essence of the series’ success (and to some extent the “success” of Anderson’s adaptation). McQuoid and Co. dismiss the title’s campy past, mistakenly assuming that it is enough to throw viewers with freshly torn guts. And in fact – the guts are there, the gore is running down the shoulders, but there is a lack of irony and distance. And it is in the fog of joyful play and quite conscious, spectacular joint that the greatest charm of the bloody series lies. Similarly, the 1995 adaptation – although the camp (which nevertheless became a hallmark and in some circles secured it the status of a cult film) hooks both consciously (in the case of Christopher Lambert’s acting mockery, using a ridiculous convention with the full benefit of inventory), and quite accidentally – it is difficult to treat seriously duels to death and life ended with … a nudge to the crotch. In the new adaptation, only seemingly a lot of things, nomen omen, played: make-up, costumes (although in some cases resembling high-budget cosplay), locations, photos and CGI. The general tone of the session and the ubiquitous pathos, however, make it tough, even inedible. And no, a few meta-stories stuck on forcibly do not change that. costumes (although in a few cases resembling high-budget cosplay), locations, photos and CGI. The general tone of the session and the ubiquitous pathos, however, make it tough, even inedible. And no, a few meta-stories stuck on forcibly do not change that. costumes (although in a few cases resembling high-budget cosplay), locations, photos and CGI. The general tone of the session and the ubiquitous pathos, however, make the overall picture stringy, even inedible. And no, a few meta-stories stuck on forcibly do not change that.

Despite the declared love for the source material and the alleged desire to create a faithful adaptation of the cult series, there is no point in counting on the creators’ honesty. In its current form, Mortal Kombat is the result of a cynical calculation, feeding on fans of a bloody fight. Without a heart, without a spirit (was Shang Tsung sucked it out?), With the potential to enjoy a beer snack among friends at the most. And even then, maybe it’s better to just… play?

We invite you to the movie Mortal Kombat to the Cinema City network!