Well, color me surprised!
After writing a whole article about why I'd rather watch the 1995 Mortal Kombat movie over the then-new Mortal Kombat flick, I thought I'd stay with that belief for pretty much the rest of my life. And guess what…I probably will!
However, after rewatching the 2021 movie in preparation for the new one, I actually now believe that I was way too harsh on the film back then. I don't know if I'd now call it one of the best video game movies of all time, but I definitely think that people who weren't too fond of it the first time around should give it another watch like I did. Here's why.
I Actually Now Like How They Handled Scorpion And Sub-Zero's Roles In The Film
Anybody who has kept up with the MK mythos over the years knows that series mainstays Scorpion and Sub-Zero have had a... well, let’s just call it an interesting relationship.
In the early years of the franchise, neither was really considered a “good guy,” but Scorpion was usually portrayed as being the worst of the two, with Sub-Zero even getting his own solo game in Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero.
In this title, we learned about him being Bi-Han, who wasn’t always a bad guy, but later would become one (or perhaps it is Noob Saibot who is the bad guy). This is in contrast to his brother, Kuai Liang, who is often seen as a heroic Sub-Zero.
Scorpion, on the other hand, was the hellspawn in the early titles, and would later have his story fleshed out to the point where you could actually say that he wasn’t even a bad guy at all. It really all just depended on the timeline (For instance, in Mortal Kombat 1, Kaui Liang is Scorpion).
All of this is to say that the 2021 Mortal Kombat movie goes an interesting route by using an evil Bi-Han version of Sub-Zero. The film starts off with Shogun’s Hiroyuki Sanada, who plays Hanzo Hasashi/Scorpion, getting attacked by Bi-Han, which solidifies that Scorpion is not only a heroic figure in this movie, but also a vengeful victim.
I really like this creative approach. I kind of hated it upon my first watch since I’m more of an evil Scorpion kind of guy, However, upon giving the movie another look, I actually prefer that Scorpion has been made into an honorable character, and that they went with an evil Sub-Zero approach (rather than just using Noob Saibot). It works.
I've Come To Accept Cole Young As A Suitable Vehicle To Guide This Story
When I learned that Lewis Tan was returning as Cole Young for Mortal Kombat 2, I thought, "Oh, God. Why?" That has nothing to do with Lewis Tan as an actor, since I thought he did a good enough job as the character. I just didn’t think that Cole Young was necessary, especially since we’re getting Johnny Cage in the sequel.
However, upon my second viewing of the film, I’ve now come to accept Cole Young as a suitable protagonist. Cole, who has Scorpion as an ancestor, is a good entry-level character into this world.
In previous Mortal Kombat films (And yes, even in the abysmal-but fun!-Mortal Kombat Annihilation), Liu Kang was the central protagonist. However, he isn’t the main character in the 2021 film, which bugged me upon my first viewing.
But now I actually like that they got somebody who isn’t in any of the games. It separates this film from the other Mortal Kombat movies. Not only that, but it also makes the film feel more like a fish out of water story, which was an interesting choice. Plus, as I mentioned earlier, Lewis Tan does a good job with what he’s given. In the end, he was never the problem. It was me.
Kabal Is Freaking Hilarious, And Now I Want A Buddy Movie With Just Him And Kano
One character who was almost unanimously praised when the film initially released was Kano, who had all of the best lines. Even back then, I thought Kano (Josh Lawson) was a highpoint in a film that I once thought had missed the mark.
However, my new favorite character in the film is Kabal, physically played by Daniel Nelson, but voiced by Damon Herriman. Sure, the fight scenes with him are pretty cool, but what I really love about Kabal is all of his dialogue, especially with Kano, as he sounds like a New Jersian cursing at me on the turnpike. In other words, he sounds totally authentic, and I love every second he’s on the screen.
In fact, I’d love to see a prequel with just him and Kano talking crap about each other and having a running tally of kills, just like Legolas and Gimli in The Lord of the Rings movies. Honestly, I think that’d be a blast.
The Fatalities Are Actually Much Better Than I Remember Them Being
If Mortal Kombat is known for anything, it’s violence, most notably for its fatalities. The first two live-action Mortal Kombat films were rated PG-13, so they could only go so far when it came to the gore.
Sure, I think they did a serviceable enough job in the first Mortal Kombat movie, but Mortal Kombat Annihilation is such a trainwreck of a film that they couldn’t even get a simple fight scene right, let alone a sanitized fatality. In contrast, the 2021 Mortal Kombat movie does a really good job with the finishing moves.
For one of them, you get Liu Kang’s famous dragon fatality, except rather than turning into a dragon himself, he makes one out of flames to chomp down on Kabal. Then you have Kung Lao’s grisly hat fatality where he slices Nitara in half.
So sure, there aren’t a lot of fatalities in this movie, but the ones that are here are pretty good. In fact, they’re actually much better than I remember them being.
Yeah, Goro Could Be A Bit More Intimidating, But I'm Glad They Got Him In There
There have been many bosses over the years in Mortal Kombat, but when it comes to the most intimidating of them all, I have to go with the mini-boss Goro.
Yes, one might argue that Shao Khan, Onaga or Shinnok are more intimidating, but I honestly think that everybody’s favorite four-armed, Shokan warrior has always been the scariest villain in the franchise.
The original Mortal Kombat movie did a marvelous job of adding in that extra layer of fear for the character, but I originally thought they dropped the ball with Goro in the 2021 movie. That said, upon rewatching the flick, I’m actually glad that they found a way to slip him into the film.
Now granted, he feels more like fan service than as a meaningful character, but sometimes all you really want is a little fan service in your movies. I can’t hate on that.
Ultimately, I'd Rate The 2021 Mortal Kombat Movie As Being A Great Video Game Adaptation That’s Worthy Of The Property
In the end, I feel like the 2021 Mortal Kombat movie is much better than I remember it being. I still find that it has pacing issues, but I don’t dislike the characters anymore.
I also dig the actual narrative that we received. Cole Young is not a blight against the film like I once thought, but rather an asset given the story that’s being told here. I also really like Scorpion and Sub-Zero’s roles now. They add spice to the MK continuity, which is ostensibly changing all the time.
Is it the perfect Mortal Kombat film? No, but we pretty much already got that back in 1995. That said, is it a worthy movie adaptation to the popular franchise? Abso-freaking-lutely! I didn’t think so before, but I do now.
But, what do you think? For more news on all things Mortal Kombat 2–related, be sure to swing by here often.
