For fans of the franchise, “Mortal Kombat” (2021) is a hit. The film pays homage to the source material with catchy one-liners and excessive, cartoonish gore for which the series has come to be known. Though a lack of a clear plot and substantial character development may turn off newcomers, diehard fans will no doubt be pleased by the latest installment in the franchise. 

“Mortal Kombat” (2021) follows Cole Young (Lewis Tan), a downtrodden MMA fighter who is trying to provide for his family. An attack from Sub-Zero (Joe Taslim) forces Young to team up with ex-military commandos Jax (Mehcad Brooks) and Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee) to survive. Young learns of Mortal Kombat, a tournament that decides the fate of entire realms with combatants on each side fighting to the death. He must unlock the power of his lineage and train alongside the other champions of Earth. They hope to stave off Outworld’s impending invasion and protect not only his family, but all of Earthrealm.

Unfortunately, “Mortal Kombat” works poorly as a standalone film. The plot is rushed, and the character development is thin or non-existent. Plotlines are forgotten or barely hinted at, such as Cole’s backstory and his cliché relationship with his partner and daughter. Worse yet, the chronology of the film is fraught with holes and inconsistencies that are weakly addressed with a vague sentence or two meant to cover entire backstories or events. 

Cole Young lacks any compelling or unique motivation with a background that is painfully forgettable. The most likable characters are Sub-Zero and Liu Kang. The former’s icy disposition and well-choreographed fight scenes are one of the most memorable elements of the film. Meanwhile, Chinese-Canadian actor and model Ludi Lin’s performance as pensive fire-wielder Liu Kang lend some much-needed pathos and gravitas to the ensemble. 

Wide establishing shots of the bleak and nightmarish Outworld add some important atmosphere to the film. This makes it all the sadder that audiences never get the briefest explanation behind the realm’s hellish landscape and its ruthless leader. For the most part, the cinematography is unremarkable throughout most of the movie. 

Flash visual effects and quick cuts come together during the fight scenes. Wide-angle shots of the combatants squaring up prelude quick jump cuts and tension-building close-ups. The final close-up of the victor’s grin is a sight familiar to any fan of the game and one of many tributes to the source material. 

Director Simon McQuiod expertly makes great use of creative angles and split-second cuts to create these sequences. He succeeds in capturing the original beauty of the game’s flashy fatalities. 

The movie is best for viewers acquainted with the complex lore and iconic characters of the franchise. Fitting 18 games worth of plot into one hour and 50 minutes is a futile effort. The random assortment of half-baked characters and obscure plot material convinces me that the film would have been better off focusing on the franchise’s narrative. 

“Mortal Kombat” (2021) is inaccessible to those entirely new to the series, and it performs poorly from a cinematic perspective. Regardless, the movie has managed to please its most important demographic, long-standing fans of the franchise and those who grew up playing the video game. 

With brutal death scenes and rich yet underdeveloped mythology, “Mortal Kombat” is a bloody love letter to over-the-top fighting games. It is the film’s renowned fight scenes and commitment to the nauseatingly excessive gore that cements Mortal Kombat as one of the few adaptations to do right by the material. The movie is a fun watch, as pulse-pounding fight scenes will entertain viewers. 

“Mortal Kombat” (2021) is a step above other video game adaptations. It is not unwatchable, unlike its predecessor “Mortal Kombat: Annihilation” (1997). Instead, it is deeply polarizing. 

For longtime fans of the series, “Mortal Kombat” (2021) will be a long overdue smash-hit. But those new to the series might find themselves put off by the convoluted plotlines and gratuitous violence that have dogged the movies and video games from their inception.