ENTERTAINMENT
Brandon Ascencio
Chronicle Reporter
The R-rated movie “Mortal Kombat” was released on April 23, in theaters and on HBO Max. Many fans of the video game franchise were excited, but did the movie deliver?
“Mortal Kombat” is a movie inspired by the game franchise of the exact same name. The Mortal Kombat franchise has come out with 18 games, its first having been released October 8, 1992. The franchise previously released two movies which were not so successful. This time around, when fans heard the news of a Mortal Kombat movie being released with modern day film-making, many were excited.
The movie is a production by Simon McQuoid who directed the film and promised the Mortal Kombat fans a good movie. He gathered a cast of actors who were relatively unknown, but act great. While some cast choices were questionable, the actors overall played their respective roles well. The CGI and effects used in the movie were controversial, as in some areas it looked polished and clean while in other areas it looked a bit off to the eye. The games are also known for certain elements of gore not suitable for younger audiences but for fans and those who are 16 and older, the movie added it’s certain areas of gore to honor the games original nature.
The movie was solid, but had its ups and downs. While the movie’s production did not disappoint, the story was somewhat questionable. The original story of Mortal Kombat was a preparation of a tournament between two realms. The movie took a completely different route, introducing descendant of one of the most popular Mortal Kombat characters, Scorpion. Scorpions descendant, named Cole Young, has to protect his family from Sub-Zero, the man who murdered his ancestor Scorpion. Rather than a tournament between realms, it’s a story of how the defenders of Earth gained and mastered their power while fighting off Earth’s enemies. The story overall seemed rushed in some areas jumping from one scene immediately into a fight or a different situation.
Despite having its ups and downs, the movie on its own is a well made production. While it may not honor the games original story, it did honor the characters and created strong stories similar to the game characters. Most of the actors played their characters extremely similar to the way they are in the game. The movie was enjoyable and had strong elements within. Personally I do recommend the film. While the movie might have not been the best representation of the game, the movie itself was a well-done and enjoyable experience.