Mortal Kombat (2021) is an adaptation of the titular video game and a reboot of the film franchise with an ensemble cast bringing to life the characters that fight for Earth and Outworld. As the time for the tenth tournament approaches, Shang Tsung, the head of Outworld, decides to put his thumb on the scale and eliminate Earth’s warriors before the tournament begins. Most of the warriors do not even know their importance, but gather together to survive. Will Earth’s warriors learn enough to wield their most powerful weapons and band together to survive and make the tournament?

I really loved the original Mortal Kombat (1995) and kept comparing it to Mortal Kombat (2021). The latest iteration has a lot going for it. The production quality feels more cinematic, and the CGI has advanced exponentially since the first movie. The actors have more physical prowess and fighting experience than the original cast whom I adore. The actual fights are more gruesome and violent. There is more profanity.

Mortal Kombat (2021) is the equivalent of making a film called The Olympics and only showed the qualifying rounds before actual Olympians are appointed. If we never see the tournament, then why does the film rush towards the twenty-first century? If it were not for the fantastical elements, the opening sequence is a seamless period piece that I would have happily explored longer before leaping forward into the less sumptuous twenty-first century. The movie should have started earlier to fully explore the origin of the grudge between the first two characters instead of just showing how it closed. The dynamic between the dueling duo, whom Hiroyuki Sanada and Joe Talim play, is so compelling that it felt as if it would have worked as a standalone prequel, and the next prequel does not even have to leap to the twenty-first century, but could explore each tournament, or since the filmmakers are so obsessed with the idea of the connection of subsequent characters to those two, follow how the immediate successive generation handled the fallout of that conflict.

The actual twenty-first century characters outside of the introduction are somewhat less memorable than the opening duo. Mortal Kombat (2021) tries to make a protagonist out of Lewis Tan, who plays Cole Young, but it hinges on viewers buying that he is a has been with no strategy. Earthworld is already an underdog. Do we really need to emphasize it by making Tan work harder than he already has to? Tan is a beautiful man, clearly gifted, but not the most compelling actor. Side note: he still would have made a better Iron Fist. His role as the protagonist feels more as if it is an overdue, misplaced apology than the best choice for the narrative. Tan is only interesting because of his relationship to the dueling duo, not for any of his innate qualities. A better actor would have a hard time overcoming the inertia of this character. It was kind of hilarious that even as the movie unfolds, and his skills improve, he still sucks as a fighter and gets slapped around. Apparently not getting cast did not help Tan escape the Iron Fist curse of being the chosen one, but still not being a good fighter. Tan deserves better.

As more of Earth’s warriors get introduced, including the most famous one, Supergirl’s Mehcad Brooks, I began to wonder if the problem was the acting or the two-dimensional characters, i.e. the writers lost the innate narrative tension that was so apparent and successful in the opening sequence. Once Sanada and Talim are not on screen, the most compelling character is Sonia Blade. Jessica McNamee plays her as an underdog who is clearly better than any of the appointed Earth’s warriors, but has an inner moral struggle to uphold her values over ambition. Her character gives us insight into the central difference between Outworld and Earthrealm’s warriors in a way that is elusive for the other characters or deliberately, cartoonishly drawn out in her foil, the comic relief Kano. A warrior does not only side with Outworld because of an accident of birth location or biology. Sonia Blade presents a human struggle for her soul that she wins and earns in a way that the other characters do not. Unofficially it felt as if Mortal Kombat (2021) was the spiritual sequel to Mulan (2020) because all the women were fighting for Outworld while Sonia Blade is suppressing her disgust at being limited to the role of cheerleader Smurfette than fighter for the chosen ones.

In contrast to Earth’s warriors, the Outworld fighters seemed more interesting and distinctive than their goody two shoes counterparts. Mortal Kombat (2021) felt as if it was an unofficial sequel to Siren, a horror movie about a bachelor party discovering that the woman that they rescued is actually a creature from another world. Outworld was generally fascinating, especially since the Emperor clearly had a thing going on with one of his fighters, Nitara, who felt like a relative to Siren’s creature. Between Nitara and Mileena, Outworld clearly is not afraid of letting the strong ladies lead and has a very progressive immigration policy allowing human beings to join the crew and have a strong voice in leadership. The Emperor was the second least interesting character from Outworld. The least interesting award goes to Reiko. I did not even know that Reiko existed until someone inexplicably decided to fight him. Why? You tell me.

There is one character who appeared in the first and most recent Mortal Kombat: Goro! Goro has not aged a day, but who is going to tell him that he could do something else with his hair? It actually makes sense that his hair is the same because no one would fix their mouth to give him criticism. He will rip you to shreds. Props to Allison, Tan’s character’s wife, who credibly knew her husband was too fine and tried to save him from Goro though she has no fighting skills herself. “Fuck this!” Indeed Allison. Save your man.

While there are more actors of color in Mortal Kombat (2021), the white characters felt as if they got more airtime and the best lines. It is the first time that an Asian actor played Lord Raiden in the movies, but if you are unfamiliar with the actual story or tropes of these action films, a viewer would not recognize how Raiden is capable of being manipulative and rude than he superficially appears. He deliberately endangers human beings who are not active members of his crew and plays mind games with the opposition that definitely advances his agenda, but reveals that he has more in common with Greek gods than a benevolent figure who has their back. Do I agree with his strategy? Absolutely because if Earth falls, then the innocent will be in danger anyway. The filmmakers probably did not give Raiden an opportunity to tease out his rascal ways in his demeanor, and it is a missed opportunity.

I enjoyed Mortal Kombat (2021), but it was entertaining and forgettable. I do not feel compelled to rewatch it as I did its techno laced predecessor.