Earth warriors must defend our realm from the forces of Outworld led by the sorcerer Shang Tsung (Chin Han). Liu Kang (Ludi Lin) and fellow champion Kung Lao (Max Huang) must train new warriors, Cole Young (Lewis Tan) Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee) Kano (Josh Lawson) and Jax (Mehcad Brooks)led by Lord Raiden (Tadanobu Asano).

Also joining the fight is the ice cold assassin Sub Zero (Joe Taslim) who posses the incredible power of ice.

Before we join the fight, Mortal Kombat opens in 17th Century Japan. In a tranquil village Hanzo Hasashi (Hiroyuki Sanada) is tending to his garden with his wife and child. Bi-Han (Taslim, of course this is Sub-Zero before he is “Sub-Zero”) and his fellow Lin Kuei attack Hanzo’s clan killing his wife and child and everyone else. Hanzo and Bi-Han engage in a brutal fight, which leads to the death of Hanzo, who in his dying breath tells Bi-Han he will kill him and have his revenge. Hanzo’s body is engulfed in flames and it sinks into the Netherrealm.

Fast forward to present day, we meet MMA fighter Cole Young trying to earn money for his young family. He’s approached by Jax, who tells Cole that he posses a dragon birthmark, making him a chosen warrior for Earthrealm and its fight against the Outworld and Shang Tsung.

Cole does not bite and chooses not to help Jax. Later that night he and his family are attacked by a near superhuman Sub Zero.

Cole soon joins the fight to save Earthrealm.

Mortal Kombat is a really fun movie. I am bias as I love the video game, so anything more entertaining the the two films released in the 90’s would be a win. The new movie however benefits from two more decades of a fleshed out story and characters. The Scorpion and Sub-Zero conflict is one of the best in video games and the film does it justice. The opening 15 minutes are awesome. Director Simon McQuiod has a deft hand and delivers some bone crunching fights and beautiful carnage.

Mortal Kombat also benefits from some truly great casting. Lewis Tan’s Cole Young acts as an avatar for everyone who is not up with Mortal Kombat mythology. His character is a little dull, but I understand why he is there, Tan does however have the martial arts skill to bring the character to life. The best of the bunch hands down is Taslim and Sanada. Both are badass and the climactic battle between Sub-Zero and Scorpion is epic. Josh Lawson as Kano is the sneaky MVP. I am not a fan of Kano in the game (he’s too slow) but here he is funny and a bastard, a perfect combo.

Some have accused this movie of disregarding some of the characters as just cannon fodder, my argument has always been, someone has to die and they do die in this film, in spectacular-ly gory ways. I am not beholden to game cannon as it changes constantly. I just want to be entertained and see Fatalites and Mortal Kombat delivers those punches.

Grade: A

Mortal Kombat Video Quality

Mortal Kombat delivers a knock out blow on 4K. With the theatrical aspect ratio of 2.39:1 the screen fills with eye popping color and detail. The clothes look natural, the lighting brings he film to life in a vibrant and dark way. Each area has a unique color palette and the disc delivers true to life colors.

Grade: A

Mortal Kombat Audio Quality

Finish Him! Sounds incredible with Mortal Kombat’s impressive Dolby Atmos presentation. The music is clear and bombastic, the punches all hit their mark, the blood and guts are appropriately squishy. Dialogue is heard and easily understood. This is a great mix.

Grade: A+

Mortal Kombat Bonus Features

Mortal Kombat is packed with some awesome bonus features which can be found on the Blu-ray Disc.

The Best Buy exclusive steelbook is awesome to look at. The front cover features Scorpion and is gold and black, naturally. The back cover is Sub-Zero, and in a fun twist he his actually upside down. This is a sharp and highly desirable steelbook.

The on disc content is just as good.

From Game to Screen: The Making of Mortal Kombat-A slightly over 20 minute look at the making of the film. Featuring key members of the kast and krew. A fun piece that is more substantial than the standard EPK fluff.

Mortal Kombat: Fan Favorite Characters-A look at the characters in the movie, think of it as a quick overview of them, like a character select screen. There are 11 in total and the feature includes, Cole Young, Sonya Blade, Kano, Sub-Zero, Jax, Lord Raiden, Scorpion, Shang Tsung, Liu Kang, Kung Lao and Mileena.

Fight Koreography-The stunts and the fights are highlighted.

Into the Krypt: Easter Eggs of Mortal Kombat-Director Simon McQuoid lets us in on the nods and winks to the games.

Anatomy of a Scene-7 quick looks at some of the coolest scenes in the movie.

Deleted Scenes

Grade: A

Mortal Kombat is just plain fun. It’s over the top gory, the story isn’t the deepest but I want to see these characters fight and kill each other with otherworldly powers. Mortal Kombat does exactly that. It isn’t beholden to the lore of the games and that’s ok. It isn’t quite a flawless victory, but for this Mortal Kombat fan, I was entertained. The Best Buy steelbook is the way to go, it features an awesome design that perfectly captures the film.

Overall: A