Preview: Mortal Kombat

2nd March 2021

Image: IMDb

Although Warner Bros and NetherRealm have churned out several Mortal Kombat video games over the years, it has been over two decades since Scorpion, Sub-Zero and the rest of Shang Tsung’s warriors have done battle on the big screen.

First-time director Simon McQuoid is set to make a bloody debut in cinemas and on HBO Max, promising fans a faithful adaptation of their beloved over-the-top, gore-filled brawls. Quickly breaking the record for the most-watched Red Band trailer of all time, Mortal Kombat is now one of the most exciting upcoming releases of 2021.

The first teaser for Mortal Kombat features the usual roster of tournament heroes. Cybernetically enhanced Jax (Supergirl’s Mehcad Brooks) and military operative Sonya Blade (The Meg’s Jessica McNamee) attempt to recruit a brand new character in the Mortal Kombat franchise to their heroic cause, Lewis Tan’s (Deadpool 2) MMA Champion Cole Young.

Sanada and Taslim’s martial arts expertise are on full display in this teaser

This is Tan’s first major leading role, previously cropping up on Warner Bros’ radar after a social media campaign expressing his interest in playing the DC Comics character Nightwing. As a professionally trained martial artist, Tan joins a similarly talented cast of both athletes and actors, including Ludi Lin (Aquaman, Power Rangers) as Liu Kang and stunt performer Max Huang (The Foreigner) as Kung Lao.

Facing off against Jax and Blade are the most recognisable faces of Mortal Kombat, despotic leader Shang Tsung, played by one of Asia’s greatest talents Chin Han and the cryokinetic and pyrokinetic ninjas Sub-Zero and Scorpion, played by veteran stunt performers Hiroyuki Sanada (Sunshine) and Joe Taslim (The Raid) respectively. Sanada and Taslim’s martial arts expertise are on full display in this teaser, showcasing some of the brutal action sequences that one would expect from one of the most violent video-game franchises of all time.

The teaser concludes with two of Mortal Kombat’s most iconic catchprases, Scorpion’s classic ‘Get over here!’ and Shang Tsung’s ‘Finish Them!’, ending the trailer with a bloody montage of skull stabbing, chest-bursting and gut-spilling fatalities. There’s a reason why there are no PG-rated previews of this movie.