Home Entertainment: ‘Mortal Kombat’ 4K UHD Blu-Ray review

As a big fan of the 1995 film, this writer was very excited to see the Mortal Kombat reboot. Directed by Simon McQuoid and produced by James Wan, this new film offers a very different take on the popular video-game franchise. The 1995 version, which was an early feature film from Paul W.S Anderson, was one of the first video-game-to-screen adaptations, and as such is a little campy in places. This iteration however, is a more serious affair. 

The film opens during the 17th Century and sees Hanso Hasashi (Hiroyuki Sanada), AKA Scorpion, do battle with Bi-Han (Joe Taslim), AKA Sub-Zero. Events then jump forward to the present joining MMA fighter Cole Young (Lewis Tan), a descendant of Hasashi, who finds himself selected for the next Mortal Kombat tournament. Thrown into the deep end, Cole meets fellow fighters Sonja Blade (Jessica McNamee), Jaxx (Mehcad Brooks), and Kano (Josh Lawson), before arriving at Raiden’s Temple to begin training. Helped by both Lui Kang (Ludi Lin) and Kung Lao (Max Huang), the group have their work cut out for them as their rival, Shang Tsung (Chin Han), is determined to win and will go to any lengths to ensure flawless victory.  

Although overall a much more serious adaptation, there’s still plenty of fun to be found within this version. A lot of the humour is compacted into the character of Kano, a gruff Aussie this time around rather than menacing Cockney. Josh Lawson delivers his lines wonderfully and the interplay between himself and Jessica McNamee’s Sonja Blade is one of the most enjoyable aspects. What makes McQuoid’s Mortal Kombat so entertaining though is the homage and fan service it pays to players of the games. The film is a treasure trove of Easter eggs to characters and moves from the games, so pay close attention or you might miss something. Even if you’re just a casual player you’ll recognise the Nightwolf picture on the wall of Sonja’s trailer, or the fan blades of Princess Kitana. The more devoted and eagle-eyed may spy the odd move-command-button graffiti on a wall here and there. It’s also important to remain watching throughout the credits as we get a remix of the iconic Mortal Kombat song from the original film. All of this makes watching the film all the more enriching.

Some fans have had gripes that certain characters are missing from the fight roster. The biggest two of these being Johnny Cage and Princess Kitana, and whilst it would have been nice to see them here, McQuoid needs to keep some players in his pocket if the aspirational sequel goes ahead. The open ending heavily alludes to Cage becoming a key component of this potential next chapter, and I for one have all my fingers crossed that further exploration into this version of the Mortal Kombat world will happen. 

Anderson’s film focussed purely on the tournament and suffered from some fight fatigue due to the repetitive structure. By having a more fully-formed story, complete with globe-hopping, it is more accessible and palatable for the casual viewer. The fight sequences on display traverse locations, tones, and fighting styles, and offer plenty of bone-crunching delights. These battles include character signature moves from the games and those all important fatalities. The bloody and demented fatalities were what earned the first game a BBFC 18 certificate, (the first for a game at the time) and McQuoid translates them perfectly onto screen. Those who are squeamish should be warned that Mortal Kombat unleashes plenty of blood, guts, and brains across the screen. 

For this review we watched the film on the 4K UHD disc and the film looks stunning. The key feature of UHD is its ability to convey true blacks, and with a movie that has lots of dimly lit scenes, it really sings in this format. The special effects also look incredible, Sub-Zero’s ice creations in particular look so real that you could almost touch them. If you’ve not made the upgrade to the new disc and picture format then I highly urge you to do so as, outside of a well-maintained cinema screen, it really is the best way to watch a movie. 

Included on the blu-ray are a raft of extras that will enrich your experience. The special features begin with a handful of deleted scenes; these scenes fill in some gaps in the story, with Mileena especially getting a lot more development. There’s also a twenty minute documentary that discusses the journey from video game to new film and features interviews with various cast and crew members as they discuss their first memories of the game. Mortal Kombat is full of game-related Easter eggs, and with so many to discover, one of the bonus features includes a little guide to where you can find some of them. Other extras include character biographies, which again include discussions from their own screen counterparts, a featurette on the actor’s choreography training, and a series of fight scene breakdowns from director Simon McQuoid. For a modern mainstream movie release, which often have no bonus features these days, the additional content is a welcome addition, working to fully flesh out the release and offering an in-depth peek behind the film-making curtain. 

Mortal Kombat 2021 is the perfect gate-way film into the realm of Mortal Kombat whilst maintaining plenty of appeal for those already inducted into the cult of Kombat. Bloody battles, witty dialogue, and a more serious approach, set this version apart from the previous movies, and pushes the series into a new and interesting direction. 

Mortal Kombat arrives on DVD, Blu-Ray and UHD on Monday 5th July 2021.