TEST YOUR MIGHT.
Warner Bros has released the new Mortal Kombat trailer and a series of character posters featuring the cast of the upcoming film, and they are quite reinforcing that “R” rating.
The main cast posters were revealed on February 17th on Twitter and featured Kano, Liu Kang, Raiden, (No Johnny Cage), Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Sonya, Jax, Mileena, and newcomer Cole Young. They capture the essence of each character and served as a taste of things to come for today’s trailer drop.
Check out the trailer above and then continue on for my impressions as a fan of cheesy 90s fighting games!
Let’s break some things down.
The character designs are spot-on. Everyone is recognizable, even those that have undergone significant costume changes like Scorpion. Even in brief glimpses of Mileena, Shao Khan, and Goro, the strong Mortal Kombat video game design shines through. This is fantastic and answers a lot of the concerns that fans have had over authenticity to the property they love.
Unlike the 1994 film, this movie has the budget for everyone’s special movies and is not afraid to show those amazing special effects. From Sub-Zero freezing everything in sight to Kano’s laser eye, it looks like they aren’t holding back in the least.
After watching the trailer the first time, the tone felt far too serious, but after the 27th viewing, I started picking up on that over-the-top ridiculousness that the video games are known to have.
This shot during the flashes of finishers reminded me greatly of the style of blood and guts featured in the recent MK11 video game. It seems Sonya and Cole are making a mess of an opponent. The style of blood is extremely unrealistic and could be a sign that the filmmakers are trying to emulate the game style more than a realistic portrayal of gore.
We got a peek at a few of the Kombatants that our heroes will have to battle, and it shows a strong roster that is surprisingly large.
Here we have Kano performing his finishing move on a unique version of what seems to be Reptile (Hinted at in an earlier scene). Since the producers are willing to show off Reptile being destroyed this early in the marketing, is it a hint there are more reptile-type creatures or is Reptile simply a minor character?
Smoke emerges from the… well… smoke! This was a well-kept secret as there had been no rumblings of fan-favorite ninja Smoke appearing in the film. Do we get more palette-swapped ninjas? Rain? Ermac? Noob Saibot? Chameleon?!
Speaking of unexpected fighters, it appears Liu Kang battles one of my top 5 Kombatants: Kabal!
At first, I thought it was a random nobody fighter in a hood, but then I caught a glimpse of his hook swords as I obsessed over the trailer with my nose pressed against the screen.
Kabal is a bit deeper of a cut and was only mentioned in the original films once as one of Earthrealm’s best fighters. The other fighter, of course, being Curtis Stryker. I will still hold out hope he shows up in this version as he has been my favorite since Stryker debuted in Mortal Kombat 3 and the movie does release on my birthday, so it would be a great birthday present.
There are plenty of treasures in this trailer, and while I am puzzled by the tone of the trailer being in contrast to some of the snippets within, I am looking forward to seeing how this plays out. As long as it doesn’t take itself too seriously, I am sure it will be a blast.
I think the only thing I am really not a fan of is the slow-jam epic destiny version of the theme from Mortal Kombat, originally by The Immortals, that played throughout the trailer. The music in combination with the naughty “f-bomb” at the end makes me feel like they are trying really hard to say “Hey look! We are a totally adult Mortal Kombat!”. Of course, these are minor gripes and I will be watching the minute it goes live online as well as watching every trailer released from now until April 16th.
Can we get at least get a cameo from the amazing Musetta Vander somewhere in there? She still can be Sindel. Everyone loves her and she is an absolutely charming human being.
Mortal Kombat releases in theaters (where available) and on HBOMax on April 16, 2021.
