Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Mortal Kombat Blu-ray Movie Review

Test your might! (Also, your subwoofer.)

Reviewed by Randy Miller III July 14, 2021

I haven't played a Mortal Kombat game in years. In fact, I probably lost interest in the brand more than two decades ago, just a few years after the original game pulled in crowds like a magnet at arcades worldwide. I first glimpsed the original MK at a local bowling alley and still remember skipping a few frames to gawk at its unique graphics and bloody fatalities. That bowling alley finally closed its doors after six decades in business but Mortal Kombat lives on, doubling down on the bone-crunching action and ridiculous, over-the-top finishers with each new installment. Over the years it's grown from a controversial Street Fighter wannabe to a full-blown franchise with two earlier live-action movies, comics, action figures, socks, a "blood, sweat, and tears" scented candle, and more. Warner Bros. has re-ignited its cinematic flame twice in 2021: there's the surprisingly solid animated origin film MK Legends: Scorpion's Revenge... and then there's this scattershot live action reboot, which isn't as great but still pretty fun in its own right.

If Mortal Kombat does one thing wrong, it just starts out too good. Things kick off dramatically in the opening scene set in 17th century Japan, where the peaceful domestic life of Hanzo Hasashi (Hiroyuki Sanada) is interrupted by the clan of rival ninja Bi-Han (Joe Taslim). Hanzo's wife and son are brutally murdered by Bi-Han himself, who encases them in ice before Hanzo meets a much more fiery fate. His surviving infant daughter, hidden beneath the home's floorboards, is later rescued by the thunder god Raiden (Tadanobu Asano) and transported to safety. It's a nicely condensed story that's over and done with inside of 13 minutes: perfectly shot, well-paced, full of emotion, and sporting lots of well-choreographed brutality. In short, this is everything you'd want from such limited source material.

Unfortunately, Mortal Kombat doesn't achieve this level of Zen-like perfection again. That's not to say it isn't enjoyable or without more than a few bright spots, of course, with a story unfolding around modern-day MMA fighter Cole Young (Lewis Tan) and familiar franchise faces such as ex-military members Jax (Mehcad Brooks) and Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee) who, along with Australian mercenary Kano (Josh Lawson), serve as three two of several allies who help Cole uncover his destiny as a fighter bearing a very specific marking... one that most of them share, which carries its own meaning and set of rules. Theirs is kind of a long and meandering journey towards the temple of Raiden and, ultimately, the truth about "Mortal Kombat", a mystical fighting tournament between members of Earthrealm and the Outworld. What follows is, predictably, a pretty visceral and intense series of action scenes loosely glued together by the franchise's hokey mythology... which, to be fair, seem to be respected faithfully. I mean, the original game was really just an excuse to generate controversy through ultra-violence, not some deep and multi-layered masterpiece. Within those admittedly narrow boundaries, this new adaptation should satisfy its intended audience.

Perhaps the only other obvious drawback here is Mortal Kombat's repeated attempts to set up several sequels and/or spin-offs, which shouldn't be too hard considering the franchise's global popularity in keeping with this film's relatively meager budget. These loose threads aren't annoying on their own terms, but they sometimes distract from the main story and even make the ending feel a little abrupt: this very much feels like one part of a story that obviously hasn't been sharpened to a fine point. Either way, Warner Bros. has clearly put their ever-dwindling faith in Mortal Kombat's home video rollout, which actually includes Atmos audio and a pretty satisfying collection of extras... unlike this recent title, which probably deserved it more. But I digress: this is a surprisingly well-rounded package that should please die-hard fans and newcomers alike, so let's just enjoy what we have. A separate 4K option is also available.

Mortal Kombat Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Although the separate 4K option (linked above) unsurprisingly offers a better viewing experience, those limited to 1080p should find a lot to like about Mortal Kombat's appearance on Blu-ray. The wide number of locations -- not to mention characters and abilities -- translates to a lot of visual interest, even if the film's mostly earth-toned color palette leaves less room for vivid color than expected. But when Mortal Kombat kicks into high gear -- mostly during its visceral fights, not to mention the more supernatural locations and moments -- it becomes a more richly satisfying experience, showcasing a visual refinement that doesn't push the format's limits but doesn't really disappoint either. While banding and a few chunky compression artifacts can be spotted during the film's darkest moments or visual complex scenes, such drawbacks are mostly held at bay. Fine detail and textures, while obviously not comparable to the 4K disc, are respectable at times and look especially nice during close-ups that aren't bathed in color-grading or darkness. Similarly, skin tones -- at least the human ones -- look accurate depending on lighting conditions, while most of the CGI elements blend fairly seamlessly with the live-action footage; there are exceptions, of course, but they rarely last more than a split second. Overall, it's a capable runner-up and fine-looking Blu-ray indeed.

Mortal Kombat Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The default Dolby Atmos mix, which automatically unfolds to Dolby TrueHD 7.1 if your receiver doesn't support the format, also offers a pretty intense experience with just a little room for improvement. This is a surprisingly dialogue-driven film and that particular sonic aspect seems mixed a little low in comparison with music and sound effects -- and while it's nothing that can't be alleviated with a few subtle adjustments in your receiver's settings menu, it's a pretty clear sign that this is much closer to a theatrical-style presentation than the preferred "near field" mix which, when done correctly, adapts a movie's far-reaching sound design to better fit small home theaters. (When not done, however, you'll probably be reaching for your remote every few minutes, unless you like your movies overpoweringly loud or have very forgiving neighbors.) Either way, with that handicap in mind Mortal Kombat still offers a satisfyingly visceral experience with crisp and brutal sound effects, propulsive music support, and more discrete channel panning and LFE presence than you might know what to do with. I've absolutely no complaints other than the dialogue balancing and, since it's easily overcome with the right touch, it doesn't warrant all that much of a deduction.

Optional subtitles, including English (SDH), are offered during the film and extras in a variety of languages.

Mortal Kombat Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This two-disc release ships in an eco-friendly keepcase with bold cover art, a matching slipcover, and a Digital Copy slip. The bonus features, all of which can be found on the Blu-ray, are a good mix of fun and informative.

• Deleted Scenes (4:13 total) - This series of four deleted/extended scenes includes "Extended Cole Nightmare and Longer Kano Plane Story", "Sea of Spikes", "Kung Lao and Liu Kang Meet with Raiden in Chinese Garden", and "Sub-Zero Confronts Shang Tsung". These are presented in more or less finished form with occasional text inserts, although some of the color grading isn't finalized and the audio is limited to Dolby Digital 2.0.

• From Game to Screen: The Making of Moral Kombat (21:30) - This mid-length featurette offers a light but enjoyable overview of the franchise's transition to the big screen over the years. Key members of the cast and crew also share their personal memories of MK video games, from the original cabinet to modern home console sequels. Featured participants include actors Lewis Tan, Jessica McNamee, Joe Taslim, Mehcad Brooks, Matilda Kimber, and Ludi Lin, as well as co-writer Greg Russo and, of course, director Simon McQuoid.

• Mortal Kombat: Fan Favorite Characters (16:51 total) - These 11 mini-featurettes cover all your favorites... and Cole Young, too. I understand why they'd only focus on characters featured in the film, but curiously absent are Goro, Reiko, and Kabal. Each one runs about 90 seconds and a handy "Play All" option is also included.

• Cole Young
• Sonya Blade
• Kano
• Sub-Zero
• Jax
• Lord Raiden
• Scorpion
• Shang Tsung
• Liu Kang
• Kung Lao
• Mileena

• Fight Koreography (9:05) - A quick-and-dirty overview of the fight scenes and stunt work seen during some of the film's most intense moments, along with a few candid comments by director Simon McQuoid, second-unit director/stunt coordinator Kyle Gardiner, fight choreographer Chan Griffin, and others.

• Intro the Krypt: Easter Eggs of Mortal Kombat (4:11) - Director Simon McQuoid walks us through each and every Easter egg and other neat little details that die-hard fans should enjoy.

• Anatomy of a Scene (11:57 total) - Similar to "Fan Favorite Characters", this collection of 7 short featurettes offers a quick overview of how several key scenes were developed, filmed, and finished in post-production.

• Hanzo Hasashi vs. Bi-Han
• MMA Fight: Cole vs. Ramirez
• Sonya vs. Kano
• Scorpion vs. Sub-Zero
• Reiko vs. Jax
• Kabal vs. Liu Kang
• Mileena vs. Cole

Mortal Kombat Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Simon McQuoid's cinematic reboot of the Mortal Kombat franchise isn't as great as MK Legends: Scorpion's Revenge (which also debuted back in April), but it's decent stuff considering the source material and low budget. Its scattershot story obviously attempts to set up a handful of sequels and spin-offs -- perhaps too many for it to stand on its own -- but the groundwork has been laid and, if nothing else, it'll do until something better arrives. Warner Bros.' 4K combo pack is obviously the better of the two primary home video options, but this Blu-ray isn't a bad runner-up: the 1080p transfer is very good, the Atmos track is identical to the 4K disc, and of course the extras are surprisingly good too. All told, it's a well-rounded package that fans will enjoy and comes Recommended.