It's been years and years in the making but finally, the all-new gritty Mortal Kombat reboot hits theaters and HBO Max this weekend. While the filmmakers have been hyping it up as one of the best fight movies ever made for some time now, the end result is seeing a mixed reaction from critics. Matt Rooney hated the film (see his video review above), giving it an abysmal 3/10. Over at our horror sister site, Arrow in the Head, critic Lance Vlcek (aka The Iceman) was way more enthusiastic, giving it a strong 8/10.
I saw the film for myself the other day and my opinion falls somewhere between Matt and Lance's. While I didn't think it was awful, I was disapointed by how dull it was at times and could help but think that the 1995 Paul W.S. Anderson movie was a lot more fun. While I appreciated the gory fatalities, I also hated the fact that the whole tournament angle is played down. Why make a Mortal Kombat movie without a legit tournament? In the pantheon of great martial arts tournament movies it ranks way below Enter the Dragon and Bloodsport, although don't get me wrong – it's a million times better than Mortal Kombat: Annihilation.
That said, what critics think doesn't matter a hill of beans. What we're really curious about here at JoBlo is whether YOU – the fans – dug it. Now's your time to shine – so talk back below! And, it goes without saying – SPOILERS BELOW!
The comment section exists to allow readers to discuss the article constructively and respectfully, focused on the topic at hand.
What’s Not Allowed