Mortal Kombat

"In a cinematic universe where movies inspired by video games rarely work and please the general public, the 1995 version of 'Mortal Kombat' was a pleasant surprise. After all, despite all the limitations of the transition between media, the feature film managed to bring the basis of the story and exciting fight moments, with Paul W. S. Anderson, an expert in video game adaptations, at the helm. In 2021, the "fighting game" returns to the screens in a new adaptation. 'Mortal Kombat', from rookie Simon McQuoid, features more realistic special effects, as well as a plot that tries to go even deeper into the mythology that exists around the game. Pulling the story mainly, we follow Cole Young (Lewis Tan), a young boxer who, overnight, discovers that he must defend the earth in an intergalactic tournament - the so-called Mortal Kombat. Violence remains in the aesthetic mix of the production, with blood splattering all the time and heads exploding. McQuoid's story and direction have notable problems, especially in the action scenes, which exaggerate the amount of cuts and shaky cameras, valuing the martial arts fights little. But, you can't deny it: it's a fun movie, with lots of winks with references for the audience looking for touches of the video game. It's not the best movie in the world, nor is it above the 1995 version. But, despite everything, 'Mortal Kombat' is one of those productions to turn off your brain and travel in its stories, without worrying about the quality of what you are seeing."