MORTAL KOMBAT
Australia/US, 2021, 110 minutes, Colour.
Lewis Tan, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, Joe Taslim, Mehcad Brooks, Matilda Kimber, Laura Brent, Tadanobu Asano, Hiroyuki Sanada, Ludi Lin .
Directed by Simon Mc Quoid.
There is a different response for this action show, based on the celebrated video game, already filmed in the 1990s with Christopher Lambert, between the opinion of a reviewer and the opinion of a Mortal Kombat fan and player.
From a reviewer’s point of view, the main comment would be on the technical bravura of the whole film, its visual scope and style, the staging of the action sequences and battles, the importance of the intricate editing for the effect of the fights, the creation of the characters, their look, make up, iconic status, comments on the quality of the dialogue (functional for this kind of storytelling), the screen presence and performances of the cast (more iconic with martial arts talents than acting), the recommendation that it is a film for fans (which non-fans may not be interested in find more than a touch bewildering!). Lewis Tan is generally a cool hero, a touch of the laid-back to egos into action. Jessica McNamee, sporting an American accent, is a strong and attractive heroine. Josh Lawson, with his Aussie repartee, is a sometimes trying good deed turning baddy.
From a fan’s point of view, questions are raised – and can be seen in bloggers’ comments on such sites as the IMDb – as to its fidelity to the video game, its interpretation of the characters and their heroism, the treacheries, the building up of the conflicts, the staging of the fights. Fans will respond with enthusiasm if they like the fidelity and like the creativity of this interpretation, otherwise there will be disappointments and making some odious comparisons!
One of the major achievements of this film is that it was made in Adelaide, some moonscape sequences near Coober Pedy, others in the Mount Lofty Ranges, relying on South Australian resources, drawing on international talent as well as local. A mythical world is created, Earth and the Outworld, with particular look, costume and production design. There are sequences in the Japan of the past, Chicago of the present. And, vast caverns, vast arenas for conflict, a certain vastness in everything.
So, a review is mainly to note aspects of the film and deferring to the reactions of the fans.
