Spoiler Warning: Do not read if you have not seen “Mortal Kombat,” available now in theaters and on HBO Max.
Director Simon McQuoid’s “Mortal Kombat” builds the groundwork for what could be a gory action franchise, and star Joe Taslim already told Variety that he’s signed up for four more movies if Warner Bros. decides to go ahead with additional installments.
The movie features several threads that could be explored in further films, “joiner pieces” that McQuoid intentionally added. The most obvious comes in the film’s final frame, which shows a movie poster for fictional Hollywood superstar and iconic “Mortal Kombat” video game character Johnny Cage. Protagonist Cole Young (Lewis Tan) remarks that he’s off to Los Angeles in search of more Mortal Kombat fighters, directly setting up a possible sequel.
Several major characters die in the movie, but “Mortal Kombat” fans know that death isn...
Director Simon McQuoid’s “Mortal Kombat” builds the groundwork for what could be a gory action franchise, and star Joe Taslim already told Variety that he’s signed up for four more movies if Warner Bros. decides to go ahead with additional installments.
The movie features several threads that could be explored in further films, “joiner pieces” that McQuoid intentionally added. The most obvious comes in the film’s final frame, which shows a movie poster for fictional Hollywood superstar and iconic “Mortal Kombat” video game character Johnny Cage. Protagonist Cole Young (Lewis Tan) remarks that he’s off to Los Angeles in search of more Mortal Kombat fighters, directly setting up a possible sequel.
Several major characters die in the movie, but “Mortal Kombat” fans know that death isn...
- 4/24/2021
- by Jordan Moreau
- Variety Film + TV
As someone who has been a longtime apologist for Paul W.S. Anderson’s 1995 Mortal Kombat adaptation, I’ll be the first to admit that considering it has been nearly 26 years since that first film hit the big screen, we were definitely due for a new live-action take on the Mortal Kombat universe. And holy hell, does this new Mk deliver up a flawless victory—there’s more world-building in this new Mortal Kombat in the first five minutes than we get in the entirety of Mk (1995), and between the jaw-droppingly great action set pieces and a fantastic ensemble that does a brilliant job of bringing these iconic characters to life, I absolutely loved everything that director Simon McQuoid, as well as the film’s screenwriters Greg Russo and Dave Callaham, were able to bring to the table for Mortal Kombat (2021).
Simply put, this new Mortal Kombat kicks copious amounts of ass.
Simply put, this new Mortal Kombat kicks copious amounts of ass.
- 4/22/2021
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Warner Bros. and director Simon McQuoid pull off a daring, high-wire balancing act with their big screen take on Mortal Kombat. That is to say, it’s incredibly difficult to make a good, entertaining movie that stands on its own while at the same time remains faithful to source material with a rich, extensive history and passionate fanbase. Plus, it’s a video game movie.
Yet 2021’s Mortal Kombat is both a loving homage to the blood-soaked arcade classics that started it all and a savage, devilishly fun martial arts flick. The film is actually so effective in the latter regard that it transcends the “video game movie” category completely and should in all likelihood attract an audience of people who have never even played the games. McQuoid takes the complex canon and iconic characters from the games and presents them in a way that respects the original designs to...
Yet 2021’s Mortal Kombat is both a loving homage to the blood-soaked arcade classics that started it all and a savage, devilishly fun martial arts flick. The film is actually so effective in the latter regard that it transcends the “video game movie” category completely and should in all likelihood attract an audience of people who have never even played the games. McQuoid takes the complex canon and iconic characters from the games and presents them in a way that respects the original designs to...
- 4/22/2021
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
“Respect is the word I just kept using over and over,” says Simon McQuoid about his directorial debut, the Mortal Kombat movie reboot. “Elevate and respect the material. So it was all just born out of respect for the characters.”
For McQuoid, it’s a challenging beginning to take on such a long-running and venerated franchise. Since 1992, there have been 14 editions of the video game, two animated films, two live action films, an animated series, live actions series for TV and the web, a novelization, and even a live stage show. McQuoid and 30+ year industry veteran, producer Todd Garner, sat down with Den of Geek and other members of the press for a virtual roundtable to discuss making a movie based on one of the most successful fighting games ever.
Cole Young’s Place in Mortal Kombat Lore
This version of Mortal Kombat is completely new, not beholden to stories told in the previous films.
For McQuoid, it’s a challenging beginning to take on such a long-running and venerated franchise. Since 1992, there have been 14 editions of the video game, two animated films, two live action films, an animated series, live actions series for TV and the web, a novelization, and even a live stage show. McQuoid and 30+ year industry veteran, producer Todd Garner, sat down with Den of Geek and other members of the press for a virtual roundtable to discuss making a movie based on one of the most successful fighting games ever.
Cole Young’s Place in Mortal Kombat Lore
This version of Mortal Kombat is completely new, not beholden to stories told in the previous films.
- 3/18/2021
- by John Saavedra
- Den of Geek
Ever since I laid my eyes on its first trailer, one of this writer’s most anticipated films for 2021 has been Mortal Kombat, which was directed by Simon McQuoid and stars Joe Taslim, Hiroyuki, Tadanobu Asano, Mehcad Brooks, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, Ludi Lin, Chin Han, Daniel Nelson, Max Huang and Sisi Stringer.
Recently, I had the opportunity to check out the first 13 minutes of Mortal Kombat (2021), which is the opening scene that introduces us to enemies Scorpion and Sub-Zero as well as a very electrifying Raiden who makes an unforgettable entrance, and the sequence set an impressive stage for what looks to be not only one of the best video game adaptations to come along pretty much ever, but also one of the gnarliest U.S. action films this side of the John Wick series. I don’t want to give too much away, but what I will...
Recently, I had the opportunity to check out the first 13 minutes of Mortal Kombat (2021), which is the opening scene that introduces us to enemies Scorpion and Sub-Zero as well as a very electrifying Raiden who makes an unforgettable entrance, and the sequence set an impressive stage for what looks to be not only one of the best video game adaptations to come along pretty much ever, but also one of the gnarliest U.S. action films this side of the John Wick series. I don’t want to give too much away, but what I will...
- 3/17/2021
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Growing up, there was one arcade game that I somehow was always guaranteed to deliver up an ass kicking to my opponent, and that was Mortal Kombat. It’s a game series I’ve been a huge fan of for decades now, and I’ll be the first to admit that while it has its rough edges, the 1995 iteration of Mortal Kombat is what made me into the Paul W.S. Anderson fan that I am today. But even though I have a deep fondness for Mk 1995, I can still recognize that there was definitely room for improvement when it came to bringing the Mortal Kombat universe to the big screen.
And ever since I first laid eyes on the initial trailer, one of this writer’s most anticipated films for 2021 quickly became the new Mortal Kombat, which was directed by Simon McQuoid and stars Joe Taslim, Hiroyuki, Tadanobu Asano, Mehcad Brooks,...
And ever since I first laid eyes on the initial trailer, one of this writer’s most anticipated films for 2021 quickly became the new Mortal Kombat, which was directed by Simon McQuoid and stars Joe Taslim, Hiroyuki, Tadanobu Asano, Mehcad Brooks,...
- 3/17/2021
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
“Get over here!” — because Warner Bros. has unveiled the first trailer for the upcoming “Mortal Kombat” movie, full of blood, guts and fatalities.
The movie, which is the third live-action feature based on the popular video game series, will not have any connection to its underperforming 1995 and 1997 predecessors. Instead, director Simon McQuoid, in his directorial debut, will take the movie in its own direction while also incorporating some of fans’ most beloved aspects of the gaming franchise, including fatalities — ultra-violent finishing moves designed for each character to win a fight in the most dramatic and bloody way possible.
Many beloved characters from the video games will appear in the film. The cast includes Ludi Lin as Liu Kang, Hiroyuki Sanada as Scorpion, Joe Taslim as Sub-Zero, Tadanobu Asano as Raiden, Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade, Mehcad Brooks as Jax Briggs, Josh Lawson as Kano, Chin Han as Shang Tsung, Max Huang as Kung Lao,...
The movie, which is the third live-action feature based on the popular video game series, will not have any connection to its underperforming 1995 and 1997 predecessors. Instead, director Simon McQuoid, in his directorial debut, will take the movie in its own direction while also incorporating some of fans’ most beloved aspects of the gaming franchise, including fatalities — ultra-violent finishing moves designed for each character to win a fight in the most dramatic and bloody way possible.
Many beloved characters from the video games will appear in the film. The cast includes Ludi Lin as Liu Kang, Hiroyuki Sanada as Scorpion, Joe Taslim as Sub-Zero, Tadanobu Asano as Raiden, Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade, Mehcad Brooks as Jax Briggs, Josh Lawson as Kano, Chin Han as Shang Tsung, Max Huang as Kung Lao,...
- 2/18/2021
- by Eli Countryman
- Variety Film + TV
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