Mortal Kombat

Written 3 January 2006

Warning: This film review reveals most of the plot of the movie.

This is one of those movies that is great to watch on a rainy winter day, curled up on the couch with a bag of popcorn and a cup of hot chocolate. The movie is full of action from start to finish (after some initial setup); there is no real plot, the storyline is full of so many holes you could drive a truck through them and special effects that are not really all that special.

Yet I have watched this film half a dozen times, and each time I've found it an enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours.

The plot is simple enough. Three champions fight to save the world from "the emperor", who wants to take over the realm of Earth. They have been chosen to fight in a contest. If they lose, Earth is doomed. If they win, the people of Earth will remain free for another generation.

The heroes of this film are annoying, not very bright and often just plain stupid. They are in theory the best fighters the world has to offer: Johnny is an actor who uses his martial arts in his movies, Sonya is a police officer of some kind looking for a killer, and Lu Kang is on a mission of vengeance against the killer of his brother.

It quickly becomes obvious that this tournament is different; there are supernatural powers at work. This is one of the more annoying points of the movie: sorcerers are throwing around flames, cold, mist, electricity and numerous other fantastic things, and to the three heroes, all from gold old normal planet Earth, it is all treated as a normal and every day experience. I don't know about you, but if I saw magical things happening around me, I'd at least be a little bit shocked.

There are a number of fantastic fights involving large numbers of special effects. I really liked some of the bad guys. One has ice powers, and puts them to good use. Another has long arms with some kind of wicked creature on the end, and a third has six arms. The later is huge and viscous, and kills a forth hero easily and without even working up a sweat.

Lord Rayden is some kind of good, god-like being. He has power, and that is made clear from the beginning of the film. Rayden acts as a protector and guide for our heroes, but his power is limited by the rules of the tournament.

I could go on and on and describe the entire plot of this movie, but why bother? It's really not very important. The plot is simply a way to get the characters from one fight scene to the next, each time against a more powerful opponent, until one of them has to fight the evil sorcerer himself.

Oh yes, there is a little bit of a romantic, sort of, subplot involving a ten thousand year old princess named Katana. She is the emperors adopted daughter, the same emperor who is trying to take over Earth, yet for some reason she is helping the heroes. It's never really explained, but her help is needed to get them out of several tough spots.

As long as you don't take it seriously, it's a fun movie to watch. There is a lot of violence and a lot of action. There is death and destruction, but not gore or foul language (I don't remember hearing one "naughty word"). I wouldn't advise this movie for younger children.