MORTAL KOMBAT
A film review by Ed Powell
Copyright 1995 Ed Powell
I'll be honest ... I was truly surprised with this movie. I thought that it was going to be a film filled with fighting and special effects ... and no plot. There was plenty of fighting and special effects, but there *was* a story behind all of it. MORTAL KOMBAT is one of the better action films I have seen this summer.
The story is basically a "good versus evil" structure, where the best fighters of Earth compete in a tournament that takes place once a generation. If the forces of evil win this tournament ten times in a row, they will take over the Earth. And they're one win away from winning.
The movie was written well, considering that all the writers had to go on was a video game (or three). There were some bits that could have used some refining, and the character of Sonja was poorly developed. However, drama and comedy (yes, there were great comedic moments in the movie), while seeming prefabricated, were well worked into the story.
I suppose the martial artistry counts towards acting, so I'll say that the acting in the film was above average. All the moves looked realistic and quite painful on screen. But if you take out the martial arts, most of the actors could take a refresher course in acting. Christopher Lambert, however, did play the part of Rayden (Lord of Lightning, the "Obi-Wan Kenobi" of this film) quite well.
The sets and props of the film were excellent. As of this moment, I am not sure if the Temple of Light (in China, according to the movie) was real or computer-generated. If it was real, it is a magnificent work of architecture and design. If it was computer-generated, it was well rendered and integrated with real scenery.
Speaking of computer-generation, the visual effects were above
average. There were a couple of fakey shots (namely, the first time
Scorpion shows the snake-like thing that comes out of his hand ... if
you look close, you'll see that the effect doesn't keep aligned with
his hand), and when the action shifts to Outworld (no ... not
Waterworld), there are a few shots that are painfully obvious that they
are computer-generated. Still, the effects are close to the
sophistication of BATMAN FOREVER (take that for what it's worth.
Dave Anderson knows how to direct an action film, and MORTAL KOMBAT proves it. Pans, zooms, and other fancy camera moves were used to good effect, and simple shots were used when it was all that was needed.
Is MORTAL KOMBAT something that you can take your Nintendo/Sega "Mortal Kombat"-playing seven year old to? My opinion: no. While the gratuitous blood-and-gore was kept down to a minimum, there are several disturbing shots and ideas that go with the film. The PG-13 rating should be taken seriously.
I really can't do a review of the music ... there wasn't very
much. What music there was, was your generic dance track with the
words "MORTAL KOMBAT!!!" screamed in every once in a while. And to
think that some people actually like that kind of music....
Overall, this is a great fight film. If you are willing to see around the few noticeable flaws, that is. If you have a desire to see people get hit, smacked, punched in the groin, and otherwise hurt, this is the film for you.
Produced by Lawrence Kasanoff, directed by Paul Anderson. A New Line Cinema release.
RATINGS (out of ten)
Plot/Story: 6
Writing: 7
Acting: 6
Design: 7
Effects: 8
Direction: 8
Family Value: 4
Music: 5
TOTAL: 51 out of 80 (Overall: 6.375)
Ed Powell MSTie #27968 and Aspiring film director
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