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I have never seen any of the previous Mortal Kombat movies. I had minimal exposure to the video game, I can’t name any characters, but I know there are special powers and finishing moves. The games are also blood-filled. This movie is rated R and has as much gore as is possible while still being able to be rated. It is not a gruesome torcher movie, but blood is everywhere but inside people’s bodies.
This film begs to be watched on the biggest screen possible so you can take in all the fight sequences. The fight sequences are wonderfully choreographed. The jump cuts in the filming may be off-putting for some people, but overall, I liked how the fight sequences were edited together. I think there is a low risk of motion sickness which can’t be said about all combat movies as cameras move with the action. The fights mostly occur inside well-defined boundaries, like the video game. These are not extended fight sequences running through a warehouse, these are intimate affairs.
The movie has very little dialog or explanation of the story and that was the right call. Unlike Godzilla vs Kong, the explanations are short and spaced out nicely to give you a little breather between fights. Most of the explanation of the film is done in two five-minute chunks that devolve into fights. Blink and you will miss the history of the realms. This is the perfect amount of time. I got enough explanation that I wasn't questioning the logic and the movie got right back to fighting.
If you want to see semi-superheroes kicking and punching each other for nearly two hours this is the film for you. Blood is spilled, bodies are torn apart, flames are shot, eyes turn into lasers, and you get to have a great time. Go into this movie expecting great fighting sequences and nothing else and you will leave happy.