Mortal Kombat

Story:

Ed Boon and John Tobias’ video game series served as the inspiration for the 2021 American martial arts fantasy movie Mortal Kombat. Starring Lewis Tan, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, Tadanobu Asano, Mehcad Brooks, Ludi Lin, Chin Han, Max Huang, Joe Taslim, and Hiroyuki Sanada, the movie is a reboot of the Mortal Kombat film series. It was directed by Simon McQuoid from a screenplay by Greg Russo and Dave Callaham. It centres on Cole Young, a  washed-up mixed martial arts fighter who has no idea why the assassin Sub-Zero is after him.

He searches for a group of fighters that were selected to protect Earthrealm from Outworld out of concern for his family’s safety. A third Mortal Kombat movie lingered in development hell for almost twenty years after Mortal Kombat Annihilation (1997) failed both critically and commercially. Following their short film Mortal Kombat: Rebirth (2010), Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema started working on a new movie in late 2010, with Kevin Tancharoen directing a story written by Oren Uziel. In August 2015, James Wan was revealed as a producer, and in November 2016, McQuoid was appointed director. Adelaide Studios in Adelaide as well as other South Australian locales were used for production. The main photography took place between September and December of 2019.

Mortal Kombat was concurrently released in theatres in Dolby Cinema, IMAX, and 4DX versions as well as on the streaming service HBO Max on April 8, 2021, and April 23 in the United States. Critics gave the movie mixed reviews; they criticised the narrative and exposition while praising the acting, production values, action scenes, and adherence to the original material in comparison to other films. Despite having a $55 million production budget, the movie made over $84 million, making it HBO Max’s most profitable movie debut to date. On May 8, 2026, the sequel Mortal Kombat II is slated to be released, with McQuoid returning as director and Jeremy Slater writing the scenario.

Plot

In 1617, assassins under the command of Bi-Han attack Hanzo Hasashi’s clan’s home in Japan and kill everyone there, including Hanzo’s family. Hanzo battles Bi-Han after eliminating the assailants, but he is killed by his wounds and his soul is sent to the Netherrealm. Later, Hanzo’s surviving baby daughter is taken to safety by Raiden, the god of Thunder.

Outworld defeated Earthrealm in nine “Mortal Kombat” tournaments in 2021. According to the regulations, Outworld will invade Earthrealm if it loses ten. According to an old prophecy, in order to stop Outworld from winning, the “blood of Hanzo Hasashi” will bring together a new generation of Earthrealm’s champions. Before the tenth tournament starts, sorcerer and Outworlder Shang Tsung sent his troops to kill Earthrealm’s champions, who are distinguished by a dragon mark.

Bi-Han, who now goes by Sub-Zero, attacks Cole Young, an MMA athlete, and his family. The Youngs are saved by Special Forces Major Jackson “Jax” Briggs, who instructs them to locate Sonya Blade, his partner. Jax continues to fight Sub-Zero, but in the process, he loses his arms.

Cole visits Sonya’s hiding place, where she is questioning Kano, a captured Australian mercenary. Sonya and Jax have been looking into the existence of Mortal Kombat. Syzoth, Shang Tsung’s killer, attacks them and is killed by Kano with Cole and Sonya’s assistance.They visit Raiden’s temple, where they encounter Raiden, who is critical of the newcomers, as well as Earthrealm champions Liu Kang and Kung Lao. Additionally, they locate Jax, whom Raiden saved and equipped with artificial arms. Raiden protects the temple from intrusion, preventing Shang Tsung from attacking. To access their “arcana,” an ability exclusive to dragon mark bearers, Cole and Kano study with Liu Kang and Kung Lao.

To his surprise, Kano activates his arcana during an altercation, enabling him to blast lasers from his scarred eye. Cole is unable to activate his arcana in the meanwhile. Raiden, disappointed, informs Cole that he is a Hasashi descendant and sends him back to his family. To attack the temple, Shang Tsung assembles his men, including Kabal, Kano’s erstwhile comrade. Kano is persuaded by Kabal to defect and undermine the shield. Jax wakes his arcana throughout the battle, giving him enhanced limbs and superhuman strength. At the same time, Goro attacks the Youngs. Cole activates his arcana, obtaining a set of tonfas and a suit of armour that can absorb kinetic energy from physical assaults. He then kills Goro before aiding in the defence of the temple.

Sub-Zero tries to halt Cole while Raiden teleports the Earthrealm combatants to the Void, a secure area between realms. But after Kung Lao rescues Cole from Sub-Zero, Shang Tsung steals his soul. Cole suggests a strategy to neutralise Sub-Zero collectively after forcing Outworld’s champions into single battle with them. Raiden accepts the plan and hands Cole Hanzo’s kunai, which still has Hanzo’s blood. Cole and his comrades are transported to their destinations by Raiden. Sonya kills Kano and obtains his dragon mark while vanquishing Outworld’s champions, enabling her to unleash energy blasts from her arms. Cole’s family is kidnapped by Sub-Zero in order to entice him into a one-on-one battle.

Overwhelmed, Cole releases Hanzo as the vindictive spectre, Scorpion, by draining the blood from the kunai. Scorpion assists Cole in killing Sub-Zero and releasing his family after realising Cole is his descendant. As Raiden, the other champions, and Shang Tsung arrive, Scorpion leaves, thanking Cole for his release and asking him to look after the Hasashi bloodline.

The next time they meet, Shang Tsung threatens to bring armies rather than lone warriors. After banishing him, Raiden declares that he will train new fighters for the upcoming competition and assigns his existing champions to find them. Cole then leaves for Los Angeles in an attempt to find Johnny Cage, the star of martial arts films.