The scene where Kano keeps getting up while Liu Kang continuously leg sweeps him was such a weird but hilarious callback to the CPU behavior in the classic games
I love that Bi-han's decision to put on the costume and start calling himself Sub-zero is entirely self-motivated. He just up and decides to do it one day because he thinks it'll be cool.
It would have been better if "Sub-Zero" was a name that other people started calling him and he just adopted it. The thought of someone actually coming up with the idea to call themselves that is just cheesy. It's like the unpopular kid at school making up their own cool sounding nickname.
@@Syklonus i could see it be something like that, or maybe, if johnny cage was in the movie, he would see sub zero and he asks what his name is, SZ says: Bi Han, Johnny then jokes saying nobody is gonna remember that, and then calls him sub zero saying it is much cooler, they then have a little fight( jc gets his ass kicked).
Ikr he was like a cryomancer Michael Myers i loved the way they portrayed Bi-Han, im almost certain its happening based on what Shang Tsun said but i really hope he comes back in the sequels as Noob Saibot
I was confused with how Cole already had a teenage daughter, when I thought he didn't look old enough to be a dad. I was thinking that he was a brother to the two girls.
MK 95- 8.5/10 MK 97- 5/10 MK 21- 3.5/10 Rayden is suposed to be a 7 ft Caucasian, not a 5 ft Mongoloid. LOL Liu Kang shouldnt look like a girl. Robin Shou looked like a man. Shang Tsung is not scary at all with those chubby cheeks. Tagawa was so much better. Sub Zeros and Scorpions costume was bad. Yellow and blue are barely recognizable. I hoped MK 21 was going to look something like MK LEGACY witch was very good, but it was nothing like it. MK 21 is not a movie you can watch twice, it would be too painfull.
I've stewed on it for days and I still can't get over how dirty they did Goro. Shang Tsung literally calls him "Prince Goro" and they literally waste one of the best bad guys in the lore.
@@xxxs8309 They kinda did although I think they might bring him back for next one. But I can get why they watered down his legend a bit. Subzero could have killed Goro in seconds, unlike in the old movie. I mean you have a 4 armed big monster which is cool but you also have a somehow immortal master ice ninja that's kinda a massive deal. Subzero being the new "attack dog" type role in this movie makes sense especially since subzero has gained so many very strong abilities over the years in the games.
@@xxxs8309 Like he does in the games. Subzero's younger brother, Kuai Liang, takes Bi Hans place after his death in the tournament as the new subzero and Bi Han returns as a wraith called Noob Saibot. Edit: spelling correction
Scorpions spear is actually a Kunai and in Japanese history they were originally used as gardening tools similar to a trowel. Assassins would pose as farmers and gardeners and then ambush their target as they passed by
I mean, the entire Scorpion Kunai spear is silly. Does such a weapon even exist? No, Kusarigama don't count, that's exactly what I'd give Scorp(who don't have Kama part of equation). With that said, I love how they gave literal Bladed Tonfas to Cole, but he just...meh. I'd really like if he started doing the Nioh Tonfa moves in MK2, like real crazy spin combos and what not.
@@goransekulic3671 i think i would probably consider his rope kunai to be more akin to a meteor hammer, which I'm not mad about. Prob difficult with a flattened edged weapon though.
@@crazyazn52 Yes, quite. His weapon is practically the Kusari part of Kusarigama(=chain and sickle or something like that). But idk how that's supposed to work with bladed weapon, indeed. It is a very interesting weapon though.
Agreed, some how kill Cole, create that as "plot motivation" for certain characters and finally enter Mortal Kombat. Hopefully Shang Tsung (or whoever) can resurrect Goro and Mileena, heavily underused and fan favorites.
You also shouldn't have the champion of Mortal Kombat (Goro), just show up at random, only to go out like a bitch in a movie that doesn't involve the tournament.
Jaxs' inner power, super strength, and mechanical arms. Sonyas' inner power, energy beams. Kanos' inner power, a laser eye that can't protect against garden gnomes. Cole's inner power, a sweet-looking gold knit sweater.
What even was his power? He was absorbing the blows and I expected it to make a blast radius like in Black Panther or make his hits 2-5x stronger, but nah he just gets a blade and a baton.
"I was always Scorpion, my brother was Sub-Zero, cuz we're brothers, that's how it goes down." The accuracy in that statement, the exact same for me and my brother
At one point I thought Cole was going to turn into Scorpion somehow by possessing Cole’s body and soul. I wish that happened because then I would’ve been fine with Cole in the movie.
Gotta be that guy, Kunai were actually gardening tools first and weapons second. Helped ninjas have weapons in the open allowing then to surprise their targets.
You’re not a fan of MK at all when you say stuff like that. Liu Kang is a Shaolin Monk who learned to do the stuff he does from learning it from the teachings of the Great Kung Lao at the White Lotus Society.There is no relation to him and Hanzo Hasashi, nor should there be.
For an alternate twist, kinda ok. I'll take that rather than this Cole shit. But ironic, coz now in canonical lore, Liu Kang is the creator of the universe, and it was his creation now that make Scorpion born with fire power, making him true pyromancer like Sub-Zero born with cyromancer. Although the new Scorpion is now Kuai Liang, no longer Hanzo
For a little while, I thought that Scorpion was going to be Cole's Ghost Rider. Cole would turn into this spirit of vengeance thus giving this undead spirit mortality and the ability to compete in the tournament. Nope. Instead, Cole's power is a metal shirt.
Exactly how I felt.. It's like having an avengers movie but leaving out captain America! The movie was at the level where I thought, Damn This would be so much more interesting to me if Jhonny was here!
LMFAO the fact that the ARMOUR looks flimsy, rubbery and had an effing hole in the back! You can see it after he killed Goro and he was hugging his family! LOL!!!!!
Kano hinted at Cole's power. He makes a comment about Cole's arcana being getting his ass kicked. The power kind of reminds me of Black Panthers suit on how it absorbs kinetic energy.
I just don’t see how they justified introducing cole and making him the main character. They could’ve done much more w liu/Kung and the other actual mk characters. Also rip Kung Lao😔
It's because they wanted a generic action hero type character as the lead, the reason why? Draw in a new audience? Probably the only reason I can come up with lol
When you first see Cole, that fight club manager calls him a punching bag, which later basically becomes his akana lol. It's the MK version of the black panther suit
I thought that was hilarious. I also like when Cole was in the fight and his daughter (didn't understand at first it was his daughter. Thought it was a sister) said "give him your uppercut!"
The leg sweep spam and Kano being “you have any other move” made me lol to the point I wrote my old friend that did this to me in Mk2 when we were kids. I was like “bitch they’re making fun of the 10 year old you.”
We need to support this effort so they don't abandon the franchise! The potential is there for sure, just need better writing. Lets make it happen guys.
Sub zeros actor was incredible. The way he looked frightened when he knew he was going to lose the fight with Cole and Hanzo was so cool. Refused to go down without a fight.
Subzeros actor and scorpions actor were perfectly casted. The scene when scorpion throws his spear at subzero and he dodges it and looks at him all surprised, fuckin epic. I loved how menacing he really was just how bi han is supposed to be compraed to his brother. Him smirking at hanzos wife before killing them ooooof real bad guy
He managed to tell a lot with just his eyes and body language, no small feat. I do wish we got to see the full face though for some of his reactions to Scorpion, cause we got so much more out of Hanzo’s full face.
Absolutely, honestly not perfect but I loved this movie. Shout out to reptile actually being pretty dope despite looking like a dinosaur. They at least got his move set down. 7.5 out of 10 give me more of this world.
Well the reason why Jax and Sonya bought into was because they came across someone with super human abilities while being in special forces and the tattoo magically went on Jax so it makes sense for them to be looking into it
Cole Young, worst main character since Bella Swan. The guy starts by getting his ass kicked, then gets his ass kicked some more, only to power-up, and obtain a shirt that allows him to get his ass SUPER kicked.
@@tarsofelix4414 Well that’s exactly why I DO mind Cole. He was nothing but extra weight to the movie. I didn’t care for him or his family, if anything I actually wanted them to die lol
I absolutely agree again! Especially the outworld and desert land surroundings. It reminded me of MK Annihilation too much which is never a good thing.
It was just not that. You remember where in Annihilation how they killed off all the main character easily all because they didn't have time to tell their stories, and also the director thinking only the fans would know who they are. This movie did the same freaking thing. I've excepted how they got their powers and all like Kano without having cyborg implants. Unlike Jacks though that was freaking stupid, and don't get me started with that horrible character Cole with his literal invincible plot armor. That character was freaking awful.
What reminded me of Annihilation was the amount of characters that were introduced in name only (Nitara, Mileena, Reiko). It felt like what they did in MK Annihilation with Ermac, Rain, etc.
Top three Kano moments. Snacking while Shang Tsung and Raiden are talking. Liu Kang and touching his shoulder and Kano saying “Th’Fack” Cole asking Sonya about her marking and Kano going “WHA WHA”
"that the only move you know?" The leg sweep scene in the first time in a video game movie, where I can point to a scene and say "that's exactly what it feels like to play this game".
It certainly darts between extremes of good and bad. The director only seemed to care about a few characters, and so it felt really unbalanced. Cole was just a flat out mistake.
@@Syklonus I agree Cole was a mistake cause it took away from better characters but I actually didn't hate him. His fight with Goro using actual takedowns was pretty dope. But I agree that some of it was great and other parts were... Not great lol 7.5 out of 10 still really loved a lot of this movie.
I was suprise that James Wan produced this movie but never involved in directing, cool to see James Wan direct and write the sequel like what he did to Aquaman.
LOVED and deeply appreciated your reference to METROID around the 2:40 mark. Glad you're a Metroid fan, too!!! Loved your channel before, love it evermore now.
Jax saving Sonya with the power of friendship was when I mentally signed off. I mean she literally got crushed by stone and only had a little bit of dust on her.
This is such a great and well-rounded review! I like how you talk about what worked and didn't work in both this one and the original and not just making blanket statements like "The first movie is still the best" because the 1995 film had a lot of flaws along with a few things that worked. But your review is so accurate! The tattoo thing was just not a good story plot at all. It could've easily been explained that their powers come from Chi power and learned magic, and even some technology in there like with Kano's eye, and sorcery could've been the explanation for the villains' side, and this would've been MUCH more grounded and organic. I couldn't even believe they went with such a cheap, convoluted explanation as a friggin tattoo. Just bad writing. Also well said about MK being made for a cinematic universe. With a storyline and characters as rich as Mortal Kombat's, a cinematic universe is the only way you can go, but you don't establish that with first-time writers and directors! But I like your idea of starting off with Sub-Zero and Scorpion, then the Special Forces, the Black Dragon, and so on... This movie was insanely rushed and underdeveloped and felt much more like a pilot episode than a big screen movie adaptation. In all honesty and truth, this whole thing needs to be scrapped, taken back to the drawing board, and started over with different writers and directors and possibly a different studio.
The Johnny Cage vs Scorpion fight in the original movie is the reason I became a Scorpion fan. As a 7 year seeing the fight and hearing him saying "Get down here" was amazing. I'm team Scorpion for sure. He's a badass.
Dumbest thing about the movie is that Raiden didn't do anything even though he is only forbidden from interfering with mortal kombat but they clearly state out world is cheating and killing earth's fighters so there won't be a tournament
Edit: It should’ve been a crouching jab or a throw to be true to the current MK11 paradigm. Yes I understand the reference to (specifically) the MK2 AI...because I’m one of the few here I bet that played it on the cabinets. If people don’t understand a joke, they probably shouldn’t comment like someone just insulted their mother. Rest your cute little fingers, children.
@@mattrutkowski5305 Uh no moron. That scene was a throwback to the first two mk games where even the AI would spam sweep kicks and stunlock you. Youd know that if you knew jack shit about mk
The awkward moment when you realize that they literally stole the dragon mark unlocking powers idea from My Little Pony's cutiemarks and what they meant to the ponies
I knew the writing was going to be a bit wonky when in the beginning Hanzo is speaking Japanese and Bi-Han spoke Chinese, and afterwards, when Hanzo is defeated, B-Han says, 'For the Lin Kuei'...IN ENGLISH, in 1617 JAPAN.
They wasted Goro. They needed to work on this story a lot more, why give the well established IP to a first time director is beyond me, I hope they do better in the next one.
Its interesting because yes they wasted Goro, but its not like the original did Goro particularly well. He looked kinda good but could barely move. Besides we probably dont need Goro back. Bring in Motaro for the sequel.
@@ComicCrossing Goro was treated with way more respect in the 95 version. For one thing he actually had lines instead of some grunts and 1 sentence. He also had personality and they built him up as a threat. Here they just threw him in and did the biggest blunder which was having the OC kill him. Its not like art lean killed him in the 95 version.
@@saloz9483 Goro basically got beaten by a hit to the balls and a trip in the 95 version. He could barely move and the fight with Art Lean is sorta a joke. I get that they were limited by technology and they certainly put more weight and gravitas into Goro, im just saying that 95 is far from perfect. Both versions have serious issues.
@@ryansmith-jr4gn from what the movie showed it seems like it to me, I say that because anybody can use the hat but only he can manipulate it after the toss wether that be teleporting from under it or calling it back to him without touching it, game also looks like that too but not to this extreme where he calls it back after it stops
“ Upon graduation, I was given a name of a man. He was a purveyor of rare things. Children. Orphans like me. He had a marking, so I chose to take if from him. And in that moment, my arcana came forth. “ - Liu Kang
@@CursedWheelieBin How is the dialogue difficult to follow? Liu killed a marked person and gained the mark for himself. There is more context if you’ve not seen the film, Liu was asked how he found his arcana, it was instantaneous.
@@q-_-p.d-_-b At the same time it doesn't because earlier in the movie she explains that both Jax and Kano got their markings from killing a couple dudes. Yet neither of them awaken their powers until later in the movie. Kano has to get pissed of about a damn egg roll, and Jax has to.... Get his ass kicked. Survive the mental and physical trauma of shock after having his arms frozen and shattered. Then almost die being beaten with a war hammer, and watching his best friend be buried under rubble. * cough * Sonya? "Awm lazies go pew-pew!" LMAOOOO!
Lmao no, u could clearly see a bunch of stunt doubles and raiden was pathetic in the original. Yall just riding on the nostalgia factor. Yes cage, sonya and liu kang were great in the original but the current cast is better in every way. Its just they need better writer and WB need to let them do what they want and give a better budget than 50 mil. Lmao original subzero and scorpion were fuckin trash
@@Lord_ofcinder I agree with the nostalgia factor. Mk is supposed to be cheesy but awesome action movie like the ppl who did hardcore Henry and nobody should've been pitted to make this film. You literally add bloodsport, big trouble in little China, and maybe some pacing from Tokyo: the last megalopolis and boom u have an awesome MK movie. It's like ppl who make movies have no idea about how to make cool shit or how to make video games into good action movies and something as basic as mk is made so convoluted and overly complex instead of remembering that action films are supposed to entertain and not just be nods to bad chars or moments in the video game.
@@Lord_ofcinder Im literally rewatching the 95 movie now and no its not nostalgia. The actors actually give off charm and personality in the 95 version. 2021 versions were dull execpt for sub,kano,kabal and scorp. Liu kang was a fucking robot in this movie and out right dull who worshiped Kung Loa. Raiden was a lazy prick in this movie who just bitched the whole way through and didn't show that he gave a fuck. Shang was so boring and had no presence that they had to use a filter for his voice and give him black eye contacts. Theres more but this is just some examples of how crap these versions were.
@@saloz9483 Nah i watched the 95 recently as well, the only characters that were marginally true to the games were Liu kang and cage thats mostly cause of their chemistry. Yeah kano as well in the way of design but his character was shit. Raiden was a simp soy boy in the 95 one and a prick in the current one so thats there. Tsang shung was fucking perfect in the 95 one tho he wasnt anything close to the games, He was perfect due to the actor (basically heath ledgers joker), sonya was trash in the 95 this one was basically sort of like MK11 sonya. Liu kang wasnt bad but yeah was a bit over the top buddhist monk robotic character. Kung lao was alright.
The horror elements when subzero shows up is probably my favorite part. When he stands in the alleyway with all the ice mist and then just kind of slides away like a monster, it made me laugh but in a good way
It would be a strong tv series continuing from this. Maybe they'll take note, could be an awesome Max original! Then again they have 4 movies lined up reportedly.
@@GeeklyGoods yea too many back stories and too much lore for a simple 2 hour movie. The fights could be more satisfying as well.... just thinking about it being a tv series gets me excited but sadly it’ll probably not happen anytime soon fr
@@OlJohnJoe Yeah exactly! You have so many characters that if you want to cover it in movies you're going to sacrifice a lot of single-character lore and story.
I don't call scorpion a Ninja he is more like Shinobi also the Kunai isn't just a Shinobi / Ninja weapon also Samurai used the Kunai too and Shinobi are low level samurai known as Ashi garu and some of the Ashi Garu are farmers too.
@@adamplentl5588 It is well known that the main purpose of the kunai was gardening. They were used to till the land. Their use as a weapon was only secondary
All I ever wanted was the Lin Kuei vs Shirai Ryu. If they wanted to get really creative, they could have just made a movie on how the feud started. Could even have ended it with the death of Hanzo Hasashi and his clan.
Exactly. What hes basically saying is COLE WAS UNNECESSARY. I said the same thing jax,Sonya, Johnny, Stryker....all could have been Cole.... Lewis tan could have been Johnny.
@@Htx.lunatic neat, annihilation came out when I was in like the 5th grade. Everyone saw it once and didn’t speak of it again, it was such a disappointment, even to kids. And in the original MK movie, if that’s what you’re referring to, she wasn’t a skeptic very long at all.
With the ways things were going with this TImeline SHinagangs.. I thought he could've jsut been Takada with a Different name... then Tofans happened...
so many better options, johnny cage, johnny cage's brother(who dies in the movie, and JC gets the invite in his place in the sequel), takeda, scorpion's body manifestation. the trully ironic thing is, if they had used kano's dialogue on johnny cage, it would've been perfect. cole has no reason to exist in this movie. and he adds nothing of worth.
There was a lot of really cool Easter eggs in the movie, like Quarter Circle Low Punch on the wall when Jax fights Sub Zero. Cole was a let down for sure with his LITERAL plot armor super power.
I miss the guy who says the opponents names. REPTILE. SUB-ZERO. FIGHT! The way he says it is just so cool. And they basically had three wooden Liu Kang characters. One would have been enough.
I actually liked the Quan Chi thing in the Scorpeon vs Sub Zero fight. This one guy managed to start a feud lasting hundreds of years and targets the perfect two people for said feud.
also Scorpion isn't supposed to be a good guy. He supposed to be a rage fueled monster who occasionally re-directs his anger at the right people. Same for Sub-Zero.
Goro is basically the Kraken. He is this looming threat that appears for five minutes at the very end then gets killed and has no more importance beyond that.
Not even that, really. They didn't build him up throughout the movie or anything. He just shows up out of nowhere, Shang Tsung goes "Oh hey there, buddy" and the next scene he fights Cole and dies.
I can't believe the fatalities we got. Of course the fights were AMAZING. And of course THEY WORKED IN THE TECHNO THEME. In the 3 words uttered by Kano "You feckin beauty " With regards to the lore changes you mentioned, THIS is the exact argument people used to say Warcraft was a bad film. I personally loved the changes, especially since the 95 film people seem to forget about is Johnny killed Goro with the final fight was against Shang Tsung. I frequently ask myself "Was I entertained?" The answer is FUCK YES
Best review I've seen thus far, my exact thoughts... Pissed me off Lui Kang wasn't the chosen one and Johnny Cage definitely could've filled the Cole position easy... I didn't understand his arcana, that idea wasn't really thought out and the tattoos reminded me of Annihilation too... 👏🏾👌🏾👏🏾✊🏾
I learned about that the other day. I'm really hoping they still release Legacy season 3. Season 2 left off with a fantastic cliffhanger and season 3 was gonna be a mix of the tournament and next generation kids. It was filmed too y'all know. Johnnys actor leaked pics and stuff on set
For me the highlight of the original Mortal Kombat was the first part of the Liu Kang vs Shang Tsung fight. Before he summons the warriors. I thought the music was incredibly well edited for hyping up the fight and the choreography was pretty good for me. My biggest gripe with this movie (besides all the lore changes) was that Shang Tsung was just too straight forward, in the original and the games everything he says either has a sense of double meaning or is filled with enough vile hatred to physically feel it, here he’s just pretty bland and up front. Also, team scorpion.
Knowing nothing of MK lore, I had none of these preconceptions about the world and characters, so the powers and dragon marks and whatnot feels like a decent way to adapt the lore into something short and manageable.
He's dead. Sonya got the marking by kling him. Also he taunts her, that she doesnt have it in her to Kill, only to get this return by her killing him. But, as for the writing in this movie, he might come back because lazy writing and positive Feedback. IF we get a sequel
His fight at the end was pretty sick, but for gods sake WHY did they shove Cole into the Sub-zero Scorpion fight??!! That was the fight we all wanted to see and NO ONE wanted stupid Cole getting in the way!! First you have him kill Goro AND you let him give the mortal wound to Sub-Zero??!!!!! Cole became this annoying Mary Sue that become way too OP way too quickly.
Imagine captain america growing a shield from his arm as a super power he unlocked after being frozen in the ice. That’s why it’s dumb, every universe has its lore and superpowers in mortal kombat are explained and half the people in the movie shouldn’t have had powers at all
@@fightingmedialounge519 people without superpowers in the comics didn’t have superpowers in the movies. Drax for example had half his abilities missing but in mortal kombat they all had powers when in fact only Johnny cage, kung lao and liu kang do in the games (from earth realm)
