Most of the complaints about the new ‘Mortal Kombat’ shouldn’t be taken seriously. It’s not the same but it’s just as fun as the 1995 original
Just about every review for the new Mortal Kombat film mentions more or less the same thing: the game. Whether it honors the game, changes things from the game, is faithful to the game, or is made for fans of the game. It always mentions the game. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course. It is based on a game after all, a very popular one, whose fans will make up the core audience of the film, but what about those who know almost nothing about Mortal Kombat? Will we enjoy the film? Will we even be able to understand it? Will it be as cheesy and fun as the 1995 original?
The answer to all those questions is yes, and depending on who you are, maybe a slightly less enthusiastic yes to that last part.
My only prior knowledge of Mortal Kombat comes from the original 1995 film and some quick internet research, so I know almost nothing about the source material. For someone like me, a Mortal Kombat outsider, this film is just a reboot so that’s what I’m judging it on.
From the very start, this movie has its flaws. In spite of a thrilling, well-choreographed and bloody beginning that instantly gets you hooked, Mortal Kombat kicks off a bit vanilla when it introduces its main hero, only it’s not someone you’ll recognize. Instead of Liu Kang and his luscious mullet leading the audience, this movie follows washed-up MMA fighter Cole Young.
Without any personality, the guy may be the protagonist but he’s treated like a stock character meaning he’s a boring “everyday character” that the audience is supposed to relate to, who was apparently created specifically for this movie. If Mortal Kombat has one major flaw that brings the energy down, it’s Cole. He’s the hero that you forget the moment the camera changes position, no matter how much effort actor Lewis Tan puts in the role. The film just doesn’t know how to use him properly. His only purpose is to introduce the plot and to add in a connection to another character later in the story.
Cole is dragged into the world of Mortal Kombat when he discovers that his strange dragon birthmark isn’t actually a birthmark at all but a sign that he’s been chosen to fight in a mighty tournament that determines the fate of the world. There are others like him, the champions of Earth, who are being hunted down by the deadly Sub-Zero/Bi-Han so that the riveling Outworld can ensure victory in the next tournament.
Just as Sub-Zero comes for Cole, he and his boring family who I honestly didn’t know where his wife and daughter until the film literally spelled it out, are saved by another champion named Jax and his partner Sonya Blade. While receiving their help, he meets Kano, a wild psychopathic mercenary who also happens to be another champion.
After a few bad encounters with the Outworld fighters, they go meet Lord Raiden, the protector of the Earthrealm, and some more champions, Liu Kang and Kung Lao (two guys that really should be given their own spin-off), and they begin their training montage leading up to the big boss battle at the end during which we never hear the epic “MORTAL KOMBAT” shout play over it and that’s just a shame. The song “Techo Syndrome” is there but the “MORTAL KOMBAT” shout isn’t really there until the end credits.
All in all, it’s a good movie. Wacky and fun, and just violent enough. Video game adaptations rarely ever make cinematic masterpieces, but Mortal Kombat has enough to make up for whatever faults it may have. Those saving points are Sub-Zero and Scorpion and any scene where they’re together, Liu Kang and Kung Lao, Kano, Sonya Blade, and the entire opening sequence that could have been part of its own separate movie.
I was never that crazy about the 1995 Mortal Kombat. I liked it plenty, but it wasn’t exactly a film I rushed out to add to my Tribble like multiplying DVD collection. Simon McQuoid, in his feature directorial debut, has a much more serious take on the story while giving it a darker tone that I rather enjoyed.
The fight scenes were spectacular, and some of the characters are charismatic enough to carry chunks of the film on their own, however, as a whole, it’s kind of a mess. It’s as if someone took a martial arts fantasy film and stitched in scenes and expositions from a video game. This makes sense given that it’s an adaptation, one that would be confusing without a few explanations, but when viewed objectively it comes off a bit awkward. Even if I wasn’t the biggest fan of the first Mortal Kombat, it explained the rules of the game without taking you out of the plot, which, unfortunately, this movie ended up doing. Also, a part of me is a bit put out that Liu Kang was bumped down to supporting character this time around.
Maybe for the sequel they can focus on one or two characters instead of so many that way they won’t have to cram so much into one story. The ending hints at the introduction of Johnny Cage, played by Linden Ashby in the original film, and Joe Taslim who plays Sub-Zero has said that he has a four-film contract if the franchise takes off. So a sequel is definitely a possibility.
(3 / 5)
We have come now to the finale of season four of The Boys. And while it didn’t have the literal blood fireworks I wanted, someone did get ripped in half in the air. So, that’s pretty close.
As a note, I will try to avoid spoilers as much as possible. This ending was a hell of a gut punch that should be experienced as blindly as possible. That being said, I will not be able to avoid spoilers and still give a full legitimate review. Proceed at your own risk.
The story
The main storyline for this episode is the attempted assassination of President-Elect Robert Singer. The Boys join forces with the Secret Service to protect him. But, as we learned last episode, Annie has been replaced with a shapeshifter. A shapeshifter that was welcome not just into Hughie’s anus, but into the protective bunker in which the President-Elect is hiding.
What worked
The first thing I want to discuss about this episode is the ending. But we need to do this carefully.
The important thing here is that the ending breaks your heart on so many levels. So many terrible things are happening to characters that it’s almost hard to keep track. And each moment is significant to each character.
I cannot give a specific example. But no matter who your favorite character is, you’re going to weep for them.
Unless your favorite character is Sage. And this is the next thing that made this episode so fantastic.
I don’t think I’m spoiling anything to say that Sage’s plans worked out exactly as she wanted them to. And she got exactly what she wanted.
What she wanted wasn’t power. It wasn’t money or fame or vengeance. It wasn’t to win the love of anyone. She just wanted to see if she could do it.
That is a terrific, terrifying motivation! Because all she wants is to play a massive game of chess with people as pieces. She doesn’t care about anyone. She just wants to see how many people she can manipulate. She just wants to set things on fire to see if she can.
Fantastic. A plus villain work.
The next thing I want to discuss is a cornerstone of the whole series.
The morality of The Boys shifts through the series. While it’s very much a battle to save the world from overpowered super monsters, it’s also a battle for the souls of our real heroes. And in that battle, there are two warring factors. We have Hughie, always trying to bring everyone up to a better level. And we have Butcher, who has no problem at all hitting rock bottom with a shovel in hand to do some more digging.
In this episode, we saw almost every member of The Boys challenged. Will they rise to their higher angels, or sink with their demons?
On a similar note, I am so glad that the writers kind of addressed my issues with Annie. They did this by having the shapeshifter get right into her face and accuse her of thinking that she’s better than everyone.
While that was devastating for the character, it was a little cathartic for those of us who felt like Annie was a little too good of a good guy.
What didn’t work
This is a small matter, but it is an issue that I want to address. After Annie finds out that Hughie slept with her doppelganger, she is furious at him.
In addition to this being unfair, it’s also a very cliche element to add. In almost every instance of a lookalike in fiction, there’s a moment where the love interest of the victim is fooled. Or almost fooled. And it’s always the same fight. It’s just played out and predictable. I’m just glad that it didn’t last very long.
Now that we’ve come to the end of the season, I can officially say that it was amazing. The story was deep and rich. The special effects were a stomach-turning good time. The character development was spot-on and satisfying. And, of course, it left me just about gagging to see what happens next. Unfortunately, it looks like we’ll have a bit of a wait. Because as of right now, the fifth season isn’t expected until 2026.
(5 / 5)
We’ve reached the second to last episode of The Boys, season four. And, as is appropriate for the penultimate episode of any show, things have to get a lot worse before they can get better.
Let’s discuss.
The story
Christmas is coming, and the whole world is getting ready. Ryan, despite being very clear that he didn’t want to appear on any TV shows or movies, has been strong-armed into participating in a Vought puppet Christmas special. He draws the line, though, when asked to sing about turning one’s parents in if they start talking about woke things.
Meanwhile, The Boys are trying to keep each other together. Butcher decides to take Sameer to the rest of the team. He also gets Frenchie out of prison, hoping they can make the Sup virus necessary to finally take down Homelander. Instead, this decision means disaster for one member of the team.
What worked
I first want to talk about Ryan’s speech near the end of the episode. Because it was exactly the moral of this whole story.
Ryan’s dad is a monster. His stepdad is also kind of a monster. But Ryan is a good kid. He cares about people, about family. And while he loves Homelander and Butcher, he doesn’t want to be like them.
Even better, this speech sounded like something a kid would say. Ryan didn’t open his mouth and start sounding like a college student all of a sudden. He sounds like a kid who misses his mom and wants to live up to the good standards she set for him. And I think that’s terrific.
Speaking of Homelander, he shot himself in the foot in this episode. I said earlier in the season that his hubris was going to be his downfall, and I was right. Without Sage, he just has the same weaknesses he’s always had. He’s going to fail because he just isn’t clever enough or patient enough to succeed.
Without Sage, I think a win is in the bag for The Boys. This isn’t to say that Homelander by himself isn’t dangerous. It’s just that he’s more like a wildfire than a controlled burn. He’s going to cause a lot of damage, but not get anything he wants out of it.
More’s the pity for him and everyone else who has to share his world.
Finally, I am thrilled with A-Train’s redemption story. I love that he wants to be a good person not to save himself, but to be a good person. His honest, pure and warm reaction to that little kid smiling at him in the last episode was heartwarming. It changed him in a moment, bringing to light a goodness that he’s been keeping under wraps for a long time.
This, along with Ryan’s courageous speech, proves once again what The Boys does so well. Yes, it’s gruesome. Yes, there’s blood and balls and batshit events. Yes, someone occasionally gets ripped in half. But there is a true human goodness in the story. One that we catch glimpses of. There are good people among the monsters. There is hope for redemption.
What didn’t work
Of course, so few things in this life are perfect, and this episode was no exception. For instance, I was irritated by the insinuation that Butcher cheated on his wife.
That just doesn’t make any sense. We’ve seen flashbacks of Billy and Becca. They were happy. He was happy. He was head over heels for her. And I don’t think it’s realistic or necessary for the character to throw in that he cheated. It does nothing to add to the story, it’s just a weird and offputting moment.
Doesn’t Butcher have enough to hate about himself? Can’t we just give him that at least he was a good husband?
Finally, I kind of hate that we ended up with Annie being caught. It’s just cliche, which is something I don’t normally say about this show. It feels lazy unless they do something very clever with it in the last episode. Which, I suppose, they might.
Next up is the season finale. And with this season being as insane as it has been, I’m expecting nothing short of bloody fireworks. And I mean literal fireworks of blood. At this point, would it surprise anyone?
(4 / 5)
Episode six of The Boys was one of the most surprising episodes of the series so far. And that is certainly saying something. Because this season has so far been bonkers.
The story
Our episode today revolves around a party at Tek Knight’s lovely mansion. Yes, it does look just like Wayne Manor.
The Boys know that Tek Knight is working with Homelander on something, but they don’t know the details. So they decide to send Hughie in to bug the mansion.
Because that’s worked so well the other two times he’s tried to hide a bug!
It should surprise no one that this time goes no better. Hughie finds himself in Tek Knight’s basement. And by that I mean his BDSM dungeon.
Meanwhile, the party upstairs is no less disturbing. Homelander and Sage are trying to convince some well-off political donors to support a cue after the election. When pressed for details on his plan, Homelander freezes. He looks to Sage for help, but she wasn’t recently shot in the head and still in the junk food stage of her healing.
Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on your point of view, Neuman jumps in and saves the day.
What works
If I’m going to say one thing about this episode, it didn’t hold back at all. I didn’t expect them to show a character masturbating, sitting their bare behind on a cake, or spraying breastmilk into someone’s face. But every time I thought they’d cut the scene and let something be left to our imagination, they did not do that.
This is a dangerous move. Whenever you show the monster, you run the risk of them not being scary enough, or gross enough. As Stephen King says in Danse Macabre, to leave this sort of thing to the imagination if the reader makes things so much worse. So when they finally experience the monster, they might say that this isn’t so bad. It could have been so much worse.
But in this case, they managed to avoid that by making the scenes, especially the ones in Tek Knight’s dungeon, so much worse than I imagined it would be.
What doesn’t work
While this was a deeply disturbing episode in many ways, there was one really innocent and sweet moment.
And yes, I did have a problem with it.
Confronted by Firecracker, Annie decides to apologize for spreading rumors about her when they were kids. She tells her that she is genuinely sorry.
And I believe her. I don’t think Firecracker did, but I did.
So why is this an issue? Because I’m starting to think that Annie is maybe too nice. She is too good.
I know that Annie is our good guy. But every one of the other good guys has flaws. Hughie let his pride get in the way and took Temp V. MM hid himself from his daughter instead of teaching her to work through her emotions. Kimiko is far too closed off and has a hard time trusting others. Frenchie numbs himself with drugs. And well, what hasn’t Butcher done?
It is unrealistic that Annie is just so kind and so flawless. We all have shadows in our personalities. We all have weaknesses, we all mess up. We all do things we wish we could take back. The fact that Annie doesn’t seem to have anything like that is not just unrealistic. It’s infantilizing.
Give her some deep dark secrets. Give her something real to regret.
This was a shocking episode, even for someone fairly jaded like me. I wasn’t expecting the sort of weird sexual depravity, though I guess maybe I should have seen it coming. It was dark, upsetting, tense, and funny as hell. And with just two episodes left in the season, I can imagine the stakes are only going to get higher.
(4 / 5)
By the way, if you like my writing you can get my short story, Man In The Woods, on Smashwords and Amazon.
G
September 19, 2021 at 7:50 am
This mk 11 i been expecting a lot of more but this game is scrap and very cheap made((