Everything GREAT About Mortal Kombat! (2021)

[00:00] Mortal Kombat style, specifically Scorpion Warner Brothers and Sub-Zero New Line logos. Mentioned it in my Everything Great About Megan video,

[00:12] but the Atomica Monster logo animation has set the bar and nobody has come to the throne since. Let's just get this out of the way. You know, you keep some nod, I always win.

[00:24] Dang, that's a romantic as hell line, and even without seeing the first seven minute speech you read at WB released before the movie came out, We all know the wife of a guy wearing scorpion yellow is doomed. He throws a sword to show her he's not a threat, but it's the most threatening I'm not a threat ever.

[00:38] The sound design of his ice is awesome, and also somehow gross. At first I thought, if only you knew, Hanzo. They can probably be thawed, and they'll be okay. Oh no, she done got stabbed. I will just never get tired of seeing Hito Yuki's sonata wreck fools, even at 60.

[00:52] I love how the focus is on him, having the attackers come in from out of frame as if they barely matter because he's the hero and they're just fodder. Then the head stab. This is Mortal Kombat. Nasty deaths and comical amounts of squirting blood are a must if you're going to let the audience know you're serious about this franchise.

[01:06] Hanzo didn't invent the kunai, but he just threw his katana and making it his wife's gardening tool is a great addition to the lore. The juxtaposition of traditional Japanese and Chinese costuming, setting, and fighting with this industrial electronic score really tickles the brain stabbing.

[01:22] I know he'll do it in earnest with the line later, but I literally yelled yes when I saw him do his signature move. This has got to be a win.

[01:34] It's such an unexpected and fun reveal that Hanzo doesn't speak Chinese. I mean, obviously he wouldn't, but Bi-Han is just so confident about it. And he does! Eventually.

[01:46] Important to remember that Hanzo fought and killed Bi-Han's entire crew before this. He's already fighting at a deficit. The unintended joke here that your baby crying will literally wake you from death.

[02:01] Ooh, love the way the bolt is connected to Raiden's hand. It's crazy to me that this mustard yellow color would never be my choice for literally anything, but because I know it's Scorpion's color, I get all faked up seeing it on Cole. Quick look at the Citizen Cage poster, and while Carl Urban is really just an amazing cast for him,

[02:15] smart to keep his face in shadow until you locked him down. Always rely on Cole Young. Human punching bag. Nice nod to his future power set. Have fun with those fleshy arms for now, Jack. And the realization that we're going to see him lose that one.

[02:28] Louis Tan's workout routine. There will be no tournament, big guy. There will be no opposition left to fight. Love that our introduction to the big bad is with his point of teeth. Kari Hito Yuki Kagawa's sling sung from the 90s film is truly iconic,

[02:41] so the filmmakers definitely had big shoes to fill, and Kin Han immediately nails it. I mean, we've already seen him impress Morgan Freeman, so no huge surprise. Just accidentally wasting it. I love when competitors can shake hands like that.

[02:58] Cole is bummed he lost, but he's not mad at his opponent. Being a poor sport is so silly, and that's coming from someone who's often a poor sport. I mean, they are really putting those guns front and center. It's all I can think about.

[03:10] Too smart. Jack ends up being an alright dude, obviously, but the second some rando compliments my teenage daughter? Yeah, we out. Good call, Cole. But it's light.

[03:22] It's like they haven't even seen Dennis Quaid try to rescue his son Jake Gyllenhaal in a race against time. Such a villain thing to change something pretty like snow into something dangerous and ominous by making it float and then launching it.

[03:34] I mean, he just looks awesome. Ice can be scary enough, but the way Sub-Zero always creates the spikes adds an extra cruel bite to the cold. Seems very unsafe. See, this is where me, a reasonable man, would leave.

[03:48] And this is where me, a reasonable man, would still have his arms. Still, credit to Jax for sending Cole and his family away to safety. But ice sure sucks, am I right? Look at all that ice ruining everything the way it always does. The way ice always ruins everything.

[04:00] I'm pretty sure that Sub-Zero's ice blast attack from the Mortal Kombat 2 arcade version, duck, forward, low punch, throughout the arcade games and console games, is definitely an ice-related attack, which checks out, so it's coming. What an awesome moment

[04:16] The detail of the barrel being a little blown out After Sub-Zero blocked its firing And Sub-Zero watching the fuckshot approach his face And then just decimating the shotgun Dang, even with his mushy human arms He hits hard

[04:28] And what a visualization of a limb actually freezing With blood showing up already because of bursting blood vessels I guess the silver lining is that Other than the initial burn of the ice jacks Didn't really feel much of that Hence his reaction being pretty much just beer flock Could just be the location they picked but those shelves in the mountain are evidence of mining which kind of plays into the desolate look of Outworld We didn win nine straight tournaments by following the rules

[04:49] Ah, so they went more of the man-city route. I did. I did. Hardcore bar club, but also, wait, that's so smart. Why had I ever thought of that? When Jack finally took it down, the dragon marking transferred directly onto his skin.

[05:02] Definitely a fan of that idea. If you take out one of Earth's chosen warriors, you take their place. But let's widen the scope a bit, because I need my guide deck in the third movie. Seems that throughout history, different cultures all over the world, they reference a great tournament.

[05:14] Hey, look. You got a question? Go walk down, drop some of your ink. This is Doug, the funny and awkward numbers guy from House of Lies. So when I tell you I was surprised by both his natural accent and them guns, I was surprised.

[05:27] This may be the sleeper best performance in the film. First time I saw this, I thought, Sonia seems to have pretty good aim. I wonder if that was actually on purpose. And then we find out, yeah, it probably was. You kidnapped me. You tied me up. You threw a knife in my...

[05:39] Like, on purpose. Love Reptile's circulatory system forming first as it stages out of invisibility. And I enjoyed that hardcore Mortal Kombat fans heard Scyzoth send in the reptilian Scyzoth and knew who it was immediately.

[05:51] But casuals like me knew it was Reptile once we saw Melting Metal. Clever girl. That was my Australian accent. Did you tell? Clever girl. Makes sense that the violent psychopath would come up with the plan of stabbing it with a player. Lizard monsters are always creepy and scary, but sentient bipedal lizard monsters?

[06:05] Like how the Goron turned out to be versus what we thought they were. But, like, before, strange new roachino effects. Teamwork! Ha! Kato's fatality, and it seems like it might have been an accident.

[06:18] Although I love that he used a knife wound for access to the heart. I got a ring in me. Well, that breaks my immersion. You're not supposed to say that. The announcer is. I bet you must be a little bit of an artist. What are you talking about? I'm all the best artists, so a little twisted, man.

[06:30] Tell that to Bill Watterson. Where is it? Uh, you got a pen? You want to write this down? Get... Zero second delay on the punchline. Wouldn't have to have me twice. Not cool Kano, although I take it as a compliment that he thinks I'm competent enough for this to not kill me.

[06:46] This is Doug. I didn't know Doug had this level of beard-cane. That is a beautiful beard. That was quick.

[06:59] Kano lets it slip here for a second and you can see it on his face. Dude wants to die. Definitely adds another level of Vegemite to his character. Also stoked to see a film show the reality of a sharp blade pressed against skin. Guns cut even if you don't move it. I appreciate that Liu Kang waited until sunset to approach them.

[07:13] Presentation. I'm not your enemy. Honestly, if I had Dragonfire, that's how I'd let people know I was friendly as well. There's much to learn. The fuck? Liu Kang is trying to tell Kano what kind of movie they're in and he's not having it.

[07:25] Interesting to see powers used for something other than fighting. Goro shadowing. I assumed that the beef between Hanzo and Bi-Han was based in our world, but this shows it was at least tied to the tournament in some way. Also, that is not how I remember it going down. What are you going to do?

[07:37] The ice that cluttered this whole thing. Kind of wild that Sub-Zero's powers took his arms, but also kept him from bleeding out. Wait, hang on. What am I going to do? I'll put my fortune to the test. I knew you were still in there, Doug.

[07:50] There's nothing for you here. Only death. Two Lord of the Rings references in under a minute. Now, that's an entrance. You and his teleport move first thing. Katana's fans. They shall not. Saf, you gotta get it down. It's down like a box of chocolates.

[08:02] He doesn't know what you're gonna get. It's gonna be flyable. It could be, uh, it could be Frisbee, I think. Yeah, you totally ignored the teleporting, but also you haven't even seen the hat in action. You're welcome to stay with us, Miss Blade, but the training area is for the Chosen One, so...

[08:17] You're such a jerk. Genuinely the best character. In modern combat, talent will only get you so far. For real. You also have to cheat, apparently. Look, I've always thought it was unfair that some characters had weapons. That's why I played more Soul Calibur, where the biggest advantage you could gain were distracting outfits.

[08:32] I mean, what were we doing here, then? Goodness, Ludiland's workout routine. Comedy comes in threes.

[08:44] Also, he's spamming the leg sweep like every annoying kid I played against back in the day. Why don't you let me give up, Brandon? Macabre Brooks' workout routine. I like this joke because it's so stupid it makes no sense.

[08:59] Kano wants to be Little Jack, so he calls his metal arms girly. His metal arms. Todd's just a f***ing egg roll, is it? I don't know what he said, though. We think he means messing with Kano, but he really means drawing out his icon.

[09:11] That lady pig? You're like a dog. No, no. You misunderstand. He is here to save you. Because you cannot save yourself. You're like an aggressive little bunny. That the third animal they called him but I love how Liu Kang delivers his advice He really not trying to insult Kano He just didn talk Now sit down Shut up And fuck me up fucking intro And it probably should have been a sign to everyone else that anger is what made Kano arcana come out

[09:35] That was it, wasn't it? Switch back to lighthearted Kano, so quick. You are a descendant of one of the greatest ninjas to ever walk the earth. As a descendant of people who invented poutine, I can totally relate.

[09:47] Basically the same. Go! This is the opportunity! Hurtful, but you would not have to tell me more than once, even if... Yeah, Brain knows what he's doing. Artistic way of highlighting their reunion, or cheap way of not having to show the visual effects portal again.

[10:00] Shh, okay. Too beautiful. Yeah, that screech is a real conon. Ha! Lego Bionicle Mandalorian's got jokes. It is an honor to have stroke-con blood on our side.

[10:14] This scene back here bugs me, because... Why's it all dirty? Where's it going? But my best guess at what was cut is Shang Tsung asking Michelle Khan to send their best to the tournament and Goro showing up as their answer.

[10:29] Cabal's New York accent makes him more menacing, but he feels more unpredictable than if it was just his generic growly baddie voice. Also, I liked his performance enough that I wanted to check Daniel Nelson out, and as I was reading his biography, I was chuckling, but also surprised it was so frank, but then clicked through, and yeah, I like this guy.

[10:45] And I'm just now noticing Cabal's arms. Looks like Kano really did mess him up. You can turn this whole temple into your own casino. Just give me your price, and double it. And double it again. Look, I probably end up violently sick from double-double playing the American Nachos,

[10:57] but I do doubt to test it out. I absolutely love the look of the smoke that surrounds them when they teleport. The movement is so unnatural, in a very unsettling way. I will say, I did not expect this to be when Goro showed up, but I was super stoked to see him fight in a new environment.

[11:10] And, compared to the 95 version, he's twice as tall as human. I still remember the first time I got to Goro in the original game. He wasn't a playable character. He's never even mentioned in the game until he shows up. And similarly to Cole, the first time I saw him, I realized I was screwed.

[11:22] Hey! I'm the one you want! See that? Come here! Badass good guy. Dang, Cole thought he was going to pull a Jurassic Park fake out, but Goro, it turns out, is smarter this time around. Here he comes!

[11:34] He's a thing. Kinda. The purple aura from Cabal's team looks awesome. Oh, the way Cole's body goes limp is sickening. Oh, I didn't know Cole's game. The blood sprays really are capturing the vibe of that first game.

[11:52] Melina's voice seems to be a normal speaking voice layered with a whisper that has almost a tremelo effect on it. It's scary. I don't like it, though, obviously. Well, that's a... disgusting new take on Kung Lao's fatality.

[12:06] Hornetara. Thought someone had to be the tribute for that line to make sense, and she's only in, like, seven games, which sounds like a lot, but yeah, I'll allow it. And don't worry, Mel Johnson will be back as Cammy in Street Fighter. In the same way that Kane's arcana materializing through anger is an obvious sign,

[12:20] so is Cole's locking in when his family's life is on the line. And he's still using his MMA skill. Love the visual detail of Cole's armor looking like it's heating up as he explodes his... Let's be real, without his arcana, the full fist punch would have absolutely turned Cole to goop.

[12:38] Again, I'm with Goro on this one. and Cole brought a blade to a forearm fight. Expectation conversion. I did not think Cole was going to kill Goro, and certainly not here. Did I sort of hope he'd die via nut punch like the 90s movie? Yeah, I did.

[12:50] Heck yeah, upgrade. And just like Cole and Kano getting his Akana because he did the impossible to save a comrade even while his arms were snapping and falling apart, right on the money. And just like Kano seemed like fighting to find his Akana, who roasted.

[13:02] Hell's sacrifice. He might not have thought he was going to die, but he was in the lightning bolt and ready to bail, but saved Cole instead. And this hole-sucking has a much more horror vibe to it. We need to fight smarter. How? We need to split them up. This is such a logical and believable way of turning the last act into the game.

[13:18] Just the most metal cover art of locations. Obviously I assumed at some point Shao Kahn would show up in the franchise, but that statue got me stoked. I hate to give it to her, but...

[13:30] BD thing goes in, DD thing comes out. Pretty good sign he knows he's got the fight in the bag. and to confirm, Reiko has the classic pre-fatality wobble going. And the realism of what Reiko's face looks like after a haymaker from a metal barn.

[13:43] It would definitely rearrange a few things. So long, Reiko Erectus. Saw a drawing of Sonya holding Kano's severed head. Ooh, I'd know that scene anywhere. I'm not sure exactly what the acetone did to Kano's eye,

[13:56] but bare minimum having a jar of acetone shattered on your face would suck. You don't get to see her fatality yet because she wasn't a champion yet. Plus, that's the gnome he spat on earlier, so I'll take it.

[14:10] Woo I got nothing I didn get a crisis Look, he didn't do the yell right, but since he did they didn't try to make it look any less ridiculous than in the game as a win.

[14:29] Hey, he made a three-dimensional Mortal Kombat logo. Wow. And yeah, it's cool, but it's no drop in our code machine at that point. There's nothing more Mortal Kombat than the hole with this spine still intact. Man, you know something is coming, but Sub-Zero basically tucking his nose through the door is just terrifying.

[14:47] Also, I originally thought the blown out bass sounds in the score were just general score touches, but they are specific to Sub-Zero. Joe Taslim is behind the mask for the vast majority of this movie, and he's still one of my favorite characters. He really takes the part to heart. This low hand up here like he's summoning the cold, I always believed he's Sub-Zero.

[15:04] Love how Cole's blood touching the kunai is what brings back Hanzo.

[15:16] Get over here! Hell yeah! Scorpion's signature move with his catchphrase, and the score kicks into an orchestral take on the Immortals' classic Mortal Kombat theme. What is your name? My name is D.O.E.

[15:29] Yup, file that under coolest lines ever said. And his outfit nearer Sub-Zero's enough to honor the original, but it's also different enough to make sense for Hanzo's character.

[15:42] Tight callback. Oh, you teamed Scorpion, obviously, but that is pretty cool.

[15:55] Jeez, you hate to hand it to him, but just an insane combo. Also, getting stabbed with your own blood has got to be a bizarre sensation existentially, I mean, physically it probably just feels like things now. Dang, that happened so fast it's hard to tell what happened,

[16:08] but Sub-Zero covers himself in ice and then rolls out of it as he forms the back of the ice statue, just like Sub-Zero's ice clone move. Didn't that feud work? He's either one of Fuzzy's to see Cole fighting with his ancestors,

[16:20] successfully using Scorpion's kunai, and then following it up with his own MMA style. I don't know if it's just because I love Leon so much in Warrior, and this is definitely what he'd do, but even as a baddie, you gotta give him credit for not trying to run, bro, he's accepting his fate.

[16:32] Usually when Scorpion does his fatality, his face is a skull, but this is an awesome variation. It looks as though the fire is melting away his face as he breathes it. Also, side note, really hoping to see the skulls' little hand reach up from hell in the sequel.

[16:49] Ooh, I love the voice whispering his name. I will hold you. Good guy, Liu Kang. I thought you said you couldn't get involved. The lesson here, clearly, is everyone cheats. And you think you have won. but death is only another portal.

[17:02] Noob Saibot it is. You will return to Outward at once. So rude. I love it. He took some rest. What the hell's in Hollywood? Now what?

[17:14] Who? Now that two is actually here this ending has got me pretty psyched. Yes to the old school logo and this scene will never not crush. So the ending is still a little abrupt but this movie is kind of like a prequel

[17:26] for the game and the actual tournament which I have to assume we're going to see more of in the sequel. But making half a movie with intentions to finish it later is always risky. That said, Netflix's Last Samurai Standing ends on a massive cliffhanger with barely anything resolved, and I loved every second of season one.

[17:39] So it's not always the most evil scene, and for this movie, I've really enjoyed it. People a little younger than me, up to like... dang, early to mid-fifties, depending on how much your parents trusted Joe Lieberman, are the target demographic for this movie,

[17:51] or at least the filmmakers were banking on us coming because we were the kids and teens that grew up on the game. I know that's sort of a ridiculous statement, because barely two years has ever gone by without another Mortal Kombat game, and plus you're only counting main entries, and even then, five years is the max.

[18:04] But something you're introduced to as a kid is always going to be special to you, and while the blood and gore and fatality is that they literally had congressional hearings about are not nearly as grotesque or gratuitous as my teen brain remembers, that's how Mortal Kombat lives in a lot of our memories.

[18:17] So making this movie R was the best of the best decision. We'll never know what this movie could have done at the box office without COVID, but the sequel might give us a glimpse in letting Billy Butcher take on the role of Johnny Cage and setting them up for success.

[18:29] At least in my extremely valuable and correct opinion. It's hard to tell what role Cole is going to have in the sequel, but I'm not the cinema speculation guy, so we'll just have to wait and see. Let me know if you've seen Mortal Kombat 2 already in the comments. No spoilers.

[18:47] Is that main arm going to get took apart? Is that any point? I see how the call is. It's crazy. Now you got a pen. You want to write this down? Get out.