HBO and Warner Brothers released the first trailer for Mortal Kombat (2021), and it looks amazing. The movie adaptation of the beloved fighting games comes out April 16th, both in theatres and on HBO Max.
HBO Max’ Mortal Kombat
The iconic fighting game franchise has seen it’s share of movie spin-offs. All however, were almost unanimously trashed by critics and fans alike. Justly so, judging by scenes like these (warning, intense cringe may harm die hard MK-fans). Somehow the rich, character driven games were always poorly translated onto film though that is generally the case for game-adaptations on the silver screen. Until now, it seems.
The first trailer for HBO Max’ Mortal Kombat looks exactly like you’d expect from a Mortal Kombat movie. We’re talking iconic characters, campy one-liners, a deadly tournament, and of course, lots and lots of blood, guts, and gore.
Mortal Kombat (2021) centers around a young MMA fighter, Cole Young. Somehow he comes into contact with Sonya, who notices an odd, dragon-shaped “birthmark” on Young’s chest. What follows is a (presumably slightly awkward) exploration of an ancient fighting tournament.
Just like the titular games, the movie revolves around deadly duels. Young enters the tournament, along with many veterans of the franchise. Of course, franchise-icons Sub-Zero and Scorpion are fully in the spotlight. We also spotted Liu Kang, Raiden, Goro, Shao Kahn, Mileena, Jax, Kano, and many more.
Those characters will show off their fighting skills in what looks to be a perfectly disgusting interpretation of the videogames. Frostbitten arms, ripped out hearts, and using your victims frozen ‘bloodcicle’ as a sword; it’s all in there.
Mortal Kombat is slated for April 16th and will release in theaters and on HBO Max simultaneously.