Warner Bros. wants “Mortal Kombat” fans to prepare for a new kind of fight with a more bloody and contemporary film adaptation of the popular video game franchise of the same name. They’ve released the seven opening minutes of the upcoming film ahead of its release. Those familiar with the game’s gory and tragic mythology will witness how the bitter rivalry between Hanzo Hasashi (Hiroyuki Sanada), aka Scorpion, and Bi-Han (Joe Taslim), aka Sub-Zero, started.
Though Hasashi and Bi-Han don’t take up their respective monikers, nor do they don their respective ninja garb, we do get to see their respective abilities at play. Bi-Han’s icy cold powers savagely decimate Hasashi’s remote village and go as far as to slay Hasashi’s wife and son without mercy. One can’t help but sympathize with a devastated Hasashi who takes his vengeance by killing the members of Bi-Han’s clan before facing off against the villain himself. The entire sequence itself helps us familiarize ourselves with these characters while also building an emotional connection.
It’s a sprawling action sequence that can tell a bone-crunching and bloody story that is entertaining yet tragic. The storied rivalry between these two will likely evolve into something much more during the course of the film as Hasashi gets involved in some necromancy magic to help him fulfill his revenge against Bi-Han. And as the trailers have revealed, these two will have gone at it for some time.
Here’s the official plot synopsis for “Mortal Kombat:”
“In “Mortal Kombat,” MMA fighter Cole Young, accustomed to taking a beating for money, is unaware of his heritage—or why Outworld’s Emperor Shang Tsung has sent his best warrior, Sub-Zero, an otherworldly Cryomancer, to hunt Cole down. Fearing for his family’s safety, Cole goes in search of Sonya Blade at the direction of Jax, a Special Forces Major who bears the same strange dragon marking Cole was born with. Soon, he finds himself at the temple of Lord Raiden, an Elder God and the protector of Earthrealm, who grants sanctuary to those who bear the mark.
Here, Cole trains with experienced warriors Liu Kang, Kung Lao, and rogue mercenary Kano, as he prepares to stand with Earth’s greatest champions against the enemies of Outworld in a high stakes battle for the universe. But will Cole be pushed hard enough to unlock his arcana—the immense power from within his soul—in time to save not only his family, but to stop Outworld once and for all?”
The film also stars Lewis Tan (“Deadpool 2,” Netflix’s “Wu Assassins”) as Cole Young; Jessica McNamee (“The Meg”) as Sonya Blade; Josh Lawson (“Bombshell”) as Kano; Tadanobu Asano (“Midway”) as Lord Raiden; Mehcad Brooks (TV’s “Supergirl”) as Jackson “Jax” Bridges; Ludi Lin (“Aquaman”) as Liu Kang; and Chin Han (“Skyscraper”) as Shang Tsung. Also featured are Max Huang as Kung Lao; Sisi Stringer as Mileena; Matilda Kimber as Emily Young; and Laura Brent as Allison Young.
“Mortal Kombat” opens in theaters and streams of HBOMax (for 31 days) on April 23, 2021.
