MORTAL KOMBAT (2021) Movie Reaction! | First Time Watch! | Hiroyuki Sanada | Lewis Tan

The hosts assert that the 2021 Mortal Kombat 'outshined' the 1995 version, calling it 'solid' and 'climactic.' They praise its 'tight' storyline, 'incredible acting,' 'phenomenal dialogue,' and 'action sequences to die for,' noting that the original 'walked so this one could fly.'

Host Michael Boost states, 'I think the 1995 one walked so this one could fly. In a big way, because like, you know, the 1995 one, like that's it's a cult classic. It's also a very much a product of its time. It's got the camp... but James Wan going I'm going to produce this... We're going to do it right with great story, incredible acting, phenomenal dialogue. The action sequences were to die for.'

Kano is highlighted as a favorite character due to his humor and unexpected development. The hosts appreciate his transition from a 'fun member of the team' to a compelling villain, noting his 'laser eye' power manifestation from anger and his 'ding-dong' yet likable personality.

Host Michael Boost remarks, 'I loved the introduction of Kano as like kind of a fun member of the team and then his evolution as a villain was really cool. I thought that was fun and they did a great job with him.' Kristen adds, 'I love him. I love what they've done with Kano in this. He's so funny.'

The film's brutal violence and accurate character designs, such as Goro's appearance and Sub-Zero's ice powers causing self-harm, are praised for staying true to the Mortal Kombat game franchise. This attention to detail contributes to the film's 'realism and believability.'

Kristen notes, 'I loved how they took their time with him using the ice and I loved when he used the ice, it showed how it like broke his skin and hurt him as well because it's such a intense thing.' Michael adds, 'They did a really good job of capturing sort of the gore and over-the-top violence of the Mortal Kombat franchise that first made it famous.'

The hosts commend the film for having non-English speaking characters (Scorpion and Sub-Zero) converse in their native languages (Japanese and Chinese, respectively) with subtitles. This decision is seen as a significant improvement over older films that force English dialogue on such characters, adding to the authenticity.

Michael states, 'That scene also avoided a trope that the 1995 one is guilty of and so many other movies are guilty of... they had two characters that are very obviously not English speakers speak their native languages to each other... I appreciate them having that conversation in their native language because so often you'll find in movies... they speak in English so we just can't be bothered with subtitles.'

Despite the film's overall narrative strength, the hosts express confusion and frustration regarding the inconsistent and unclear rules of the Mortal Kombat tournament within the movie's universe. The villains frequently break rules, but the underlying structure of the tournament itself remains undefined.

Michael concludes, 'I still fundamentally don't understand how the rules of the Mortal Kombat tournament work. At no point rules. There are no rules... It's just like they had this beautiful cohesive story that makes total sense and that they're all referencing this like rule set that I have no conception of because the only time they're referencing the rule set is when they're breaking the rules.'