// you’re reading...

Reviews

Motal Kombat Blu-ray Disc Review

Mortal Kombat [Blu-ray] (1995)

MORTAL KOMBAT (1995, Blu-ray released April 19, 2011 – MSRP $19.98)

MOVIE: ★★★☆☆ 
VIDEO: ★★★½☆ 
AUDIO: ★★½☆☆ 
EXTRAS: ★★½☆☆ 
BLU-RAY: ★★★☆☆ 


Resurrection is the ultimate pay-off in playing video games. No matter how many times we die, we can pop in another token or re-start the level and try again. Coinciding with the rebirth of the original game available today for XBOX 360 and PS3, and the introduction of the Mortal Kombat: Legacy web-series, Mortal Kombat, the 1995 film by trash-auteur Paul W. S. Anderson (Resident Evil) has been given a new life on Blu-ray. The nostalgia factor will win out here….

MK seems an unlikely choice for a film, but it manages to bring the game to life. The fight between Johnny Cage and Scorpion even mimics the 2D, side-scrolling feel of the original game as they trade blows on a narrow platform. Right off the top, it gets you pumped with its booming techno theme music. Unapologetic with its corny, over-the-top performances, Mortal Kombat pulls you in, and you have to watch the camp. It’s fun.

Fatalities were never as brutally devastating as they were in Mortal Kombat when it first hit arcades in 1992. It was pretty new to have your head ripped off or your spine removed from your body, a level of violence that had people shouting “Finish him!”. The game’s popularity never really died; producing several sequels and showing up in different forms and incarnations like DC vs. Mortal Kombat.

The film’s heroes are Liu Kang, Sonia Blaze and Johnny Cage. Lead by Rayden (played by Christopher Lambert), they must battle for the fate of the world. Fighting otherworldly creatures and sorcerers is a regular day at the office for the pixilated characters in the game, but it’s not as easy to do convincingly on film. Surprisingly, the movie didn’t do too bad a job. Taken from the limited background stories of the characters and the worlds involved in the game, the movie tells a story that manages to bring together many of the characters, including that handsome four-armed, Prince Goro. Using similar scenery from the game, fight scenes are a hoot. I must admit however, that even though the three main characters are fairly well defined, and clearly we don’t want to see our world doomed, at times it’s hard to know who to cheer for. I always enjoyed playing as Sub-Zero.

The 1080p AVC encoded transfer is superior to the previous DVD release; MK on Blu is a treat to watch. In a film containing every garish color in the spectrum, the colors never appear overly saturated or even muted, for that matter. The colors are fantastic (in appearance). The overall image quality is quite sharp in the beginning, but softens about halfway through. Some digital noise is noticeable, but not distracting by my standards. As for contrast: deeper black objects do blend into the background quite a bit as the film goes on as well, unfortunately. And, as one would expect, the special effects stand out as slightly antiquated and obvious.

A dts-HD MA 5.1 surround sound track also isn’t always enough to distract from the fact that it’s an older film. The quality is a little all over the place. Sometimes delivering bass-pounding fight and fist music, then other times it’s difficult to make out dialogue. From time to time, the background and ambiance tracks fill the rear speakers adequately, giving a decent sense of space and location while deepening the mood of the scene, but still failing to deliver in instances where eeriness could be accentuated.

There really isn’t much on the Blu-ray disc, as far as extras go. I was hoping for a making-of of some sort. What we do get is a trailer for the new game (which looks like fun!), a standard def theatrical trailer for the film and a very odd animated/computer generated adventure. Mortal Kombat: The Journey Begins is partially a retelling of the narrative of the film that also offers further details about some of the characters. Also included for gamers that purchase the new Mortal Kombat game for the PS3 is a code to unlock Jade’s original costume and a (code only) digital copy.

Making a successful movie based on a game is next to impossible; however based on this movie-victory… (and the overall success of the franchise), a sequel was made. Mortal Kombat: Annihilation has also been released on Blu-ray, separately. This first film is my preferred of the two. Either way, the bottom line is, even though a director uses people that look the part and can handle the action for these types of projects, let’s be honest, we don’t watch a film like MK for the acting chops, we watch for the karate chops. It’s a pleasant trip down Memory Lane for those who remember the film or were fond of the original games (I loved how the credits still contain “Play Mortal Kombat III at arcades everywhere…”) and a fun and kooky discovery for the newer gamer.

Related posts

Discussion

No comments for “Motal Kombat Blu-ray Disc Review”

Post a comment

Recent Comments