Fighting game fans have something great to look forward to on April 16th when the Mortal Kombat film unleashes into theaters and HBO Max. It is not the first time the storied franchise has hit theaters, but the trailer has action movie fans and gamers alike excited for the full feature.
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Not only does it look like it will be a fun romp filled with spectacular battles, but it also already shows a healthy dedication to the source material, as evidenced by the characters shown off in the teaser. There's nothing more satisfying to fans of a game than seeing their favorite characters brought to life.
14 Sub-Zero
The villainous attitude of Sub-Zero might be something some fans are not used to, but those who follow the lore closely will recall how the first incarnation of the character was an antagonist. Joe Taslim is paying a Sub-Zero closer to Bi-Han, who eventually dies and becomes Noob Saibot in the games. We're excited to see the actor, known for movies like The Raid and The Night Comes for Us, show off his martial arts prowess in the role.
13 Sonya
Sonya Blade has always been an important character in the live action adaptations of Mortal Kombat, and that does not look to be changing here. Will she snap Kano's neck once again with her legs like she did in the first Mortal Kombat film? With no Johnny Cage in sight, one will certainly miss the interactions between the two heroes.
12 Jax
Having metal arms is certainly cool, but few people would want to pay the price to earn them. It hurts us just watching Sub-Zero freeze and destroy Jax's arms.
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Will the movie see Jax return the favor in some way? Fans know this is not the way the character loses his arms in the games, but we have no problem with the film taking some liberties.
11 Goro
Shown in just one shot, Goro in this film looks to be an entirely CGI character, a departure from his iconic appearance in Paul W.S. Anderson's 1995 Mortal Kombat film. While the effect looks decent, one wonders how it will hold up in longer shots on a bigger screen. Will Goro still look good when interacting with real actors and moving during combat?
10 Shang Tsung
One of the most iconic performances to come out of the original 1995 film is Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa's portrayal of Shang Tsung. It is so memorable, he even came back for the role in the webseries Mortal Kombat: Legacy and Mortal Kombat 11. Chin Han has some big shoes to fill, but we're confident he can make the character his own and do something unique with the sorcerer.
9 Raiden
One of the most vital characters in the series, Raiden has been portrayed by a different actor in almost every live action adaptation of the franchise. In this film, Japanese actor Tadanobu Asano is taking the reigns of the thunder god. The actor has already played roles in the three Thor films and starred as a sadistic hitman in Takashi Miike's sadistic horror comedy Ichi the Killer.
8 Kabal
Kabal is already listed in the credits to appear in this film, but many probably did not realize that he is in the trailer. One cannot be blamed for missing him, since he only shows up in a few shots. Pause it during the shot where Liu Kang summons a dragon made of flame and you clearly see the figure on the other end is holding Kabal's weapons. He shows up a little clearer in another shot, but only for a few frames.
7 Shao Kahn (Sort Of)
One shot shows a brief glimpse of a Shao Kahn statue. While this does not confirm the character's existence in the movie, it at least tells the audience he is a character in this world. Will the character make a proper appearance, or will he be a sequel hook? They might avoid this, because it would be to similar to the character's cameo 1995 film, which leads into Mortal Kombat: Annihilation
6 Liu Kang
The first two live action films from the '90s mostly follow Liu Kang. In this new adaptation, he appears to not be the star, but another member of the ensemble. None the less, fans are excited to see him kick some butt in the new film. Ludi Lin plays the monk, who many may recognize from the recent Power Rangers movie and Aquaman.
5 Reptile (Maybe)
In one moment of the trailer we see a mysterious camouflaged figure in the upper left corner of the screen slowly descend and reveal itself. It is subtle enough to be easily missed. This is probably the same creature we see Kano annihilate at the end of the trailer. Unless it is just a generic enemy sent to kill the heroes of Earthrealm, this cannot be anybody else but Reptile.
4 Kung Lao
It is difficult not to make Kung Lao's big hat look a little silly. Fans are excited for the combat possibilities, however.
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If he ends up splitting someone's head open or cutting a bad guy in half, then the movie will already be worth the price of admission. We wonder if his ancestor, the Great Kung Lao, will be mentioned during the course of the movie.
3 Kano
Oddly enough, it looks like Kano is working alongside Sonya Blade and the other heroes, at least according to this trailer. We are curious to see how this shakes out, because in the games Kano is one of the most notorious villains of Earthrealm. We imagine it is an uneasy alliance and Kano will eventually betray everyone.
2 Mileena
It is great to see Mileena make an appearance, but it is curious to have her in the movie without Kitana, since the two are usually linked in some way. Whatever the case, we hope she has at least one scene where she puts those teeth to good use. One quick frame of the trailer appears to show Sonya blowing a hole in her stomach with a gun, so maybe do not expect Mileena to be around for very long.
1 Scorpion
The beginning of the movie is said to detail the rivalry between Sub-Zero and Scorpion. The trailer shows a pre-scorpion Hazo Hasashi stylishly disposing of several Lin Kuei with a garden tool. Seeing the fight between him and Sub-Zero will undoubtedly be a crowd pleaser. Actor Hiroyuki Sanada is certainly bringing a level of prestige to the role.