Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Gory but great-looking, fun action-fighting fantasy.
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Mortal Kombat
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 13 parent reviews
Based on 63 kid reviews
Kids say this film is an extreme and highly gory action movie, filled with intense violence and strong language throughout, making it inappropriate for younger viewers. While many find it entertaining and a faithful adaptation of the popular game, critics highlight the extreme levels of bloodshed and crude humor, suggesting it is better suited for older teens and adults.
- gory violence
- strong language
- older teens
- game adaptation
- entertaining action
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
In MORTAL KOMBAT, it's the 17th century, and warrior Hanzo Hasashi (Hiroyuki Sanada) and his family are attacked by the evil Bi-Han (Joe Taslim), who has supernatural freezing powers. Hanzo vows revenge. Centuries later, struggling cage fighter Cole Young (Lewis Tan) is approached by Jax (Mehcad Brooks), who warns him that evil forces are after him due to a prophecy involving the dragon-shaped birthmark on his chest. Cole goes to Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee), where he learns that he's been chosen as part of an elite force of fighters who must protect the earth from the warriors of the Outworld realm. But first Cole must train alongside another warrior, the arrogant Kano (Josh Lawson), to find and unleash his own secret power: his "arcana."
Is It Any Good?
Aside from boring villains and silly exposition (much of which makes no sense), this gory action fantasy flick packs a punch, thanks to likable heroes and great-looking, slick action. A reboot of the widely panned 1995 film—which, like this one, was based on the long-running series of video games—Mortal Kombat is that rare thing: a video-game movie that manages to overcome the typical trappings of video-game movies.
That said, the lore about how Earthrealm and Outworld realm must fight 10 battles—nine of which have already been fought—is flat-out ridiculous, and the movie does nothing with this information anyway. And the Outworld villains, stuck with the worst, flattest dialogue and often filmed with a blue-gray tint, are tragically dull. But the diverse heroes—Cole, Jax, and Sonya—are quite appealing. (Their comrade Kano is—and is supposed to be—thoroughly obnoxious.) Cole is sweetly devoted to his wife and daughter, Jax is an ex-soldier who's distraught about the loss of his arms while facing Sub-Zero, and Sonya is let down by not being "chosen" and her lack of a "birthmark." And the movie's battles don't disappoint. Making his directing debut after a career in commercials, Simon McQuoid makes the action in Mortal Kombat smooth, surprising, and balletic ... as well as frequent and extremely gory.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Mortal Kombat's violence. How did the extreme gore affect you? Did the movie's tone make it feel any less real?
How is the Mortal Kombat movie and video game similar? How are they different? What makes a movie adaptation of a video game successful?
Did you notice positive diverse representations in the film? Why does that matter? Which characters do you consider role models?
If you were to discover your own "arcana," what do you think it would be?
Movie Details
- In theaters : April 23, 2021
- On DVD or streaming : April 23, 2021
- Cast : Jessica McNamee , Josh Lawson , Lewis Tan
- Director : Simon McQuoid
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s) , Asian Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Warner Bros.
- Genre : Action/Adventure
- Topics : Adventures , Fantasy ( Magic )
- Run time : 110 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : strong bloody violence and language throughout, and some crude references
- Last updated : October 18, 2025
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