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Mortal Kombat | Moustache Trailer Reaction


The Mortal Kombat trailer has arrived, and it promises a movie that's a blood-soaked, R rated fight fest. If you haven't seen the trailer yet or just want to watch it again, you can check it out below.



The first thing that struck me when I watched the new redband trailer for the upcoming Mortal Kombat was the intensity of some of the fight scenes. Well actually I was trying to figure out if I had just seen the guy from Deadpool 2 who was diced up by the rotor blades of a helicopter - Shatterstar - which of course I had because Lewis Tan is playing Cole Young, one of the warriors chosen to represent Earth in this inter-dimensional tournament.



As directorial debuts go, Simon McQuoid has picked a big one! Especially with the massive fanbase that a franchise like Mortal Kombat enjoys, and the curse that seems to follow every movie adaptation of a video game. There's a fair amount going on in this trailer - most of it punching and stabbing, of course - which hints at the apparently mysterious nature of the tournament. McQuoid has put together a pretty good cast, including some of the best martial arts actors working today. The fights are brilliantly choreographed, and thanks to some great visual effects they feature some interesting takes on the character's abilities. Sub-Zero (Joe Taslim) is definitely set up as the adversary to beat, as several opponents fall victim to his icey touch - including Mehcad Brooks' 'Jax Briggs'. But it's Hiroyuki Sanada's fight as Hanzo Hasashi (AKA Scorpion) that really caught my eye. Seeing him take on several opponents using what looks to be a Kyoketsu-shoge is fantastic, it also hints at his rivalry with Sub-Zero.



Despite the glimpses of some incredible fights, Mortal Kombat still strikes me as an odd choice for a movie adaptation. Maybe it's because I never really played the games, this doesn't really grab me. Outside of the fights it just looks overly cheesy. Everyone loves an underdog story, but in this case the underdog doesn't seem all that interesting, although to be fair we didn't see all that much of him. But that doesn't exactly bode well, if your main character isn't in your big reveal trailer all that much. And don't get me started on the tournament itself! You have to beat the top warriors of a world in ten tournaments before you can invade? In the context of a videogame that works, because you're just excited to kick the shit out of your buddy's character, but is it enough to carry a big blockbuster movie?



That said, it can't be as bad the Street Fighter movie! That was some grade A cheese. And it does promise a fight between Hiroyuki Sanada and The Raid's Joe Taslim, that's definitely something to look forward to. Not to mention Tadanobu Asano is playing Raiden - the guy who played Thor's buddy in the MCU is now the God of Thunder himself. Who knows? This could be the movie that breaks the videogame curse. At the very least I hope Mortal Kombat fans are happy with it.


Mortal Kombat will be released in cinemas and on HBO Max on 16th April.



What did you think of the Mortal Kombat trailer? Leave a comment below or find us on Facebook and Twitter. You can also email us at moviemoustache@gmail.com.

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