Mortal Kombat is 90s shlock. Its plot is woefully simplistic yet convoluted. There is no genuine drama, just singular motivations that are told rather than shown. Waxing poetic about empty platitudes, its flimsy themes are insultingly cliche and unearned. In fact, the script often contradicts its supposed messages. It has cringey humor, wooden dialogue, punishing exposition, and obvious formulas. Its unrelatable characters are flat and generic. The acting only exacerbates these shortcomings, routinely feeling stilted, dull, one-note, or even disengaged. Plus, there's no chemistry between anyone. A contrived template, Mortal Kombat is devoid of emotion and thought.
Technically, Mortal Kombat is jumbled. Besides the fight scenes, its direction feels tone-deaf. The imagery adds some striking lighting but its murky colors become monotonous. The editing constructs no structure, pacing, or connectivity. Its sound provides genre elements yet its stings are excessive. Although the music contributes a famous theme song and atmospheric scoring, it's overdone and unintegrated. Despite its iconography, its production design looks confined and cheap. The cast is limited in fame, fit, and depth. Its effects' admirable stunts and animatronics are outweighed by heavily dated CGI. Consequently, Mortal Kombat is significant nostalgia but poor quality.
Writing: 1/10
Direction: 3/10
Cinematography: 6/10
Acting: 2/10
Editing: 3/10
Sound: 5/10
Score/Soundtrack: 7/10
Production Design: 4/10
Casting: 3/10
Effects: 4/10
Overall Score: 3.8/10
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