Mortal Kombat Annihilation review

WHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTUUUUUUUUUUPPPPPPPPPP!!! I am back once again for another installment of blog posting. The weather here in Boston is starting to get tiresome. I’m sure nobody likes the cold. Snow doesn’t help either when we get it. But then again, nobody likes the humidity when summer is here. I think when people say they can’t wait for summer, they mean it because of no school/a chance for vacation. Definitely not the humidity. At least that’s what I think. Who knows. I’m probably wrong. But I’m probably right. :)

Hope everyone survived the first week of 2011. Anyone break his or her New Year’s Resolution, yet? I know you did.

Quick note: Did everyone read about the fishes and birds randomly dying in masses? WHAT THE HECK? I thought we still had one more year. Where is everyone going to hide in 2012? I’m going to build a huge fort outside like the Rugrats did. Except this time I hope it’s just tennis balls raining from the sky. Not animals. And then I’ll eat ‘til I can’t eat no more.

I hope you’re ready for ANOTHER movie review because… that’s what I do on this blog? I don’t know. I think so. This time it’s…

I figure I’d switch it up a little bit and do a video game movie adaptation. How many of y’all seen this movie when you were a teenager? I’ve seen it a couple of times and thought it was the coolest movie EVER. Granted I wasn’t the biggest fan of the Mortal Kombat franchise, I was more of a Street Fighter guy. I liked that it was different from other fighting games because they had real people motion capture the moves. Add blood and gory move sets and you’ve got yourself a HELL OF A GOOD TIME. Oh yeah, NINJAS. What kid didn’t want to be a ninja when they grew up? I’m guilty of this.

What’s the deal: Six days. Six days is all the mighty warriors of the Earthrealm will get before their world merges with the Outworld. The portals were opened up by the hands of one evil emperor named Shao Kahn, after victory was bestowed on a previous tournament that was won by Liu Kang. This victory was supposed to hold peace on Earth for one more generation. But, Shao Kahn cheated, broke the rules, and resurrected Kitana’s mother, Sindel, to keep the portals open. What closes may open again. To ensure that this emergence won’t happen, Liu Kang and co. are going to have to fight Shao Kahn and his minions to prevent this.

Raiden, the thunder god and protector of the Earthrealm, warns Shao Kahn that as long as he has his power, he will never rule the Earthrealm. Fight ensues between Raiden and Shao Kahn with Raiden getting the upper hand until Shao Kahn gets sleazy and threatens to kill Sonya Blade. Johnny Cage disapproves and tries to butt his nose into things and gets caught up in the act. Shao Kahn makes him pay for his foolishness and shows him why being a chiropractor is his second occupation.

Didn’t even get a chance to speak

The death of Johnny Cage signifies that no one can do this alone. Raiden, Liu Kang, Kitana, and Sonya Blade are going to have to come together and fight as one. Raiden asks of Liu Kang, Sonya Blade, and Kitana to get stronger because outside of the Earthrealm, Raiden’s powers don’t exist.

Get to the point: The group decides to split into two; Raiden will go with Sonya Blade so she can unite with her partner Jax. Kitana and Liu Kang will head off another direction is hopes of searching for Nightwolf, a Native American shaman who might have answers to defeating Shao Kahn.

Along the way, Liu Kang and Kitana encounter some of your favorite Kombatants like cyborg Smoke, Sub-Zero, and Scorpion. Liu Kang and Kitana encounter Smoke but make quick ease of him with the aid of Sub-Zero. Scorpion suddenly appears, battles with Sub-Zero, and then ultimately kidnaps Kitana.

Meanwhile, Raiden waits for Sonya Blade as she searches for Jax. She heads to a laboratory to find Jax and he’s got some new bionic arms giving him quadruple times the strength and muscle capacity.

Thuggin’, buggin’, and straight mean MUGGIN’

Suddenly, Cyrax and a bunch of goonies decide to raid the laboratory and engage battle with Sonya/Jax. Lengthy battle with Cyrax but with the good guys coming out on top.

Back to Liu Kang, he makes his way into a desert and gets mauled by a wolf, which in truth is Nightwolf. Nightwolf introduces a feat called “animality,” a form of shape shifting that utilizes the user’s abilities and strength. Liu Kang’s lack of self-confidence puts him in great doubt in facing Shao Kahn. In achieving “animality,” Nightwolf gives three tests to Liu Kang, all in hopes of readily preparing him for the ultimate showdown.

First test is a test of courage in finding his “animality.” Liu Kang must put himself in a dream state. Nightwolf does the pleasure and knocks him unconscious. Liu Kang questions his own ability and knows that failure will result in losing everything and everyone. Liu Kang musters that fire and anger for a brief moment until he snaps back into reality.

The second test comes when a mysterious woman, Jade, tries to seduce Liu Kang into forgetting about Kitana. Having a bond that cannot be broken, Liu Kang musters out of Jade’s test and is successful.  She claims she can take Liu Kang to where Kitana is held captive at the Elder Gods’ temple. The third test is yet to be determined.

As time is ticking and the end is drawing near, Raiden sacrifices his immortal powers to join forces with the Earth warriors. In doing so, he no longer has the strength and power of the thunder god he once was.

 

With the help of Jade, Liu Kang makes his way into the temple and finds Kitana caged up. He tries to set her free but meets a familiar face…

B.A. Baracus?... uhhh… I mean BARAKA

Liu Kang engages in a fight with Baraka but then it looks like there is more of his kind. He makes quick work of them and ultimately finishes off the real Baraka. Sheeva, one of Shao Kahn’s minions, tries to intervene but ultimately gets smooshed by the cage Kitana is trapped in. Liu Kang sets Kitana free and they’re off to find Sindel.

When the whole gang and Jade do find Sindel, Jade exposes herself as a plant all along and confesses her allegiance to Shao Kahn. Sindel escapes and Jade does the same. Raiden lets everyone else know that Shao Kahn is his brother and that he couldn’t kill him then and certainly cannot kill him now. Once Sindel and Jade report back to Shao Kahn’s temple, Shao Kahn quickly dispatches Jade for not killing the Earth warriors on the spot while they were all gathered together. Sindel is spared for her non-actions.

The final showdown is about to go down with Raiden leading his group against Shao Kahn and his group. Shinnok, an Elder God and father of Raiden and Shao Kahn, demands Raiden to do the right thing and align with them. Raiden refuses and ends up dying to one of Shao Kahn’s energy blast.

pew pew pew pew pew

It essentially becomes a four on four fight. Kitana fights her mother Sindel; Jax takes on Motaro; Sonya Blade gets Ermac, and Liu Kang gets Shao Kahn. The Earth warriors all beat their respective opponents, but the real fight is just beginning with Liu Kang and Shao Kahn. Liu Kang struggles with Shao Kahn and there comes a time where Liu Kang is able to tap his “animality.” Shao Kahn disapproves and says that won’t be nearly enough and transforms into his own “animality.” After back and forth scuffling, Shinnok appears and tries to kill Liu Kang himself. Shinnok gets intervened by two other Elder Gods and stop him. Liu Kang finally and ultimately gets the upper hand against Shao Kahn and defeats him.

Once the fight is done and the smoke is clear, Earthrealm goes back to its normal state. Shao Kahn’s spell over Sindel is broken and she reunites with her daughter Kitana. Raiden is also revived by the Elder Gods and says that although the battle is over, the Earth warriors have to stay together and protect each other.

THE END.

Worth watching?: I’m in the middle with this one. I say yes in checking this if you’re a fan of the MK franchise, since this is probably the best out of any other ones. I say no if you’re not into games in general.

The acting is unbearable at times, but the actors playing Liu Kang, Shao Kahn, and Jax were good. The fighting scenes were what this movie did badly on. Too many martial art fighting sequences that really make you wonder, “Are they seriously fighting like that?”

A franchise like Mortal Kombat should not be toned down into PG-13 rating because everyone who has played Mortal Kombat KNOWS it for its bloody violence. This movie had not a single drop of blood! NOT EVEN A SCRATCH on any of them! The way some of the characters end up getting defeated is astounding. Johnny Cage gets his neck cranked; Rain get swatted by Shao Kahn into a pit of fire; Jade gets eaten by some demonic-looking creature; Motaro gets killed after a pound fest by Jax; Ermac gets his neck snapped after a hurracanrana from Sonya Blade, and the list goes on. No brutalities whatsoever.

Meh.