After confirming that the animated film Mortal Kombat: Scorpion's Revenge would receive an R rating in January, WB is finally giving fans a look at just how violent this new adaptation will be. They really weren't kidding about the R thing, because this latest red band trailer shows off the goods. There's blood, broken bones, and tons of cursing. This is definitely Mortal Kombat.
The official MK Twitter account shared the new preview today and fans are excited about the prospects of this film. Setting something up similar to a shared universe like DC Comics, this could be the beginning of a whole new animated film series. The plot looks to closely resemble NetherRealm Studios' work on the recent Mortal Kombat games, so it should fit nicely alongside the rebooted continuity.
The film, itself, will be landing on April 12, 2020, for digital platforms. A UHD Blu-Ray release is planned for April 28, 2020, for anyone the prefers physical media. You can see the trailer for yourself below.
Call it my high expectations, but this film really doesn't look that good. The animation is fine in still shots, but it looks incredibly cheap in motion. I also don't really get the acting, which comes off as stilted. The dialogue choice, too, is loaded with baffling usage of curse words and such. This is clearly playing up the B-movie, grindhouse nature of the series.
That's fine, too. A lot of people aren't going to care about incidental details like character motivations or narrative structure. Mortal Kombat is cut from the mold of 70s and 80s Shaw Brothers movies and those aren't known for their complex plotlines. The fight scenes are what counts, but this trailer doesn't give us the best look at any of the action.
Still, that R rating at least lets this film be a true Mortal Kombat film. As much as some may enjoy the 1995 Hollywood film, its PG-13 rating robbed the series of one of its defining characteristics. Mortal Kombat just doesn't feel right if people aren't getting eviscerated and spraying blood all over the place.
We'll just have to see if Scorpion's Revenge can do the series justice when it releases next month.
Source: Twitter