A Mortal Marathon!

I ocassionally enjoy writing and posting movie reviews all over the Internet, so why not post some on this here blog? Last weekend, I watched...

“Mortal Kombat.”

Back in the 90s, I remember when the classic video game hit the markets and caused a stir.  Not only did it make a huge commercial splash, but it was also quite controversial for its graphicness.  I honestly never had the pleasure of playing these MK games, and in this day and age, fighting games are not my forte.  But action and martial arts movies certainly are, especially when they’re based on popular video games.

The “Mortal Kombat” movie offers plenty of fun.  It’s got enough fight scenes to satisfy; some are short and some are pretty cheesy, but some fights hold up really well and are a blast.  It’s got some very old-school special effects that, even though appear gaudy by today’s standards, are good in concept and design.  Above all, this is a film that doesn’t take itself that seriously; it’s probably an important aspect for a film with such a weak story and with so many limitations.  Most of the movie’s flaws are forgivable given the tongue-in-cheek attitude, and altogether it’s not too far off from the original video game.

For better or for worse though, the story suffers tremendously.  Of course, fighting games like this don’t usually have a story to draw upon, so the movie does the best it can to extrapolate the characters and tournament-themed conflict into an “Enter the Dragon”-style plot.  It works for the most part, but I find it pretty darn shallow, unoriginal, and lacking in proper immersion.  Some more depth to the story, characters, or environment would probably have helped.

The film shows fine photography and editing, with some interesting lighting effects.  Acting is pretty hammy all around; Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa is almost laughable with his facial expressions and over-zealous dialogue, and I found it hard to take Christopher Lambert seriously.  But, the three main leads (Robin Shou, Linden Ashby, and Bridgette Wilson) fit their roles respectably.  Writing is not terribly sophisticated at all.  The production shows some limitations with its horrid CGI-graphics and some fake-looking sets and props.  But, the designs are awesome and the costumes aren’t bad.  Music is really smashing.

I’m sure this film will appeal to kids wanting something exciting and don’t mind something slightly cheesy.  Video game fans and folks who grew up with this movie will probably get a nostalgic kick out of it too.  Otherwise, I can only recommend it as a rental.

3/5 (entertainment:  4/5, story:  2/5, film:  3/5)

This Blu-Ray looks better than I thought it would.  I am pleased with its sharpness and detail, which appears consistently well-defined.  Some noise and grain can be seen here and there, but otherwise it looks quite clean.  Colors and contrast can be pretty weak at certain spots.  Sound quality was disappointing; sound effects didn’t have much impact, the dialogue was subdued in many places, and the volume was a little low overall.  One part sounded a bit muffled.  But otherwise, it is mostly clean and clear.

PQ:  3.5/5, AQ:  2.5/5

Extras include a God-awful 40-minute animated feature, a trailer, and BD-Live capability.  The first release of this disc includes a digital copy and a PSN download to unlock a costume in the latest MK game.

Extras:  1.5/5

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“DOA:  Dead or Alive”

This film plays out pretty similar to “Mortal Kombat,” after it’s been stripped away of all the gothic-fantasy aesthetics and replaced with a group of hot ladies chillin’ at a lovely beach resort.  It’s a bright and vibrant film, jazzed up with style and flair, and imbued with plenty of fighting and sex appeal.  …on second thought, forget “MK,” it’s a little closer to “Charlie’s Angels.”

It’s not a film that takes itself seriously; perhaps even on a deeper level than “MK.” The fights are frequent and can be pretty absurd.  But they are all a blast; whether bouncing on bamboo trees, running up the steps of a temple, trying to maintain footing on floating rafts…the setpieces are brilliant throughout, and make for a solid collection of memorable scenes.  The choreography is fast and intense, and can be beautiful to behold.  Combined with occasional lighthearted comedy, it’s nothing but fun on a bun!

The story suffers though; once again, it revolves around fighters coming to some tournament to duke it out for whatever reason.  As it goes on, it goes off in some ridiculous directions, for better or for worse.  But without any substantial depth to the plot or characters, it comes off as a pretty dumb movie in the end.

But it’s a very good looking film, with strong photography and gorgeous locations.  Cameramanship is especially impressive during the fight scenes, for it is still and shows decent composition.  Acting is not bad for this film, but it can be a little hammy.  Production value is high, and I especially love some of the sets and costumes the film uses.  Special effects are slick and hardly distracting.  Music is cooler than crud!

3.5/5 (entertainment:  4.5/5, story:  2/5, film:  4/5)  Increased from 3/5

This Blu-Ray looks great.  It’s sharp, clean, and very colorful.  There is some grain and noise, but it’s very fine and hardly distracting.  Sound quality is not bad, but the music tends to dip in volume (possibly an intentional effect in the mixing process), and it ultimately doesn’t have that much of an impact.

PQ:  4.5/5, AQ:  4/5