The Mortal Kombat reboot film is now less than a month away and the HBO Max exclusive has actually managed to generate plenty of hype with a bloody R-rated trailer. However, while some opt to play their favorite Mortal Kombat games until the film’s premiere, some lucky folks have already gotten an exclusive look at the its opening scene.
As more characters like Kabal get added to the list of confirmed fighters that will be butchering each other come April 16, there are still plenty of questions regarding what kind of story will take place during the first live action Mortal Kombat tournament in 23 years. With a newcomer protagonist in Cole Young and no Johnny Cage, there’s no telling how the unknown character will blend in with the likes of Sub-Zero and Scorpion.
One sure thing is that the two ninjas will be featured prominently in Mortal Kombat, especially after Collider was treated to an early sneak peek at the movie’s opening scene which features Scorpion (Hiroyuki Sanada) and Sub-Zero (Joe Taslim). It so happens to be Scorpion’s own origin story, in which he witnesses the Lin Kuei clan led by Sub-Zero murder his family and gives birth to the fiery desire for revenge the fuels Scorpion in the early Mortal Kombat games.
The scene was complimented for the stark contrast between Scorpion’s quiet family life and how it’s all suddenly taken away from him, including a harrowing shot of Hasashi watching his wife frozen into a solid block of ice, before proceeding to dispose of the Lin Kuei with a more rudimentary version of his signature spear. The fight scene does feature some heavy editing and fast-paced cuts that see the camera miss parts of the action, though it’d be an odd decision for this style to be implemented throughout the whole film.
Scorpion and Sub-Zero’s first encounter is also commended for making good use of Sanada’s native Japanese as the two ninjas exchange a brief dialogue in Japanese and Chinese, respectively, as a little extra touch to highlight the differences between the two clans. Director Simon McQuoid himself has spoken of how Sanada’s knowledge of traditional Japanese culture came quite handy when implementing these aspects into the character’s persona and surroundings.
With Hanzo Hasashi and Bi-Han being Mortal Kombat’s poster boys, and Scorpion even having his own animated movie it’s no coincidence they were chosen to be the movie’s main rivals. Early fan theory points to newbie Cole Young being somehow related to either of the two, though hardly anyone will mind that as long a Scorpion and Sub-Zero face off against each other in true Mortal Kombat fashion, as that’d already be an improvement from the past.
Mortal Kombat is planned for release in theaters and on HBO Max starting April 16, 2021.
Source: Collider