Mortal Kombat - Flawed Victory

Mortal Kombat, the reboot of the 90's original, is here and ready to fight. But is it a flawless victory or a fatality? Get over here! And let's find out.

[@TheCriticalDrinker]

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[@WitherLord888]

Cool

[@anandmanivannan4953]

Hey Drinker could you please review Andy The Crocodile's music?

[@clevernickname3396]

Someone will read this comment because it is near the top.

[@saoirse5308]

So, it's not "Good" but neither is it "woke" Clearly a best film of the year contender. . . . .and that's saying a lot. . . because that's not saying much. I'll go away now.

[@davesmith7432]

Damn drinker, I agree with you most of the time. But this time I gotta pull your card. The first mortal combat was a good movie. Especially for a video game movie. It wasn’t perfect. The casting and the writing was questionable. But the acting, editing, cinematography and flow of the movie was good. However, after that... I can’t defend those movies. The production companies have to pay the bills. I love your channel bro! I’ll always tune in and smash it. That’s all of got, so fuck off!

[@WadeMFilms]

- “We have hundreds of characters to choose from to be our protagonist. I’m sure one of them is relatable to our audience.” - “Nah, it’ll be fine.”

[@reikun86]

Lewis Tam's Dad was one of the Joker's Henchmen in the '89 Batman. He's in the museum scene.

[@SuperSky9]

@Munchies 2019 Stryker is such an underdawg. But kensi comes later during the Red Dragon phase. We're on kano's introduction right now.

[@Mankey619]

I know right. In my version of mortal Kombat I would love to have Johnny cage to be the main character in this movie instead of this generic boring character like Cole. He doesn’t even fit in this movie and even the mortal Kombat characters. It’s just not an awesome movie to watch,it’s just okay. It’s funny that the Demon Slayer movie has beaten Mortal Kombat at the box office.

[@garymcderp1146]

The plot in the last couple of MK games was a lot better. I thought this would be awesome non-stop action and gore with fatalities every 10 minutes. Meh.

[@garymcderp1146]

Noob Saibot should’ve been in the movie.

[@PopCultureGrifter]

Why has Sub-Zero not aged in 300 years? - He was on ice

[@anibalrodriguez2626]

Captain America: *Allow me to introduce myself*

[@mikemorgan6685]

"I understood that reference" -Captain America

[@Tubeite]

Let's kick some ice!

[@tomasburian6550]

ba dum tish!

[@pearsemolloy9656]

To be fair that can easily be explained with Sub Zero being allied with Shang Tsung who literally has the power to prolong the lifespan of himself and others but the movie didn’t bother to explain that so I suppose it’s a legit criticism.

[@captainfriednacho]

25 years later and Raiden still waits till the last minute to pick and train fighters for the tournament.

[@thesentinel5523]

Underrated comment ^

[@dsa1569]

Some of the other fighters where killed off screen.

[@PrechtGaebolgHades]

@@dsa1569 you didn't get him

[@dsa1569]

@@PrechtGaebolgHades I did Just saying

[@PrechtGaebolgHades]

@@dsa1569 i mean if Raiden wanted to, he could have get these fighters when they were teens and train them from there. And then they could become experienced fighters and fight in the tournament.

[@S0bek]

Kano was the absolute highlight of the movie, and the best actor.

[@lordtrigon1733]

He made sure at least his scenes would be entertaining af, the true hero of the movie.

[@Furykidxxx]

Probably, the ONLY actor in the whole cast. Sub vs Scorpion were the only decent fights, because those dudes at least martial artists.

[@Lennox1224]

Absolutely

[@jespacey]

scorpion beginning the best until he died

[@grantimusprimeofficial2732]

I think the best actors were Josh Lawson (Kano), Hiroyuki Sanada (Scorpion), and Joe Taslim (Sub-Zero). I thought Josh Lawson really added to every scene he was in, stealing the show constantly with his improv and self-awareness of the movie he was in. Don't get me wrong, you could make a serious Mortal Kombat movie with themes of honor and family, but that's not what this movie is and Josh Lawson knows it so why not have fun? Hiroyuki Sanada is just badass in general, that was god tier casting. Joe Taslim is also badass, but I wanted to point out how the dude can act with just his eyes, damn he can really make his presence known and he emoted pain very well using his eyes only.

[@maxxe2]

I wish they hadn't made up some new character to be the protagonist

[@ciarfah]

MMA it trendy, right corporate board members? We should add an MMA guy!!

[@elvispelvis9411]

@@waxcutter9813 I wish this protagonist was one of those silent characters

[@Coleymoleyart]

They need a boring character with no personality

[@dwecktek]

Seriously this isn’t resident evil what the fuck were they thinking

[@GigglingStoners]

Well they cant have a white male lead, now can they?

[@professionalamatuer8064]

Adding Cole to the epic fight between Scorpion and Sub-Zero was a senseless buzz-kill.

[@sebsebseb1905]

after Hanzo is washed by Bi-Han when he comes back as Scorpion he still needs help... from Cole and his plot armor. The only good thing was the slasher movie vibe Sub-Zero got

[@cormoran2303]

And why did they act like Hanzo was awesome? All we saw of him is getting dunked on by Bi-han then needing help just to get revenge at the end. He was a weak useless bitch.

[@sebsebseb1905]

@@cormoran2303 EXACTLY

[@dfddsfer4tv4g4b]

* Adding Cole was a senseless buzz-kill.

[@sebsebseb1905]

@End Of All Things no, they're anti-heroes, Quan Chi, Shang Tsung, Shao Khan, Shinnok are the ultimate bad guys

[@RodimusPrimal]

Cole Young is nothing more than a glorified Kreate A Fighter with LITERAL plot armor. Your description of him avoiding charisma almost had me fall off my chair.

[@commandercaptain4664]

Cole Young vs. Charisma... FIGHT-U! FINISH CHARISMA FATALITY Cole Young WINS. We LOSE.

[@jswagpsn2285]

Drinker: "What's stopping you from bringing a gun to your fight and just shooting the guy?" Stryker: "haha good point, u right"

[@lucascoval828]

@Mosi (Musi) Brown Based. 😎

[@lordmoncef5494]

Cuz it s only effective against dark skinned opponent

[@HeroQuestFans]

@@lordmoncef5494 and only if they're left leaning!

[@angstvision7108]

Good comment!

[@angstvision7108]

@@lordmoncef5494 Stryker would be Jax's cryptonite--except for the fact that Jax is also a civil servant.

[@DarthEvilicus]

I saw a Reddit comment that was spot on: “So this movie establishes that if you just run over the right person while driving drunk you can somehow become earths champion”

[@yourfatboy5359]

Lol

[@scorp77snake]

should watch the pitch meeting that Ryan George does on screen rant he mentions the fact a 90yo person could accidently run over a champ and get the mark

[@cornelius8617]

That reddit commenter probably got the idea from Ryan George

[@saloz9483]

this is one of the reasons the tattoo shit is so dumb and makes no sense.

[@somethinglikethat2176]

@@cornelius8617 reddit still recycling, sounds like it hasn't changed much since I was last there.

[@boomerotic2498]

My favorite part is when Cole develops literal plot armor 🙄

[@HorrorCritical]

Everything about Cole Young in the movie is boring and uninteresting

[@lucapeyrefitte6899]

Yeah I would’ve liked him if he didn’t have plot amour

[@Future_Imperfect]

Somebody watches Pitch Meetings 😉

[@boomerotic2498]

@@HorrorCritical yeah they need to kill him off between the movies (if they get another) and get some new writers because although the movie was mildly entertaining, it got more wrong than it got right

[@HorrorCritical]

@@boomerotic2498 or make him a side character with a very small role

[@Raez_XL]

It could have been a movie about Scorpion's revenge but no it has to be about a vanilla character and his family.

[@GodIsInHisHeaven]

They could have done Scorpion' revenge /john wick style, so instead of gun headshots, you get the garden tool headshot.

[@jazzblack666]

If you want to see a movie about Scorpion's revenge, check out Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge

[@Raez_XL]

@@jazzblack666 looks great but I'm not really into animations.

[@GodIsInHisHeaven]

@@jazzblack666 Hey, thanks for the heads up, yea I actually spotted the thumbnail somewhere but just totally forgot about it until just now when you kindly reminded me. Honest opinion though, is Scorp's Revenge better than this movie overall?

[@grantimusprimeofficial2732]

@@GodIsInHisHeaven May be a little late for an answer but yes, it's a lot better.

[@garym6315]

I disagree about the first movie - in an age when video game adaptations were unpopular, Anderson made a film that was simplified enough for normies to understand and enjoy, but with all the core elements of the first game. It had all six video game fighters, the antagonists were all there too, along with a couple of MK2 characters. The story was the simple Enter the Dragon rehash, but that's what the game was a rip-off of anyway. The direction was impressive enough and for the fight scenes he actually made the decision to film in wide shots without cutting too much to show the talent the martial artists on set had. The soundtrack was a perfect match to keep the adrenaline pumping throughout the movie. You also have to remember that it was back when there was no live action or animated MK products, so to see something that (for the most part) faithfully recreates the look of the game, and the feel of the game was a huge success.

[@debroeglenn4924]

Nice essay

[@bendunster8859]

I totally agree. It wasn’t a great movie but it was a pretty damn good video game movie and it did what it set out to do pretty well. A lot like this adaptation did.

[@Raven9940]

I agree. This is one of the few times I'm not with the drinker. Sure the original was cheesy and had it's share of plot holes, but God was it entertaining and it gave the fans what we wanted. The actors had real charisma and chemistry. The remake was just one big mess that made no sense and no one was likeable. I'll take the original over the reboot any day

[@markkramer5740]

The first one was essentially "Enter The Dragon" with super powers. I still like it.

[@dude9318]

You said normies Lol

[@liamking6218]

Its funny how Coles power is literal plot armor

[@rahphaeljanisch5457]

underrated comment 🏅 Director “Won’t he just get ripped apart by Goro???” Writer- “No he spontaneously manifests Metal clothing...”

[@kutlumzrak2689]

You mean discount black panther?

[@rybackunheardof4995]

@@kutlumzrak2689 yeah that's why black panther sucked. Plot armor and "cause vibranium" *insert racist jokes towards whites*

[@certifiedhoodclassic7833]

@@rybackunheardof4995 gotta love how you cant say that about a movie with an all black cast without being called a racist bigot

[@rybackunheardof4995]

@@certifiedhoodclassic7833 really tho lol

[@MaxP_88]

I seriously can't fathom how on Earth, having so many characters to choose from, they decided to come up with an new main character named Cole Young. There's just no way to justify that shit.

[@Zac_Frost]

Well, in the games, they have introduced entirely new characters to be the main character of the game they were introduced in, as far as the Campaign goes. Characters like Shujinko and Taven. The thing with those characters, though, was that they actually had a personality and were interesting characters in an interesting story. I think if they cast a better actor with better material to work with, it could have worked. The problem, though, is that they didn't, so it didn't really work very well.

[@queazy03]

Director specifically said he didn't want some straight white male (Johnny Cage) to come in and save everyone, so he made Cole (an asian) to be the hero. Which is dumb to every fan since they know Liu Kang was the main hero

[@matthiasthulman4058]

@@queazy03 ah yes, Cole Young, a classic asian name. In all seriousness, I had no idea he wasn't supposed to be white

[@reservoirfrogs2177]

@@queazy03 Honesty why would they not choose Liu Kang

[@drakynoch]

My working theory is that they simply didn't want the barage of hate coming from fans of a *specific* character (favorite) of theirs NOT being the central protagonist. Of course, a part of me wonders why they couldn't just make this movie entirely based around Scorpion and Sub Zero's rivalry... THEN make the second film about the tournament in modern the day.

[@D00R]

The original MK movie came off as a big budget story with a minimum budget and the New MK comes off as a big budget movie with a B movie plot.

[@Shamyrl]

The original felt like it had a bigger budget. This one has slightly more cgi but it doesn't use as many various locales as the original and the actors aren't nearly as talented

[@luhrsen8105]

"Why can't you just bring a gun with you and shoot your opponent?" Several MK characters have GUN as their superpower. It's underwhelming.

[@tsuneomccormick115]

Literally Stryker exist for that purpose.

[@insignificantdamage3446]

Jax brought a rifle to a fist fight and lost both arms.

[@OrthwormJEB]

Not including Johnny Cage in the plot has to be my biggest con of this film. Instead we get a character that never appeared in a single video game. Great...

[@dobman01]

yeah the whole time i was wondering if johnny cage was gonna show up and get TOASTY! with someone

[@isacctavares1368]

Welcome to corporate Hollywood. Where suits believe OCs are better than iconic characters.

[@slowpie]

You didnt like the set up for part 2?

[@GigglingStoners]

You mean diversity characters are better than white male leads?

[@Youngbuck83]

Noob Saibot should have been the lead.

[@Kronosfobi]

Cole Young is practically a Scorpion fanboy writer's self insert character with a super power of a literal plot armor.

[@korawitbuttramee618]

According to the writer, Cole Young was created under the mandate of the studio.

[@PrechtGaebolgHades]

He was a literal trash male marysue

[@Kronosfobi]

@@PrechtGaebolgHades I concur

[@korawitbuttramee618]

@@PrechtGaebolgHades He's not. If he's a Gary Stu, he'd never lose a single fight and wouldnt need Scorpion to bail his ass out from Sub Zero

[@ILOVEGOOOOOOLD]

Power of a gold coogi sweater

[@JoeMapes]

I love how Kano discovered his magic powers during an argument over egg rolls. Wait, what??

[@DickTruth]

I went in to this movie expecting absolutely nothing in terms of plot, characters, and acting. Oh, and I was also drunk, with friends. Best movie experience all year.

[@xtina2189]

Cole's biggest character trait is that he has a family.

[@jarrodbright5231]

Ironic given how his acting was more wooden than the guy whose catchphrase is "I got family" (sorry I mean "Ah got famuhly")

[@TartarusHunter]

"It's all about family, Brian."

[@bardoomguy]

Probably his only one. I don't think I've ever seen a more bland main character

[@GingerZombie29]

So he is Dominic Toretto?

[@nooneofimportance2110]

@@bardoomguy I have, but nobody cares about SAO.

[@Shady00018]

I always LOL at those "DONT KNOW" bits.

[@DadaPoopoo]

I wish I was happy enough to actually laugh out loud.

[@josh_hen_har3377]

Yo shady you're here??

[@vigorelliinstitute879]

I've actually taken to using his don't know.

[@agent_meister477]

Join the club.

[@downwithputinsaveukraine1313]

Dooooont knoooooooooow

[@FrankCastiglione17]

Funny how Sonia Blade looks like she’s never been part of any training session ever..

[@mikecantor8503]

The Drinker knows the 1995 original had actors with loads more charisma and screen presence compared to amateur hour Cole. Plus the MK techno syndrome theme song is still my jam!! MORTAL KOMBAT!!

[@stevekramerf242]

Yep, the soundtrack-albums are killer.

[@6kine6tic67]

Haha i bought the soundtrack as a kid.

[@jamesedleymusic]

Yeah, him saying the movie is overrated just comes across as contrarianism rather than a valid opinion.

[@BitmapFrogs]

You mean Mooooooortaaaal Koooooombaaaaat!

[@GingerZombie29]

You don't create an OC as your main character when you already have Liu Kang in your Mortal Kombat movie.

[@TheJollyMisanthrope]

Like a Street Fighter movie creating a new protagonist to replace Ryu.

[@thegnarledpirate9198]

@@TheJollyMisanthrope*cuts to the 80's movie* well at least he's from the games, right...

[@jollyroger9680]

@The Monster Under Your Bed Delusional

[@ReboundProdigy]

@@jollyroger9680 he’s right Scorpion and subzero have been the The main characters since the beginning

[@diersteinjulien6773]

There's plenty of characters that could be the main protagonist of a Mortal Kombat movie -Liu Kang, Raiden, Sub-zero, Johnny Cage, Sonya, Jax, Scorpion and Kano just to name a few. But if you make a Street fighter adaptation and don't make Ken, Ryu and/or Chun Li the main protagonist, you're doing something wrong. Here, I'll give you Sakura and Guile as two valid secondary options, but that's basicaly it.

[@RogueFox2185]

Cole: The DLC character that nobody would fork $14.99 to get.

[@mrxyz985]

That’s too generous. Cole Young would be free DLC. He’s worthless.

[@cormoran2303]

He's your annoying younger brothers Kreate-A-Fighter from MK Armageddon.

[@thebrownbaldy]

I prefer Mokap over Cole

[@Harucardiel]

Lol Imagine if he did get added and he turns out to be top tier in the game like if that armor gave armor on any special moves or plays like Jason, the less health the higher the damage he does😂😂😂

[@f0rth3l0v30fchr15t]

@@mrxyz985 *Horse armor has entered the chat*

[@MaverickhunterXZero]

Cole just feels like a writer's OC with how thick his plot armor seems.

[@albyboy24]

“Same way Melissa McCarthy avoids salad bars” 😂😂😂 dead

[@SimonCoulton]

Could have done with just a movie about Scorpion and Subzero tbh, those first 5ish minutes were great.

[@GingerZombie29]

My exact thought. This could have been about the conflict between Lin Quei and Shiray Ryu.

[@aakkoin]

Don't let them ruin Scorps and Sub-Z by making up some stupid "realistic" backstory

[@Maniac742]

Scorpion's "Get over here!" is wasted on an Asian accent. Either translate the line into Japanese, which actually makes sense, or just get rid of it. EVERYONE knows what it's supposed to sound like, so if you can't meet that burden then just don't try.

[@mattstorm6568]

I know, I thought I was in for a decent movie, and then.....

[@arklytte]

Couldn't agree more! First fight and the last fight were literally the best parts of the movie (and the first bit was easily the better of the two.).

[@Guerrilla_Grodd]

"Jesus, I've seen more personality in a Captain Marvel fan club" 😂🤣😂

[@terrylandess6072]

"Brrrap" I believe that belch was a Drinker 1st in his videos.

[@scionofdorn9101]

That picture will give me nightmares.

[@vicentemartinez1216]

This critic should stick to his drinking than his stupid ass reviews. 😄

[@alexlilly6657]

Def one of my fav's burns from Drinker.

[@115redhair]

So... Nobody will talk about the fact that Scorpion's only line in English is "Get over here" and you're left like "When did he learned to speak English"

[@mikespearwood3914]

But, but, but...reference!

[@LordsofMedia]

Everyone should have just been speaking English from the beginning and there is no reason to have a backstory that takes place hundreds of tears ago.

[@sarahphyllis5782]

Critical Drinker: Go Away Now 😂

[@PrechtGaebolgHades]

They should have given it a Japanese voice bruh. They fked up big time.

[@Kevin_Street]

He must have learned English in Hell. Or at least he learned that one phrase...

[@keeperofthefate]

For this version of MK, I only say this: No Johnny, no money!

[@MattNinety]

When a fighting game story mode has actually better story than a movie.

[@kalistastudio3797]

True

[@monsterboomer8051]

EXACTLY THIS

[@struki84]

MK franchise is the king of trash game stories, and I mean that in a good Evil Dead way ^^

[@Vipera217]

2 hours isn't enough to adapt it all though

[@ghostprojekt]

@@Vipera217 Scorpion's Revenge did the entirety of MK1 in 80 minutes and even had Johnny Cage instead of a bs MC.

[@stryyker9]

when kano the woke brigade punching bag inadvertantly ends up being the most memorable character.

[@darklord884]

Considering NRS didn't hold him back in the games either despite what a nasty bastard he is (in fact he seems to get more disgusting with each game) you bet he'd get his time to shine in the movie.

[@colepeltier8472]

OMFG IM SO GLAD SOMEONE JUST VALIDATED THE EXACT SOME THING I THOUGHT. "They get rid of Johny Cage for being white then spend the entire movie trashing the one white guy in it."

[@veeclash4157]

Kano was 10x more enjoyable to watch than Cole! OOF! The 'main hero' was not sympathetic at all compared to one of the villains!

[@carlsullivan8861]

Naw he wasn't. It was an attempt at the gruff funny guy..fell as flat as the rest of them.

[@han3wmanwukong125]

"Hi, I'm male, white AND hetero!" - Kano

[@Ki_Adi_Mundi]

The reason given for the absence of Johnny Cage from this movie is literally that he was too white and this movie wasn't "diverse" enough with him in it... 😂

[@maestrofeli4259]

hehe pinhead

[@davidimerov9447]

@mortal kombat and superheros Mor

[@angstvision7108]

There was only room for one token white guy--and Kano was it lol.

[@dwaynethewokjohnson6646]

@@angstvision7108 Mortal Kombat is mostly Asian

[@angstvision7108]

@mortal kombat and superheros who are "you guys"? Lol

[@nurse425]

I love that Cole's 'Power' is the LITERAL manifestation of Plot Armor, LOL!

[@kmb957]

Imagine Mortal Kombat having a create a fighter mode and you create Cole Young 🥱😴

[@lhfinatl7068]

Meat>Cole Young

[@margarethmichelina5146]

A lot of DLC combo characters are way better than Cole Young

[@michaelmarino1420]

Mokap>Cole

[@chuy3162]

eww why?

[@thisisnotachannel]

Mortal Kombat Armageddon has you covered there.

[@margolane3361]

Kano was by far the most entertaining character.

[@NostraFnDamus]

Josh Lawson is a good bloke

[@azgardian32odinson]

Sub zero was the best..

[@monk823821]

100%... casting was a hard miss on this movie for me (for most of the characters.) If they put as much time as they did into scorpion and sub zero into the rest the film would have been 10xs better.

[@rainyfriday6175]

I dunno. He was a bit much. It seems like every time he opened his mouth, he might as well be saying “hey, I’m the comic relief character.”

[@margolane3361]

@@rainyfriday6175 He was a bit much but honestly it was a welcome bit of reprieve from the wooden acting from everyone else.

[@potiguaya5201]

Scorpion and Subzero trying to.kill each other. Cole in his shiny plot armor trying to kill a piece of ice...

[@fwwaller]

"it doesnt make any attempt to preach, pander, or lecture" you do know why they left Johnny Cage out right?

[@isaiahdeleon2508]

I’ll never forget the fact that Lui Kang spammed his low kick against Kano

[@TheHound402]

*sweep

[@glenmcl]

It's a special move from OG MK

[@RastaganTheGreen]

"Is that the only move you know?"

[@enragedgamersco]

I laughed so hard when Kano said “is that the only move you got” My brothers never used anything else when we were kids!

[@TimonPOL91]

And that miss jump from kano was Perfect!!!

[@thetribalist6923]

Executive: shouldn’t we make the main character a familiar one since we have so many fan favorites to choose from? Writer: naw. It’ll be fine.

[@enzopied3015]

It was the other way around, Cole was a mandate from the higher ups

[@GigglingStoners]

Didn't the director say he doesn't want a white male lead?

[@ChristDuque]

@@GigglingStoners He did, he argued that he wanted to do a "diverse" film, and he could not do that with a lead white male character ... To bad for him, the guy that more or less save the movie... is the only white guy.. Kano.

[@75658]

@@GigglingStoners That's a goddamn stupid reason considering mk's protagonist is Liu Kang. They ignored the main character that's already "diverse" in favor of some nobody oc.

[@beerdragon4583]

@@ChristDuque So Liu Kang and Cage are just tossed aside for ass-pats. Got it.

[@williamsn411]

Why does Scorpion say the “Get over here!” phrase in the movie when it’s implied that the character only speaks Japanese? Don’t know 🤷‍♂️.

[@Peagaporto]

@Miguel Messina Japanese, he literally says he cant speak chinese

[@marrier9999]

I love how Cole's special power is literally a suit of Plot Armor that instantly makes him nigh impossible to injure, makes him stronger, and lets him turn his enemies' strength against them, because his skills were shit and it was the only way to make him a legitimate contender. Good thing Hanzo didn't see him before.

[@ScrambledAndBenedict]

So he's Black Panther basically, lol

[@thekiller7994]

@@ScrambledAndBenedict but without the charm and likability of Chadwick Boseman (R.I.P)

[@misterno1157]

The actress who played Sindel in Annihilation had more emotion and personally behind that line then Cole had in the entire fucking movie! Think I'm wrong? Imagine him delivering that line.

[@jwnj9716]

At least with Annihilation, you can get a good laugh.

[@greenraider44]

I will never understand the hate for that line I think it’s ok but then again I’m a simple man

[@DaGamerDad]

@@jwnj9716 Not with Jax's Arcana. I couldn't keep my chuckles.

[@rockinHurley777]

Than*

[@hedrocs]

The whole movie is filled with bad stiff acting! The old movies are cheesy and corny fun. This is just garbage with a stupid OC character(do not steal) that has the power of sweater plot armor!

[@FailureToReport]

Bro, I can't believe you didn't mock them for creating a new character whose power is literally the Wakanda armor.

[@sultanjelle9168]

Wakanda armour?

[@conorwalsh2064]

But only for one fight, then the budget must have run low because it never does that shit again hahaha

[@Kronosfobi]

That ability was actually Jax's skill on MK11 where he got more dangerous as he beat the crap outta ya the longer. But yeah, Cole was just boring and existed throughout the place just to be ''there.'' Its like a self insert character who has to lead and do shit with no regards to time or other people's professions. You literally have a thunder god in front of you, 2 Special Ops soldiers, 2 super powered monks. Why *you* are the one thats leading them? And why the fuck are they following him?

[@superfan931]

You mean literall plot armour.

[@jackmcallister4456]

That looked like aqua man.

[@inmate0054]

They did the only thing we wanted from the first one. Fatalities. We expected nothing more

[@OnePump-RockstarrClarke]

The movie lost me when cole unlocked his arcana power and we got “Plot armor”

[@alverdeo965]

"What's stopping you from using a gun in a fight?" Nothing. That's why Stryker is a thing since mk3.

[@alverdeo965]

@OCTAVIO FRANCHINO So powerful mkx and 11 couldn't include him. Otherwise the console you were playing on would catch fire.

[@MrBottlecapBill]

@OCTAVIO FRANCHINO Was he too powerful? Or exactly as powerful as a guy using firearms in these fights WOULD be? lol.

[@grantimusprimeofficial2732]

But there wasn't a tournament when Stryker showed up so he could use a gun

[@PNWAffliction]

Hellll yea Stryker :D super undervalued character in the franchise.

[@tacogod968]

@@alverdeo965 Briggs uses guns in MKX

[@himayamata]

The weirdest scene is Scorpion out of nowhere speaks English just to say that famous line

[@james3876]

It's not that unbelievable when you realize most of the people in hell speak english

[@grantimusprimeofficial2732]

@@james3876 welp that escalated quickly

[@JPnielsen]

@@james3876 Probably Latin actually

[@cormoran2303]

In the opening scene Sub Zero does the same with "For the Lin-Kuei"

[@kpimkpim349]

It's also a movie about a video game where you can turn people into babies.

[@adityapandey7798]

Many people ask what was good about 1st M.K? Was it the music or The fight or The plot? My answer is always to look at how the actors played the given role. specially Raiden and Shang-Tsung played by Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa and Christopher Lambert. Christopher Specially stole every shot he was in. The story was presented as believable and grounded ( as much as it can be given the scenario). The character showed sophistication and respect ( remember how Shang- Tsung and his Gang addressed Raiden) that injected a level of majesty and charm to the whole setup. This latest one lacked all those things and specially the actors were terrible. Shang-Tsung came on as a cheap gangster instead of a majestic sorcerer, and the less said about Raiden the better. Hiroyuki Sanada and Josh Lawson gave a little grace to this otherwise total disaster movie.

[@DaddyWarlocks]

I'll always remember Lambert saying "The fate of billions rests on you, hahaha!...sorry." Pure gold.

[@hinkhall5291]

This would’ve been cool 20 years ago. The problem is we’ve all been spoiled by MK games with live actors and amazing cut scenes that it outshines any live action movie.

[@meta1152]

I think the sweeping part with Liu Kang and Kano was a nod to how you could cheese most fights by doing it.

[@who-ge1gu]

We all done it in the games.

[@veritassyfer1185]

Yeah, there was several nods to actual games in this film if you pay close attention.

[@mrxyz985]

I do that every time I play with my friends. It pisses them off and it’s fucking hilarious.

[@who-ge1gu]

@@mrxyz985 why else do it. Lol

[@GearShotgun]

I was laughing going "its just like the game" when that happend

[@X_Knuckles]

If anything, Kano's back was hurting by carrying everyone in the movie 😂

[@ryantheanimator1156]

I guess his back broke the moment they made him betrayed the gang and got screwed by Sonya. I was really hoping they don't do the cheap switcheroo with Kano by making him bad guy at the end for some lousy deal with Cabal, because he's literally the only character I actually give a damn about in the movie. '

[@staszkoalcatras]

@@ryantheanimator1156 at least they did not make him punching bag for strong female protagonists. Sonya struggle to win that fight and every time she goes head on against him she gets wrecked. If not for dumb luck she would lose that fight, anyway if there will be part 2 Kano will be resurrected, it's not anything unusual for MK.

[@darklord884]

Don't forget Kung Lao. That guy has personality oozing from him despite the fact he doesn't really get screen time that often.

[@killedpatrick]

Josh Lawson killed it, you can see he ad-libbed the hell out of it (something he has been known for)

[@nbaskrubboi959]

Facts

[@AtomicF0x]

Yeah, I actually enjoyed this movie pretty thoroughly. Really liked Kano, he was funny, charismatic and memorable. Although I too noticed that he was kinda the punching bag for some of the other characters and I'm not as much a fan of that. I also like Kabal, Reptile and Liu Kang. I just wish Reptile had more screen time. Loved how they went full monster form with him though.

[@milton7763]

“None of them have more depth than a puddle of piss” Well Sir, I can guarantee you that by those measures after a Friday night bender I can whip you up some ‘characters’ worthy of a Tolstoy novel

[@stefantyler]

"it's not going to win any awards" well that is a point in it's favor at least

[@petkokrushev3840]

People responsible for Kabal's design - thank you, you brought the nerd out of a 32 year old man, god damn that suit s amazing

[@alvinkey3468]

Yes, and I didn't have problems with his speaking lines, that's how I always imagine kabal talks.

[@TheKaizerD]

oh yeah, my man Kabal, i feel you

[@andykapsar4667]

i thought kabal was pretty well done also

[@wroseyarn1430]

Kabal was so good to see, especially with those purple dashes.

[@MetalsirenIXI]

I wanted to hear him talk for hours lol. Feel like he needs his own movie now.

[@1982Obsidian]

Not sure how you can say you can enjoy this film without expending a single braincell and still look down on the Chronicles of Riddick tbh... (we will never forget!) :)

[@ryangordon133]

Exactly i love when he trashes Annihilation for being dumb then says nice things about the Fast and the Furious Franchise. Make it make sense

[@SorryIBlackedOut]

2:05 1: Originally it’s Raiden who chooses because it’s determined that the defenders of Earthrealm must be the best of the best and if you beat the best guess that means you’re the best. Sometimes it’s because you’re related to the best, like Kung Lao (and in the movie, Cole) 2: Every time one is arranged it is Shang Tsung giving out invitations to Earthrealm’s defender to meet at a point between realms. By right of the laws of the universe, Shang Tsung can declare a tournament to be held because he is the spear head of the invading party (Outworld). Should Earthrealm decline, it’s ruled that Earthrealm accepts defeat. You need 10 tournaments in a row to claim merger of that world which is the objective of Shang Tsung’s master, Shao Kahn. For the tournament a fight is concluded when someone either gives up or dies up until the last fighter standing. 3: Because his employer wants to conquer Earthrealm. If they don’t follow the rules, the gods of the universe can and will intervene. 4: Best explanation as to why Shang Tsung wants to conquer earth is to eat more souls. More souls=more power and longevity. 5: Nothing. Nothing is stopping them. People have taken guns into these fights and they’re considerably the weaker characters because guns suck against immortals, magic, and universal bullshit. 6: Sometimes a chosen champion for a side, both Outworld and Earthrealm, will be granted longevity so they can participate the next tournament. Sometimes some people can just get longevity from sucking souls. This movie doesn’t explain anything well and having knowledge of the universe is somehow expected but the marketing and movie expects you to be knew to all this. It’s a mess. The old movie did it better.

[@mctownes2013]

The opening scene in Japan and Kano were the best parts of the movie.

[@somethinglikethat2176]

A Scorpion/ Subzero movie could've been good.

[@jimmysimard3008]

If only that CGI blood wouldn't have been so crappy looking...

[@DudeInOhio85]

Found the weeaboo

[@HenriqueSilva-hc1gw]

Best and only*

[@Vaille32]

@@DudeInOhio85 wat is a a weeaboo??

[@sgtomurphy2869]

“More charisma than a block of wood”- Critical Chad Drinker

[@Eternaldarkness3166]

Cole Young is like when you have no idea what kind of custom character you want to make and hit the random option...

[@r0guep4nda]

You sir owe me a computer monitor after I just spat water over it while laughing my ass off at that Melissa McCarthy Salad Bar comment! Well played sir, well played! 🤣

[@toastymaster4445]

Best part was when Sonya got Kano‘s Dragon Marking and instantly knew how to use her arcana power 😂😂

[@Sobeewan]

Duh...she is Whaman!

[@shawnm1902]

Yeah, there were two strong independent whamen moments in the film. The other was during the painful to watch goro fight

[@moderatecanuck]

I'm surprised Critical Drinker didn't say anything about this

[@dezrons5679]

well you don't see kano practacing his eyebeam,uses it once and now he controls it.....

[@cormoran2303]

Speaking of Dragon markings, why didn't Sub Zero get Scorpions marking as we are told happens when you kill someone with the marking? Why did it travel down a bloodline of losers?

[@kaelinvictus6039]

The most brutal part of this movie was underutilizing the badass Hiroyuki Sanada to introduce a bootleg black panther nobody cared about.

[@darthkek1953]

Grey Panther

[@GuiiBrazil]

One thing I don't understand yet fully, can the actor be paid for his screentime alone? Or it needs to be the whole package? If you gonna use his image, you pay 100%. Because if its the last case, he was underutilized AF!

[@darthkek1953]

@@GuiiBrazil the actors get paid no matter what, but the point is they might have only had the famous face right at the end of shooting, or with very limited days for shooting. Think of Godzilla 2014. Apparently Brian Cranston was "underused". No, they used as much of them as they had. They could only afford to pay him for a few days work and he got on board late into production. It's very common. Just because a film has 30 days of filming (for example) doesn't mean all actors are available all 30 days. Some might only have a day or two, having only been paid for 2 days work not 30.

[@LordsofMedia]

@@darthkek1953 Yellow Panther

[@veteranredbeard6222]

More movies fall under the "turn your brain off and enjoy" catagory these days.

[@skylerdeckard]

If they wanted to lead the audience through the protagonist story, they could have easily done that by following Sonya’s or Jax journey on how they started chasing the dragon marks - really fleshing it out and prevents creating some weird character

[@hamboba4434]

The first 8 min was the best part of the movie. Scorpion, Subzero and Kano were pretty kick-ass

[@YetiValhalla]

I agree

[@efe_aydal]

Yes. I was actually waiting for your take on this.

[@jeggsonvohees2201]

Shame it's such a bad take. It's completely inconsistent with his standards for other films.

[@thenekcore]

@@jeggsonvohees2201 Oh no, the drinker can't have some mindless fun despite the plot and chracters being shit. Oh no, the consistency is absolutely gone...

[@clkgtr12]

@@jeggsonvohees2201 its the best film ever made

[@jeggsonvohees2201]

@@thenekcore I see you're one of the mindless massives who apparently think criticism equals saying someone can't enjoy a film. Yes, it's inconsistent to give some films a pass for bad writing and yet criticize others for it. That's literally inconsistency.

[@jeggsonvohees2201]

@@clkgtr12 Pretty low bar, but you do you I guess.

[@GavBomb1]

If you're a fan of the video games you already love these characters, so the lack of development didn't matter to me. I actually liked Cole even. There's a certain charisma to Lewis Tan

[@barnabusdoyle4930]

Wouldnt it have been a good idea for them to recruit Goku and maybe Vegeta to fight in this tournament? Kinda seems like that’s right up their alley

[@andrewt6338]

I watched the first with my father. He had no idea what was going on. It was a kung fu movie with a good sound track. That's all it needed to be. Sometimes we need something loud and stupid to unwind.

[@robharper2078]

"... avoids charisma in the same way Melissa McCarthy avoids salad bars." Best line of the review!

[@TheBelrick]

The only thing you need to know about this film is that they changed the Main Protagonist (broke canon) just so that they wouldn't have to cast a White Male as the main protagonist. Hollywood , which is no longer white run, HATES white men.

[@robharper2078]

@@TheBelrick -- I don't know if Hollywood "hates" white men, but I do know it's trying its damnedest to be "woke" and "inclusive and diverse".

[@mikespearwood3914]

@@TheBelrick Hollywood was NEVER run by whites.

[@TheBelrick]

@@robharper2078 But those ARE expressions of hate because they mean two things in reality. 1. No white men cast as heroes. 2. Most villains cast as white men.

[@robharper2078]

@@TheBelrick -- not to prolong this issue, but I feel "hate" is too strong a word to use in this situation. "Disrespectful" seems more apt.

[@jayc5555]

They took plot armour to a whole new level here.

[@johnmassey9639]

I'm pretty sure kano was one of my favorite characters in the movie even though I knew he was a bad guy.

[@jsullivan649]

Kano made this movie for me, his throw away “womp womp” when Sonya says she doesn’t have a Mark caught me off guard. What a character and good time with him around.

[@JohnSmith-gr3pq]

I liked the Kano too, quite a few of his lines were hilarious and made the movie so much better.

[@bentramer6835]

Sub Zero and Kano were the most interesting characters. I did enjoy the movie.

[@MrREAPERsz]

If WB makes enough money from it, then they need to understand that MK *needs* Johnny cage.

[@wroseyarn1430]

@@MrREAPERsz Literally teased for a suggestion to their sequel at the end. Along with the fact that our sub zero is named in such a way to point out that he'll be back as noob saibot, so... yay... the studio did /some/ of their homework.., if only we could solve the cole problem

[@danishtasteele9272]

He says " Fucking Whoops "

[@GrieveIV]

Fun fact. You absolutely can take a gun into your tournament fight. The logic being that really strong fighters like Ermac, Sub Zero, Scorpion, Shao Khan would shrug it off

[@thegnarledpirate9198]

*Stryker Intensifies*

[@MrBottlecapBill]

I was never sure how one could shrug off bullets but not punches. Physics in outworld must be complex.

[@peepeeman4740]

Something to do with ki or arcanas or something, or its just anime logic and people in that setting ar just inherently capable of weight training up to being able to take/predict bullets

[@GrieveIV]

@@peepeeman4740 it’s the second one. Mostly. There’s other factors too. But since Arcana is only something in this movie, the second one is more accurate to the whole of the Mk universe

[@salgadev]

There are guns in the games' story modes and they do shrug em off all the time

[@silashurd3597]

Let’s be honest though… We weren’t really here to connect with characters you already grew with in the video game, we came here for all that bloody ACTION!!!!

[@jonkozenko9230]

The battle between Scorpion and Sub-Zero was legitimately awesome. The reveal that Scorpion entered the fight was tight and cathartic, the fight choreography was intricate, the violence was pretty brutal at times, and it had my favorite line in the movie (at least not uttered by Kano): "You hoped I would burn in the fires of hell.... instead I learned to control them!"

[@paranidherc]

*Critical Drinker:* "Why can't you just bring a gun and shoot the other guy?" *Jax:* "Been there, done that, did not work out great"

[@shawnm1902]

Stryker, uhh hi? Did I miss anything?

[@MrBottlecapBill]

Which makes no sense. If fire hurts people, firearms will hurt people. :D

[@andreasottohansen7338]

Erron Black does that, and it kinda works.

[@mr.joshua8664]

Cole Young in the ending had literal plot armor

[@RobotHau5]

I enjoyed the movie but hated the fact he led the team at the end like that. Why give him that mantle when his character never earns it? smh

[@mr.joshua8664]

@@RobotHau5 sparring on ice while scorpion and sub zero were fighting was the funniest shit. I wouldnt have mind if Cole was the protagonist if only his character had any sense at all

[@margarethmichelina5146]

Biggest bruh moment: The main character is someone who don't exist in video game and nobody will care of him, let's give him a literal plot armor to make him stronger.

[@boblewis6394]

Yeah dude. Not every movie needs to be a cinematic masterpiece. I just wanted to see fatalities and hear cheesy one liners. This movie delivered.

[@zyneth7848]

"What's to stop you taking a gun into your fight and just fucking shooting your opponent?" Kurtis Stryker would like a word with you.

[@theolin5486]

Yea i didnt get that one cus most of the characters have guns especially in the games

[@frequentfrenzied]

Not to mention Cassie Cage and Erron Black. Not only is that kind of behavior allowed in Mortal Kombat, I think it is encouraged. I mean Sektor and Cyrax get full blown missiles.

[@theolin5486]

@@frequentfrenzied yea and just magic in general

[@silverblue73]

@@frequentfrenzied yep, guns are allowed because so is mf magic powers which are arguably more dangerous than bullets lol

[@zyneth7848]

@@theolin5486 People like Erron Black and Cassie Cage have some sort of secondary power to keep them relevant. Erron is an immortal bounty hunter and Cassie Cage has the same green powers that Johnny does. Stryker only has gun.

[@ahegao4915]

Scorpion: "GET OVER HERE!" Drinker: "GO AWAY NOW!"

[@sarahphyllis5782]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂👍🏻

[@seven8662]

The perfect counter

[@sarahphyllis5782]

@@seven8662 we need a Critical Drinker character in Mortal Kombat game

[@theelmagoo]

It was weird in that the opening scene setting up Sub Zero and Scorpion makes it seem almost as if they were going to take the more serious character development route (like almost a semi-grounded version). It was really good how they pulled it off, and the actor that plays Scorpion is so good to watch! And then there's the rest of the movie. Just like Luke tossing his lightsaber over his shoulder, they put all of this great effort into this fantastic opening setup.... then decide to toss it.... But spot on in that it was still really fun to watch, and the fatalities were a blast!! :D

[@oldsloppy69]

MK is basically 90s He Man Ninjas, Robots, Sorcerers, and Gods.. all to sell toys and games. Love it.

[@AncestorEmpireGaming]

Watch Scorpion’s Revenge instead, it has the same characters but with Jonny Cage instead of a corporate stand in character.

[@kingodin8243]

My thoughts exactly. That is a much better movie

[@MrBottlecapBill]

It's actually not that bad. "Holy @*&$ Johnny Cage can actually fight?"

[@AncestorEmpireGaming]

@@MrBottlecapBill but can he do the butterfly splits like his inspiration?

[@GearShotgun]

The ironic moment when the guy whose entire character is being a b-movie actor makes a better protagonist than the live action movie actor

[@AncestorEmpireGaming]

@@GearShotgun *Palpatine approves of this irony*

[@reekyjones2658]

"Meanwhile Cole sets out to find a protagonist with more charisma than a block of wood". 👍

[@TartarusHunter]

That line actually explains a lot in hindsight. The reason nobody in MK seems to have any personality is because Johnny Cage stole it all for himself.

[@5dmkiii60]

As you put it so well, I'm glad you watch this stuff so I don't have to. It's FAR more fun and entertaining to hear you rip this crap apart than having to suffer through watching the movies themselves. Never get tired of the comedic inserts of J.K. Simmons laughing or Peter Dinklage puking either. "Why??? I don't knoooooow." lol

[@Wistbacka]

The only way this franchise will ever succeed on the silver screen is 1) have competent writers and 2) have it all be stuntmen making, acting, directing and choreographing the movie. Scott Adkins, Donnie Yen and similar fighter actors is obviously needed too. But movies like EXTRACTION shows it can be epic when stuff like that happens

[@iHaveTheDocuments]

Mortal Kombat Movie Producer: It Would Have “Felt Weird to Have a White Actor, Literally Johnny Cage, be the Hero in my diverse movie". So instead we got a blend empty shell of a character I guess?

[@deamonmindgaming2054]

Wait a minute kano wasn't the secret main character?

[@Off-Brand_Devin]

Wait, that Cole guy isn't white? Besides that, why not make Liu Kang the lead? I thought he was the Ryu of Mortal Kombat, anyway.

[@MrGabrinoel]

they could easily use liu kang and kung lao as main caracter if thats the case.

[@bobsandwich3431]

No I don't think that was what they were doing. They wanted to do the bullshit hey I'm like u guys the general audience I know nothing about mortal kombat or whatever. They always do that and it's very annoying.

[@jorgeloredo100]

Which is funny cause even if he is Asian he's the stereotypical white american hero, they even pull the MuH FaMiLy iS MuH MoTiVaTiOn thing They missed the chance to make him fully japanese and enrich his character with his culture

[@thekiller7994]

When you realize Cole Young is a more interesting character than Rey Skywalker

[@paulmajano]

To be fair, they’re both FILLER characters

[@GingerZombie29]

Talk about a bar set low. 😁

[@bobsandwich3431]

Honestly no I liked rey more than Cole young. They both suck but one sucks more

[@NucleaRaptor]

I mean at least he struggles.

[@JoshuaKevinPerry]

WHY DID YOU SAY THAT NAME!

[@al56890]

If they do get a sequel I hope they get a new director and producer who isn't just "let's add every game reference for the sake of pleasing fans" and gore for the sake of having it. Better writers and this can be a great movie.

[@ChumpionTV]

I hate that call Raiden "Rhye-den". Even more if it's intentional :D

[@pac0re]

Kano saves this movie just as the Techno tunes saved the original.

[@ilcreatoren5846]

Yep.

[@asiberiantiger188]

Drinker: why not just bring a gun into your fight and just blast your opponent? Erron Black: well...

[@jacimitchell7628]

Stryker: Well...

[@jacimitchell7628]

Jax: Well...

[@jacimitchell7628]

Joker: AHAHAHAHAAAAA

[@Mr_Case_Time]

Terminator: hmmmm...

[@AceOfBlackjack]

Rambo: Fight bad.

[@duphasdan]

The people that made this movie didn't even show any bit of the tournament, which is the highlight of the whole story of Mortal Kombat lore. Also they miss how, according to the lore, the one that is meant to win the tournament is the guy with the big hat. And they had to take him out without so much as a chance to defend himself.