When it comes to video game adaptations, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation is an infamous abomination in the eyes of many fans. What is also odd about this film is that creator Ed Boon had his fingerprints on the screenplay; It’s insane to think that the filmmakers didn’t understand the video game that they’re adapting because Mr. Boon himself was part of the screenwriting process. However, maybe there’s a deeper meaning to the mythology of the sequel that has gone unnoticed. Within the first few minutes of the film, Lord Rayden says, “Mortal Kombat is not about death, but rather the preservation of life”. Now, I can understand how this phrase will throw many long-time Mortal Kombat fans off; however, maybe all those innovative ways of popping someone’s head off is truly the preservation of life. Think about it. You don’t really value the importance of life until that brutal and over-the-top bloody fatality in the video game hits. Once heads have been ripped off and the blood has been shed, then you start to truly understand the preservation. Remember folks, Ed Boon had a hand in writing this film. But more importantly, everything that seems non-sensical may be a clever and hidden metaphor.
Throughout the movie, Shao Khan is trying to constantly kill Rayden, even though the popular character offered himself as a sacrifice in place of Johnny Cage, Shao Khan opted to snap Cage’s neck despite the necessity of murdering the Thunder God. On the surface, this makes absolutely no sense, but it’s speaking volumes about the preservation of life. In Johnny Cage’s Hollywood days, the popular fighter is showcased as the typical arrogant/Hollywood Diva type. Perhaps Cage was punished because he didn’t understand what Mortal Kombat truly stood for. This has to be the reason, right? Or else, why the hell didn’t Shao Khan just take THE ONE MAN HE DESPERATELY NEEDED TO KILL! And the fight scenes surely have more subtext than what’s onscreen; In Annihilation, we see a lot of clumsy, slow-motion, heavily edited fighting with a lot of unnecessary and over-the-top flipping. It’s nothing like the smooth, crisp, gameplan mechanics that Ed Boon and his creators have expertly crafted on his video counterpart. So, what’s the actual subtext behind these terribly choreographed action sequences? Um…I don’t know. But as my grandfather always says, “A man’s movement is only clumsy and slow when there’s subtext behind.” It’s definitely not because these are terribly stunted sequences that lack any semblance of its video game counterparts. No one stands out as unique. Liu Kang doesn’t fight like Liu Kang. Sonya doesn’t fight like Sonya. None of the popular video game characters have the spirit or movement of their counterparts.
It doesn’t feel like Mortal Kombat because the world depicted isn’t as vibrant, violent, and over-the-top as the source material. Granted, this is about the preservation of life, so maybe all that nonsense like Sub-Zero ripping out a man’s spine is just a mindless, soulless, cash grab for Boon and his team. But let’s be honest here, despite all the meaning and subtext of Annihilation, there’s no dancing around the horrendous special effects. I’ve genuinely seen better student films than what’s onscreen. The sets in Annihilation look incredibly fake. The staging and movements of the actors feel incredibly off. Often, the directing for most scenes appear to be John Leonetti telling the actors to flip and randomly do their gymnastics routine as he records, and he’ll figure out what to do with the footage in post. If there’s one thing Mortal Kombat needs to get right, it’s the fighting and action sequences. Mortal Kombat isn’t grounded in reality and realism. Sure, the lore is intriguing and there are interesting stories to be told regarding the MK Universe, such as the ongoing rivalry between the Shirai Ryu and Lin Kuei. There’s no subtext, or deeper meaning behind this nonsensical farce. I’m not going to trash the actors, filmmakers, or any one part of the movie. Filmmaking is hard work, and these guys and girls likely worked their asses off. However, that’s not going to stop me for calling out the extremely low quality of the overall feature. The budget for Mortal Kombat: Annihilation was $30 million, yet it feels like a film that was shot for $5 with an overload of stock footage. Mortal Kombat doesn’t need to be big or extravagant to be great. You can tell intimate stories that don’t require a big budget or special effects. John Wick was made for $20 million. David Leitch and Chad Stahelski focused on a simple story with incredible fight sequences. This is what Mortal Kombat: Annihilation should’ve been. Ed Boon and his creatives do an excellent job with their character endings in the video games that its mind bogging how him, and the group of writers got it so wrong in the live-action sequel. The terrible directing only enhances just how bad the plot for Annihilation is. Mortal Kombat: Annihilation is a gem, but one that lives in the infamy of “it’s so bad its good”.Annihilation
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