Mortal Kombat Reviews Call the Film a Violent Mess

Here’s what the first round of critics and journalists had to say.

With only mere days left before the release of Mortal Kombat both in theaters and on HBO Max, critical reactions have dropped regarding the much-anticipated, gloriously bloody adaptation of the long-running video game franchise. It’s safe to say that die-hard fans of this world have been eagerly awaiting for this movie, and Warner Bros. has been teasing glimpses of it over the last several weeks since its recent release date delay.

Directed by Simon McQuoid and produced by James Wan, the film stars Lewis Tan as new character Cole Young, as well as those actors playing Mortal Kombat mainstays: Jessica McNamee (Sonya Blade), Josh Lawson (Kano), Tadanobu Asano (Raiden), Mehcad Brooks (Jax), Ludi Lin (Liu Kang), Chin Han (Shang Tsung), Joe Taslim (Bi-Han/Sub-Zero) and Hiroyuki Sanada (Hanzo Hasashi/Scorpion), among others.

RELATED: Why 1995’s ‘Mortal Kombat’ Is the Rare Video Game Movie That Works

Now, with the film primed for release in a matter of days, it’s time to find out what the critics thought. Has Mortal Kombat been worth the wait, or is this a reboot that didn’t quite live up to the hype? Check out some of the early critical reactions below — we’ll keep updating as more continue to come in.

Collider’s own Matt Goldberg thought the film relied too heavily on the franchise’s penchant for gore.

But Peri Nemiroff found it to be some messy fun.

While some seemed to have seen Mortal Kombat as more of a bore than a flawless victory.

But some critics seemed to enjoy the ridiculous, over-the-top nature of Mortal Kombat.

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