MOVIE REVIEW

also known as “Mortal Kombat 3,” “Borba Smrtnika,” “Combate mortal,” “Mortal Kombat: Đấu Trường Sinh Tử,” “Mortal Kombat: Devastation,” “Mortal Kombat: Филмът,” “Shingekee no kiyojin,” See all »

MPA Rating: for strong bloody violence and language throughout, and some crude references.

Violence has become such a common thematic element to have in films that, let’s be honest, many of us don’t even give it a second thought when we see it. A punch, a kick here, a gunshot wound to the chest there. It’s just for entertainment purposes, right? Where would an action film without a little action be, huh? And a LITTLE violence doesn’t hurt anyone right? It’s like that favorite junk food you love so much that you know is bad for you, a little doesn’t hurt… but… A LOT does.

You raise the bar. You want more. You desire more. When you go for your favorite junk food you know is bad, you now eat it 5 times a day instead of every once in a while. It’s the same for some with film violence. After filmmakers added a little bit of violence into films and saw how much profit they could make from it, they realized that if a little violence draws a good amount of people to the theaters, then more stylized violent films will bring even MORE people to films. More, more, more!

That is the overall theme of “Mortal Kombat”… MORE. More everything! More violence, more profanity, more costumes. It became nauseating for me at times, literally. And I’m not the only one that felt that way. According to news sources, Lewis Tan, who plays Cole in the film, felt sick from the gruesome violence that was played out in scenes (and he’s a real-life kickboxer and muay thai fighter!). The violence is so graphic, so barbaric at times, that, the director Simon McQuoid, had this to say earlier this month:

The film came quite close to the line of getting an NC-17 rating by the Motion Picture Association. “What we had to be a bit careful of was… you can get to NC-17 territory pretty quick. It’s different in a video game when it’s not real human beings. When you move this across to reality, a different set of things start to happen in your mind, and you get rated differently. So there were certain things that are in the game that would mean the film would be unreleasable. And none of us wanted that. …So we were balancing that stuff all the time. And there’s some stuff that you will see that really gets quite close to the line… to reality, a different set of things start to happen in your mind, and you get rated differently. So there were certain things that are in the game that would mean the film would be unreleasable. And none of us wanted that. …So we were balancing that stuff all the time. And there’s some stuff that you will see that really gets quite close to the line…”

The fact that the film has a record-breaking amount of f-words I have ever recorded on my clipboard (on top of other profanity and vulgarity) as well as a rather confusing, disjointed plot that seemed to be suited only for the true fans of the video games series, only adds insult to injury into what likely could have been a somewhat enjoyable film that, with some more editing, could have easily gotten itself down to a PG-13 rating.

Content of Concern

Violence: Extreme. I will not list every violent act here, as it is neither appropriate nor worth doing here However, there are excessive and multiple scenes where people are stabbed, kicked, punched, grabbed and shoved around, shot with weapons, decapitated (there is one scene where we see, in a horrifically graphic way, a woman completely sawed from head to toe and we see her insides). People are also blown back by other superpowers, some people are frozen alive, characters are killed, a person is burned to death, children are killed, a monster has its heart ripped out. Basically, almost any violent act you can think of is on screen here.

Vulgarity: Extreme— f-words (55+ including f*ck, f*cking, f*cked, m*ther-f*cker), pr*ck, w*nker, s*ck my s*ck, p*ssy, a*s (5), a**-hole (2), b*d-a**, b*tch, s-words (10, including sh*thole)

Profanity: G*d d*mn, Oh God, Swear to God, G*d, d*mn (4), hell (4)

Occult: There are some themes involving mysticism and finding one’s inner “aracana” (one’s abilities/powers which allow the champions to fight at a superior level).

My Takeaway

If there is one takeaway I got after viewing Mortal Kombat” it is that our bodies are a temple and that what we take in is exactly what we will produce. Jesus stated this about our eyes:

The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. —Mathew 6:22

And the Apostle Paul also states the following…

“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” —1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Also, if you are considering watching “Mortal Kombat,” think about this Scripture as well…

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” -Philippians 4:8

Final Thoughts

During the showing I attended, I saw two adults and a child who, honestly, couldn’t have been more than 10 or 11 years old two rows in front of me. As I sat there, writing my notes, and watching the film, I’m thinking to myself, “What kind of worldview is this kid going to grow up with, thinking that this kind of violence is okay? Is this what’s wrong?”

When I think about the surrounding issues plaguing our society, especially the violence in our streets, particularly the events of the last several months, I have to wonder if films like “Mortal Kombat” play some role, no matter how small, and how children should NOT be subjected to films like “Mortal Kombat” (actually, let’s be honest, adults don’t need to be either).

Gratuitous and excessive violence, vulgarity and profanity make this film an absolute pass. This movie doesn’t offer anything edifying to your soul, to God or to the Holy Spirit. Please do yourself a favor and skip this movie.

• Violence: Extreme
• Vulgar/Crude language: Extreme
• Profane language: Moderately Heavy
• Sex: Moderate— • Various crude sexual comments • A character tells 2 men that they can take turns “s*cking my s*ck” and says something about anal beads • A character makes some sexual comments • Kiss (heterosexual)
• Occult: Moderate
• Nudity: Mild to Moderate— • Some female characters wear tight clothing • Shirtless males
• Drugs/Alcohol: Mild— • Someone drinks beer at a bar in one scene • Spectators hold beer • Drug runner is mentioned

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.