Mortal Kombat film review: Why you should watch on HBO Max, not in theaters

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  You can probably hear the title being screamed upon seeing this image. [credit: WarnerMedia ]

Mortal Kombat's third live-action movie, launching this week after over two decades of cinematic silence, is a weird one.

It's not good. You wouldn't mistake this for a classic action or martial arts film, and it borrows clumsily from genre giants without building upon their shoulders in any meaningful way.

Most recent Mortal Kombat games (and a pair of Injustice games, starring DC Comics characters in MK-like fights) have impressed largely because they're a hoot to sit back and watch, full of entertaining, tongue-in-cheek cut scenes. Strip these out and put them on a streaming service as an animated series, and you'd get hours of fatality-filled butt-kicking and silliness-all better than what's on display in this feature.

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