When it comes to video games, Mortal Kombat will forever hold a special place in the hearts of metal fans. When the original arcade game first hit the scene in 1992, it changed everything with its graphics, storylines, and most of all, realistic gore. The game terrified parents in many of the same ways that metal music did, what with its focus on blood-spilliny, demonic warriors, and getting your entire spine ripped out. Well, now the first red band trailer for James Wan’s upcoming live-action Mortal Kombat remake has been released, and holy shit, it’s SO METAL.
As you’ll see, the first trailer for Mortal Kombat brings the two things fans want from the property: all your favorite character, and incredibly elaborate supernatural fight scenes. This has it all — you’ve got Kano zapping someone with his eye and holding a human heart; you’ve got Sub Zero creating an ice wall and throwing someone through it; you’ve got Raiden summoning lightning with a chill look on his face; and oh yeah, you got Scorpion spearing Sub Zero and yanking him across a room with a bellowed, “GET OVER HERE!” For ’90s gamers, this is finally a culmination of the story’s potential that was sadly wasted with the wack-ass 1995 PG-13 film.
According to the press release via Bloody Disgusting, ”MMA fighter Cole Young, accustomed to taking a beating for money, is unaware of his heritage—or why Outworld’s Emperor Shang Tsung has sent his best warrior, Sub-Zero, an otherworldly Cryomancer, to hunt Cole down. Fearing for his family’s safety, Cole goes in search of Sonya Blade at the direction of Jax, a Special Forces Major who bears the same strange dragon marking Cole was born with. Soon, he finds himself at the temple of Lord Raiden, an Elder God and the protector of Earthrealm, who grants sanctuary to those who bear the mark. Here, Cole trains with experienced warriors Liu Kang, Kung Lao and rogue mercenary Kano, as he prepares to stand with Earth’s greatest champions against the enemies of Outworld in a high stakes battle for the universe. But will Cole be pushed hard enough to unlock his arcana—the immense power from within his soul—in time to save not only his family, but to stop Outworld once and for all?”
Check out the age-restricted trailer below:
Mortal Kombat comes to theaters and HBO Max on April 16th, 2021.
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Words by Chris Krovatin
