Mortal Kombat: Official synopsis for the R-rated reboot released

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

After unleashing a collection of first-look images from the James Wan-produced film, we now have a Mortal Kombat official synopsis for the highly-anticipated R-rated reboot. The movie is set to premiere in theaters and on HBO Max on April 16, 2021, with a trailer expected sooner rather than later.

The full synopsis for Mortal Kombat can be read below:

From New Line Cinema comes the explosive new cinematic adventure “Mortal Kombat,” inspired by the blockbuster video game franchise, which most recently enjoyed the most successful video game launch in its history, Mortal Kombat 11. The film is helmed by award-winning Australian commercial filmmaker Simon McQuoid, marking his feature directorial debut, and produced by James Wan (“The Conjuring” universe films, “Aquaman,”), Todd Garner (“Into the Storm,” “Tag”), McQuoid and E. Bennett Walsh (“Men in Black: International,” “The Amazing Spider-Man 2”).

In “Mortal Kombat,” 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?

With high-rez images and the official synopsis revealed it's only a matter of time before we see the first trailer for Mortal Kombat. Having visited the set of Mortal Kombat myself back in November of 2019, I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am to see this movie. Needless to say, Mortal Kombat has a lot to prove if it's looking to separate itself from Paul W.S. Anderson's 1995 classic live-action adaptation, and perhaps more importantly, John R. Leonetti's Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997). While the original is currently hailed as a cult classic and possibly the best video game adaptation to date, the sequel is often regarded as a hot mess that fans would rather forget. My hope is that McQuoid's Mortal Kombat blows everybody away and that we get several sequels to the film for years to come.

The diverse international cast reflects the global nature of the brand, with talent spanning the worlds of film, television, and martial arts. The ensemble includes Lewis Tan (“Deadpool 2,” Netflix’s “Wu Assassins”) as Cole Young; Jessica McNamee (“The Meg”) as Sonya Blade; Josh Lawson (“Bombshell”) as Kano; Tadanobu Asano (“Midway”) as Lord Raiden; Mehcad Brooks (TV’s “Supergirl”) as Jackson “Jax” Bridges; Ludi Lin (“Aquaman”) as Liu Kang; with Chin Han (“Skyscraper”) as Shang Tsung; Joe Taslim (“Star Trek Beyond”) as Bi-Han and Sub-Zero; and Hiroyuki Sanada (“Skyscraper”) as Hanzo Hasashi and Scorpion. Also featured are Max Huang as Kung Lao; Sisi Stringer as Mileena; Matilda Kimber as Emily Young; and Laura Brent as Allison Young.

Mortal Kombat will arrive in theaters and on HBO Max on April 16, 2021. Are you ready to bear witness to the tournament? I certainly hope so.