A series of posters introduced the warriors: now see them in action in the first Mortal Kombat movie trailer! Be warned: they aren't pulling their punches. The trailer contains depictions of extreme violence and a whole lot of spoilers! Watch:
The trailer immediately announces the new movie's R-rated violence with a showdown between Jackson Briggs (Mehcad Brooks) and Sub-Zero (Joe Taslim). The Lin Kuei warrior catches gunfire in crystals of ice as it leaves the soldier's barrel -- and freezes both of his arms to shatter them for a violent origin behind Jax's iconic cyborg arms!
Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee) schools new character Cole Young (Lewis Tan) on the supernatural nature of his dragon-shaped birthmark -- shared by an unseen opponent. It appears he has been chosen to compete in the Mortal Kombat tournament, and a fiery vision of Scorpion (Hiroyuki Sanada) may reveal his hidden heritage.
More of the opening-scene glimpsed in HBO Max trailers shows mortal Hanzo Hasashi wielding his trademark Scorpion's spear against what seems to be Lin Kuei attackers. He returns later in the trailer for a showdown with rival Sub-Zero, and to growl his immortal line : "Get over here!"
Shang Tsung (Chin Han) appears to meet with Raiden (Tadanobu Asano) in the location of one of Sub-Zero's earlier modern-day attacks. It evokes the character's classic early encounter in the 1995 film, as does Raiden's role as an encouraging mentor for Earthrealm's tournament competitors. His lightning casts a dramatic light over the gathered defenders.
The action-packed trailer shows plenty of fighting, from Raiden's temple of training, to the tournament itself. Liu Kang (Ludi Lin) wields the dragon's flame, conjuring it against what appears to be Kabal (Daniel Nelson). We see Kung Lao (Max Huang) deflecting Kano (Josh Lawson)'s eye laser with his hat, and unleashing a jumping kick against Cole. It also appears it may be an armored Cole Young facing the leaping wrath of Goro!
Jax also launches himself at an unidentified big man wearing armor reminiscent of Reiko, while Sonya mixes it up with Mileena (Sisi Stringer), Kano, and uses her pulse blast against a darkly dressed fighter that could be Nitara (Elissa Cadwell).
The trailer includes several welcome references to klassic game characters as yet unconfirmed. A painted tablet seems to depict Earthrealm's former champion Great Kung Lao, while a statue brings Outworld Emperor Shao Kahn into ominous view. Look closely and you'll also notice what may be Reptile materializing overhead in Sonya's bunker.
Mortal Kombat arrives in limited theatrical release and streaming to HBO Max on April 16th! Subscribe to the release day calendar event and download the MKO App via App Store or Google Play to receive notifications! Like and comment this story below and discuss more movie news in the Media & Merchandise forum!
