Mortal Kombat, from 1995, is not a good movie, remembered un-fondly for its Z-grade acting, Paul W.S. Anderson-like action choreography, and its ’90s-esque shred-techno soundtrack. However, because sometimes franchises just occur, unbidden by the movie-going public, it was followed by a sequel and two spin-off TV series. The video game series, relaunched to some acclaim in 2011, features elaborate stories that carry out like alternate-universe versions of those films, albeit with much more complicated lore.
But all of that can get bent, because this low-budget remake from Ghana looks like it’ll take the cake: a ceaseless onslaught of unlicensed game assets, passionate combat, and delightfully reinterpreted lore. The improvements are many: Kitana is now the protagonist (fuck yes), fighting now sometimes takes place in front of actual video game screens, and the soundtrack features Scorpion yelling “get over here” dozens of times on repeat. Even its special effects probably hold up against the 1995 version. If its three-minute trailer is anything to go on, it will be the definitive fictionalization of the eternal struggle between Earth’s greatest combatants and the fell inhabitants of the Netherrealm.
The film is a product of Ghana’s “Kumawood” scene, which is contrasted with the more professional “Ghallywood” by a number of factors, chief among them is its low-budget charm. The movies are generally set in real villages, acted out by amateurs, and feature characters speaking local languages and eating local food. It looks like they’re having that rarest of things in a game-to-film adaptation: fun.