Warner Bros. Pictures has released the first seven minutes of Mortal Kombat online for fans to watch for free ahead of the movie's anticipated release this week. Directed by Simon McQuoid and written by Greg Russo and Dave Callaham, the movie is based on the popular video game series created by Ed Boon and John Tobias. The series is known for its rivalry between fan favorite fighters Scorpion and Sub-Zero, something that fans will see a glimpse of in the movie's first seven minutes. You can watch the footage below.
Mortal Kombat features an ensemble cast that includes Lewis Tan as Cole Young; Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade; Josh Lawson as Kano; Tadanobu Asano as Lord Raiden; Mehcad Brooks as Jackson "Jax" Bridges; Ludi Lin as Liu Kang; with Chin Han as Shang Tsung; Joe Taslim as Bi-Han and Sub-Zero; and Hiroyuki Sanada 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.
The logline for Mortal Kombat reads: "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?"
One fan favorite that fans shouldn't count on seeing is Johnny Cage, who has been totally absent from the teasers, trailers, and of course, the new footage of the first seven minutes of Mortal Kombat. This is no mistake, as producer Todd Garner said that there just wasn't any room in the narrative for the cocky American fighter with Kano playing a similar role in the story already.
"The reason we held back Johnny Cage is he is a very egotistical guy. He's a scoundrel. He's funny. He's bigger than life... and so is Kano," Garner told GameSpot last month. "So you go, 'Alright, are we gonna just gonna have two guys competing to [see who can] out-funny each other and out-ego each other in this movie? Or do you hold Johnny Cage back?"
James Wan, Todd Garner, E. Bennett Walsh, and Simon McQuoid produced the movie. Richard Brener, Dave Neustadter, Victoria Palmeri, Michael Clear, Jeremy Stein, and Larry Kasanoff executive produced. Benjamin Wallfisch provided the score. Mortal Kombat will be released in theaters and streaming on HBO Max on Friday, April 23. The footage of the first seven minutes comes to us from Warner Bros. Pictures on YouTube.