WATCH: First Trailer For The 2021 ‘Mortal Kombat’ Film Released

The first trailer for the upcoming martial arts fantasy action film Mortal Kombat was released online this week. Based on the popular video game series of the same name, Mortal Kombat is directed by Simon McQuoid and focuses on a fighter named Cole Young (Lewis Tan) who joins a clique of fighters after he finds himself being hunted down by an assassin with mythical powers named Sub-Zero (Joe Taslim). Cole must now help his new allies take down Sub-Zero and defend the world from an army of dark forces.

The trailer opens with Jax Briggs (Mechad Brooks) inspecting an abandoned building that is covered in ice. As Jax turns around, he is suddenly confronted by Sub-Zero who instantly freezes Jax’s gun just as the bullets are being fired. After he destroys the gun, Sub-Zero grabs both of Jax’s arms and freezes them until they shatter (referencing how the character loses his arms and gains new ones made of metal). Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee) is seen explaining to Cole Young that she, Jax and a group of military soldiers were sent to capture Sub-Zero during a mission in Brazil, only for the warrior to tear through their unit in seconds due to his superhuman abilities.

The audience is then shown a dragon marking on Cole’s body. Sonya and Jax explain that Sub-Zero had the same marking and that it is no ordinary birthmark. Cole’s dragon marking means that he has been chosen. Sonya states that throughout history different cultures in the world have referenced a great tournament of champions. Sonya explains that she thinks Cole’s dragon marking is an invitation for something. As Sonya is heard speaking, the famous character Scorpion (Hiroyuki Sanada) is seen killing a group of assassins sent to kill him.

The music starts to pick up as Jax and Sonya are heard introducing Cole to the other members of their group, including Kano (Josh Lawson), Liu Kang (Ludi Lin), Kung Lao (Max Huang) and Raiden (Tadanobu Asano). Raiden explains that the fate of the Earth is in their hands. Several fight scenes between the characters are soon shown, with more characters from the game being seen like Shang Tsung (Chin Han), Mileena (Sisi Stringer) and Goro. The trailer then cuts to Sub-Zero and Scorpion in a fierce duel. Sub-Zero manages to cut Scorpion, uses the latter’s frozen blood as a weapon and throws him through a wall of ice. Scorpion soon manages to stab Sub-Zero with his daggers and drags the latter back while shouting the iconic line, “Get over here!”

After the title card is shown, several famous Mortal Kombat fatalities are shown after Shang Tsung shouts his catchphrase, “Finish him!” The last fatality shows Kano rip out an opponent’s heart, gleefully calling it a “f***ing beauty” while it still beats in his hand.

Mortal Kombat will be released on April 16 where it will premiere in both theaters and on the HBO Max streaming service.