'Mortal Kombat' Featurette Looks At The Creation Of The Fantastical, Bloody Fight Scenes

Mortal Kombat is out in theaters and on HBO Max, and if you're wondering how director Simon McQuoid brought the video game action to life, a new featurette digs into the creation of the fight scenes. They didn't even need to use a player's guide to pull off the killer combos.

Even though Mortal Kombat takes some liberties with the mythology of the video games, the fight sequences are still rather impressive. Not only do they incorporate the fantastical elements of the video game, but they use some outstanding martial arts choreography as well.

Mortal Kombat stars Lewis Tan as new character Cole, who acts as our entry into the larger video game world. As for the familiar characters, we have Sub-Zero (Joe Taslim), Shang Tsung (Skyscraper's Chin Han) Major Jackson "Jax" Briggs (Supergirl's Mehcad Brooks), Sonya Blade (The Meg's Jessica McNamee), Lord Raiden (Thor's Tadanobu Asano), Liu Kang (Power Rangers' Ludi Lin), Kung Lao (actor and stuntman Max Huang), Kano (Superstore's Josh Lawson), and Scorpion (Hiroyuki Sanada) who are all there to train for a high-stakes tournament to defeat invaders from Outerworld.

Here is the official synopsis for Mortal Kombat:

In Mortal Kombat, MMA fighter Cole Young, accustomed to taking a beating for money, is unaware of his family's 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 that Cole was born with. Soon, he finds himself at the temple of Lord Raiden, an Elder God and 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?

Mortal Kombat is available in theaters and on HBO Max right now.