Preliminary fears that Warner Bros. would attempt to evade a harsher age rating for Mortal Kombat by toning down the movie’s violence and gore were clearly unfounded.
Last month, the first trailer for Simon McQuoid’s most ambitious project to date surfaced online, with its R-rated cut (aka uncensored) subsequently becoming the most-viewed red band preview ever. That alone is likely to be seen as a seal of approval from millions of fans eager to see Earthrealm and Outworld’s finest beat the living snot out of each other when April rolls around, but what about those moviegoers with little to no prior knowledge of the franchise?
Actor Ludi Lin, who plays White Lotus member Liu Kang in the reboot, gives us an idea of what someone perhaps not well-versed in the series’ mythos would think of the explicit gore by getting his mom to watch the trailer. No, that’s not a joke. As one would no doubt expect, the result is a lot of eye and mouth covering out of sheer disbelief, and you can check out the clip for yourself below.
Oops MK trailer Makes My Mom Drop Da F Bomb.
Since everybody and their Moms are reacting to the @MKMovie Red Band Trailer. Here’s mine! #thanksmum #mortalkombatmovie pic.twitter.com/CFcw62o1MZ
— Ludi Lin (@ludi_lin) February 28, 2021
Humorously, Lin manages to get his mom to recite Kano’s closing lines (“You f**king beauty”) in what appears to be complete obliviousness to its meaning, much to the actor’s delight. And that’s just a response to what the filmmakers have seen fit to show us so far. Who knows what other delightfully gruesome scenes audiences will be privy to when the tournament kicks off next month?
Speaking of which, Mortal Kombat, alongside much of Warner Bros.’ 2021 lineup, will be available via HBO Max on the same date as it hits theaters as part of a new initiative. The move is at least partially influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic necessitating cinema closures, though it’s worth noting that home viewings will only be available for an initial period of one month before being re-added alongside DVD and Blu-ray releases.
