Movies

The New 'Mortal Kombat' Movie Will Be Rated R, Just As The Gods Of Outworld Intended

mortal kombat movie rating
By Hoai-Tran Bui/

Get ready to see some real violent fatalities in the new Mortal Kombat movie. Warner Bros. is taking another stab at adapting the popular fighting video game franchise by allowing a little more stabbing (and ripping and tearing and disemboweling) this time. While the previous Mortal Kombat feature films have stuck strictly to a PG-13, the new Mortal Kombat rating will be a hard R, according to screenwriter Greg Russo.

Russo confirmed that Warner Bros.' upcoming feature adaptation of the massively successful fantasy fighter game will be rated R.

"Since it's already been stated by other members of the team, I'm gonna put this one to bed," Russo tweeted. "[Mortal Kombat] WILL be R-Rated and for the first time EVER, FATALITIES will FINALLY be on the big screen (and no I'm not gonna say which ones) You'll just have to wait for the movie & see!!"

This will immediately set the new Mortal Kombat – which is being produced by The Conjuring and Aquaman director James Wan and helmed by first-time director Simon McQuoid –apart from its predecessors, both of which received PG-13 ratings from the MPAA. The first Mortal Kombat film directed by Paul W.S. Anderson came out in 1995 to poor reviews, but 1997s's Mortal Kombat: Annihilation was met with straight-up ridicule. It's up for discussion whether those PG-13 ratings were a main reason for the films' poor reception, but considering the violent nature of the games, an R-rating makes sense.

It's a rating that's a long time coming too, bearing in mind the complicated history of violence and the Mortal Kombat video games. The first Mortal Kombat game launched in 1992 and garnered acclaim and a loyal following, as well as controversy over its wildly graphic depictions of violence. That controversy eventually earned it the attention of Congress, which used Mortal Kombat clips as a primary example of the degrading effect of violence in video games. An R-rating for a Mortal Kombat film feels like the franchise finally flying its gory, bloody colors in the face of its controversies.

There are no official plot details yet, but assuming the film follows the basic premise of the games, Mortal Kombat will likely focus on a line-up of the some of the best fighters from our world going up against super-powered beings from other dimensions, all in the name of world domination.

Mortal Kombat is set to start shooting this year, with a 2021 release date likely.

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