Mortal Kombat | 2021 | R | – 1.8.10

Why is “Mortal Kombat” rated R? The MPAA rating has been assigned for “strong bloody violence and language throughout, and some crude references.” The Kids-In-Mind.com evaluation includes many scenes with people and seemingly magical beings fighting using weapons and powers that leave many people dead and a lot of blood is splattered and pours from wounds, a man’s arms are snapped off at the elbows and we see blood and bone and tissue, a woman is cut in half with a saw with blood and matter shown, people are encased in ice, and over 50 F-words and other strong language. Read our parents’ guide below for details on sexual content, violence & strong language.

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Champions from two realms are gathered for one final competition in Mortal Kombat. With Lewis Tan, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, Joe Taslim, Mehcad Brooks, Matilda Kimber, Laura Brent, Tadanobu Asano, Hiroyuki Sanada, Chin Han, Ludi Lin, Max Huang, Sisi Stringer, Mel Jarnson and Nathan Jones. Directed by Simon McQuoid. Several lines of dialogue are spoken in Japanese and Chinese with English subtitles. [Running Time: 1:50]

Mortal Kombat SEX/NUDITY 1

 – A husband and his wife kiss. A husband and his wife hug in a few scenes. A husband speaks lovingly to his wife.
► Two shirtless men fight in a cage fight and we see their bare chests, abdomens and backs. A woman wears a tank top that reveals cleavage and bare shoulders throughout the movie.

Mortal Kombat VIOLENCE/GORE 8

 – A man with a sword enters a residence and threatens a woman and her young son: the boy holds his hands in a martial arts position and the man laughs as he forms ice crystals on his hands and moves toward the woman and child, we hear a scream and we later see the two dead and encased in ice, with blood on the woman’s back. Two men fight with swords and knives: one man is slashed on the face and we see the open bloody wound, one man is stabbed in the abdomen and the knife is pulled upward (we see blood), they continue to fight and a man is stabbed in the shoulder; the blade is twisted and he falls motionless and very bloody. A man with a large gun approaches another man that seems to be creating and controlling ice; they fight in an abandoned warehouse and the gun’s barrel is filled with ice when the man tries to fire it, and the other man holds the man’s hands, creates ice that encases his hands and arms and his arms are snapped off at the elbows (we see bloody tissue and exposed bone) before he falls off a ledge and lands hard on the ground below (we see him alive later).
► A man with mechanical arms punches a man repeatedly until his head explodes and we see a lot of blood and matter splatter and pour. Several people fight simultaneously: two women fight using knives and they throw and punch each other, one woman is stabbed in the shoulder and we see blood as the attacker licks the blood from the blade, and she pins the other and disappears in a cloud of smoke after opening her mouth to expose long sharp teeth; a man presses his thumb into a bloody wound on a woman’s’ shoulder, he throws her and a large piece of a statue falls on top of her pinning her; a female winged creature swoops toward a man and they fight briefly until he creates a saw blade with his hat and cuts her in half (we see the body pressing against the spinning blade and bloody flesh and tissue are shown). A woman with a large mouth filled with pointed teeth roars and lunges toward a man, and a woman shoots her through the abdomen (we see an open hole through her body).
► A man is kicked repeatedly and thrown into what looks like quicksand; he is stuck in it as a giant flaming dragon stands above him and lunges down on top of him. A being with four arms picks a man up and slams him to the ground, a woman stabs the being with an axe and the being slams the axe on the roof of a truck as the woman and a teen girl try to get away; the being pulls the woman out of the truck and threatens her as a man seems to grow a protective skin, as well as weapons and attacks the being cutting off one of its hands (blood sprays) and killing it with a slash across the throat and abdomen, and a stab through the eye. Many armed men approach another man and they fight with a lot of sword slashing, stabbing and crunching and a lot of blood; one man is stabbed through the top of the head and blood gushes from the wound. We hear moaning outside a residence and a blade pushes through a rice paper wall as it stabs through a man outside (we see the blade and blood splatters on the wall). A man finds a woman and a teen girl encased in ice (presumably dead) and he attacks the man responsible; they fight and one man zaps the other with blasts of ice knocking him down and throwing him as the attacker says, “You will die now”; they continue to fight with swords and weapons made of ice (we see some bloody wounds), a man is stabbed in the chest and blood sprays (he breathes labored) and a man blows flames on the man (we see him burn and his flesh turns charred) and the man disintegrates in a swirl of flames. A woman attacks a man and slashes his leg with a knife and they fight as his eye shoots lasers around the room, the man slams the woman into the ceiling, she slams him into a toilet, they fall out a window and the man holds the woman on the ground until he is stabbed in the eye with a statue (we hear a squish and a crunch). A mortally wounded man pulls himself along the ground toward the sound of an infant crying in the distance; the man gags and spits a lot of blood on the ground, dies and his body is engulfed in flames and disintegrates.
► People in a building hear noises and they investigate to find part of the wall melted from acid and a creature moves through the area knocking things over and attacking them (it is unseen initially); they try to fight it and one man is slashed across the face (we see bloody cuts), the others are thrown as they try to shoot it and a woman throws a knife at it (the knife stabs a man in the leg and he yells); the creature is stabbed with a flare so it can be seen, it grabs the man with its long tongue and the man punches through its chest and pulls out its beating heart (the man’s arm is covered with goo and slime). A man holds another man in the air by the throat and “sucks out his soul”; we see a green glowing mist passing from one man to the other, as one man decays and his skin wrinkles and withers.
► A man inadvertently shoots a laser out of his eye and another man uses his hat as a shield that causes the laser to ricochet. Large chunks of ice fall from the sky and a man appears to be controlling them; he walks through a street and throws ice at people (one person appears to be crushed under ice) and vehicles, as they run and scream and a car speeds away. People fight in order to reveal their special powers in a few scenes; one person uses a metal hat as a weapon and later as a shield. A man throws a ball of flames at a man knocking him to the ground. A man throws a ball of flames at a man, who blocks it with a blast of ice. A being with four arms fights with a man and throws him to the ground; the man gets away and arms himself with a crowbar.
► Two men fight in a cage fight and we see bloody facial wounds as they each pound on each other and one is held in a grip that causes him to nearly pass out (he falls on the mat and spits out blood). A man punches another man repeatedly (we see bloody wounds). Two men fight and one knocks the other’s feet out from under him three times. A man shoves a woman and she fights with him, she throws him to the ground and stands over him with a knife to his throat (we see a bloody slash), then lets him go and walks away. A woman punches a man hard in the face and he spits blood. A man jumps a fence and a woman attacks him knocking him to the ground (there are no injuries). A man with mechanical arms punches a wall several times and becomes frustrated.
► Three people prepare to jump out of a plane and one pushes another man out when he seems reluctant. A man threatens another man to take people’s souls and their world. A man threatens to enslave the entire human race. A man threatens another man and says that he will end his bloodline. A man asks another man if he has a death wish. A man insults another man. A man sees a strange reflection in a mirror; it appears to be a man surrounded by flames and wearing a heavy metal mask and armor. People of a specific realm are described as brutal and murderous. A person talks about slitting another person’s throat. A man is shown chained to a floor in a warehouse. A man talks about being an orphan.
► A woman has what looks like a bloody smear across her face and mouth and we see later that her mouth opens unnaturally wide and the flesh at the side of her mouth opens to accommodate large pointed teeth. A man with glowing eyes appears with a flash of lightning in a few scenes and flashes lightning from his hand into the sky as he disappears in several scenes. Several people are shown with a dragon shaped brand on their arms and chests. Murals on the walls of a temple depict battles between creatures for the control of realms; one shows a person torn in half with bloody tissue exposed. A man missing his arms from the elbows is shown unconscious but alive on a medical table with mechanical arms attached to his shoulders with metallic plugs. Thick black smoke pours out of a barn implying the presence of something.
► A man says that another man is responsible for him living in an iron lung (we see him wearing a heavy metal helmet and facial covering with tubes attached to it). A man repairs an open bloody wound on another man’s arm (we see what look like acupuncture needles placed in his arm and a flame seems to seal the wound). A man snorts and spits a glob of mucus and it lands on a garden gnome’s hand (we see it dripping).

Mortal Kombat LANGUAGE 10

 – About 53 F-words and its derivatives, 4 sexual references, 13 scatological terms, 16 anatomical terms, 12 mild obscenities, name-calling (blondie, sunshine, scum of the Earth, psychopath, impossible, back-stabbing, big mouth, tough guy, tragic, lowlife, scumbag, ballerinas, failure, mongrel, honey, girlie, pretty boy, dog, stupid, aggressive little bunny, good boy, dumb, fat, lazy pig, useless, Magic Mike, liability, Frisbee hat, Gandalf, powerless, arrogant, brutal, murderous, David Copperfield, idiot, princess), exclamations (shut-up, whoops, be still, oh gee, no skin off my [anatomical term deleted], watch your mouth), 1 religious profanity (GD), 6 religious exclamations (e.g. I Swear To God, Oh God, Jesus, Holy, Holy Place, there are references to gods). | profanity glossary |

Mortal Kombat SUBSTANCE USE

 – A man drinks a beer from the bottle and throws it (we hear it shatter).

Mortal Kombat DISCUSSION TOPICS

 – Prophecy, chance, victory, super abilities, death of parents, giving up.

Mortal Kombat MESSAGE

 – Giving up is never an option.