‘Mortal Kombat’ ratchets up the gore, but as a movie, it’s not a winner

Any sober analysis of “Mortal Kombat” already risks overthinking it, but even taking this adaptation of the game on its decidedly R-rated terms, the movie offers few of the visceral thrills that might produce a collective audience response, which makes its consumption on HBO Max perfectly adequate. Of course, in that setting, chuckling at the clunky dialogue will also be a less communal event.Any sober analysis of “Mortal Kombat” already risks overthinking it, but even taking this adaptation of the game on its decidedly R-rated terms, the movie offers few of the visceral thrills that might produce a collective audience response, which makes its consumption on HBO Max perfectly adequate. Of course, in that setting, chuckling at the clunky dialogue will also be a less communal event.